Benefit-Cost Analysis in Global Health

The Society for Benefit-Cost Analysis (SBCA), founded in 2007, works to improve the theory and practice of benefit-cost analysis and support evidence-based policy decisions. It addresses policy areas including public health, transportation, criminal justice, education, energy, environmental quality, homeland security, and poverty. Members include scholars and practitioners from around the world, who work in government, academia, nonprofits and private industry. Its members represent numerous disciplines such as economics, law, engineering, public policy, decision science, and…

The Green Book is guidance issued by HM Treasury in the United Kingdom on how to appraise government policies, programs, and projects. It also provides guidance on monitoring and evaluating impacts after implementation. The Green Book introduces the analytic approaches and the policy framework, describes the generation of policy options, discusses the valuation of costs and benefits, and describes the presentation of the results. It also includes technical appendices that discuss nonmarket valuation, distributional analysis,…

Economic evaluation is a powerful tool, encouraging the systematic collection and assessment of the evidence needed to support sound policy decisions. In low- and middle-income countries, where resources are especially scarce and needs are very great, such decisions are exceptionally difficult. In these settings, economic evaluation can be particularly useful in determining how to best improve health and welfare. Typically, cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is used to prioritize interventions within the health care sector. This approach…