Robinson Offers Benefit-Cost Analysis Course Online

CHDS Deputy Director Lisa A. Robinson will lead her professional development course, Benefit-Cost Analysis: Valuing Life and Health online from September 19 through 23, 2022. Benefit-cost analysis is an important component of the policy development process around the world, encouraging systematic evaluation of the impacts of alternative policies and informing related decisions. It has received substantial attention during COVID-19 epidemic, highlighting key trade-offs between saving lives and protecting livelihoods.

In this course, Robinson addresses the underlying analytic framework, its advantages and limitations, and its application globally, focusing on methods for valuing changes in health and longevity. She covers estimates recommended for use in high-, middle-, and low-income settings, including the value per statistical life (VSL) concept and application. The course is designed for practitioners, scholars, policymakers, and other stakeholders who want to increase their understanding of benefit-cost analysis and its application to environmental, health, and safety policies globally.

Additional instructors include Dale Whittington (University of North Carolina), Neal Fann (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), and Brad Wong (Mettalytics and Copenhagen Consensus Center), each of whom will demonstrate application of these methods to specific case studies. The course involves interactive presentations and discussion, case studies, and opportunities to meet informally in small groups.

The course is offered by the Harvard Chan School Executive and Continuing Professional Education program. For more information and to register, please visit the course website: Benefit-Cost Analysis: Valuing Life and Health.

Learn more: Explore related CHDS resources:

Resource Pack: Valuing Health and Longevity in BCA
Resource Pack: Benefit-Cost Analysis in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Resource Pack: Valuing Health and Longevity in BCA