Scan brief descriptions of initiatives and work conducted by our center community and our decision science colleagues across the globe.

Inattention to Distribution

Prior to issuing a major health, environmental, or safety regulation, U.S. government agencies are expected to assess how benefits and costs are distributed across disadvantaged and advantaged groups, in addition to estimating total costs and benefits. This review found that agencies provided little information on this distribution and discusses several reasons for this inattention.

 

GDP Per Capita Thresholds

In global health, interventions that impose costs per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted of less than three times gross domestic product per capita (GDPpc) are often considered cost-effective, and of less than one times GDPpc are often considered very cost-effective. This article explores the conceptual foundation and derivation of these thresholds and their implications, as well as options for improvement.

Revised U.S. Analytic Guidance

Work by CHDS researchers contributed to the 2023 U.S. Office of Management and Budget's substantial revisions to Circular A-4, which provides guidance on evaluating major regulations. These revisions will have profound effects on how agencies estimate and evaluate the benefits and costs of alternative policies. Related news: U.S. Updates Economic Evaluation Guidance

Prioritizing Health Interventions

Determining how to prioritize spending on health interventions, particularly in resource-limited settings, poses many challenges. In this video, Dean Jamison interviews Lawrence H. Summers about his experience addressing this challenge, beginning with the 1993 World Bank World Development report and continuing through the Lancet Commission on Investing in Health.

Pan-Tuberculosis Regimen Benefits Analysis

Mathematical models used to evaluate the health and economic impact of pan-tuberculosis regimens rely on accurate treatment outcomes and costs. To inform the development of such regimens, this analysis compared the outcomes of a pan-tuberculosis regimen with current treatments for rifampicin-susceptible and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis across high-burden countries using published data.

Economic Evaluation and COVID-19

COVID-19 policies are fraught with trade-offs. In this article, researchers provide their perspective on how policymakers can use economic evaluation methods to organize and weigh these trade-offs. Such evaluation can aid policymakers in being more transparent about the logic that underlies these difficult decisions. Read the article and listen to the author interview podcast.

Featured Resource: Guidelines for Benefit-Cost Analysis

For more information on conducting benefit-cost analysis in low- and middle- income settings, see the methods papers and case studies prepared by the Guidelines for Benefit-Cost Analysis project team. These resources have been created to improve the quality of benefit-cost analyses, expand its use, and increase its comparability. Funding was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.