Health Economics

Health Economics: An International Perspective is the only textbook to provide a truly international, comparative treatment of health economics. Offering an analysis of health systems across borders, the fourth edition of this key text has been updated and revised to take account of changes in a host of countries. This edition features an expanded introduction, providing better grounding for many of the examples that come in subsequent chapters and making it easier for non-health care experts to see the links between the theory, the examples and the health care system components. It also boasts a restructured format, dividing the book into two broad sections: the first focuses on ideas and principles, along with evidence on their applications in the health sector, whereas the second focuses on introducing core tools and techniques used in applied health economics research. Further updates to this edition include: - two new chapters on applied econometrics; - a new chapter on equity, focusing on equity in access to health care, paying particular attention to how access and need for health care are defined and measured in applied research; - a new chapter on emerging issues for health systems that are emanating from a series of global transitions both within (e.g. demographic change, epidemiological change, the global resolution on universal health coverage) and without the health sector (e.g. economic transitions). Throughout the text, examples and illustrations are taken from a wide range of settings and world regions, providing a unique overview of the performance of different health systems.

Barbara McPake, Professor of Global Health and Director, Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne, Australia. Charles Normand, Professor of the Economics of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation, Cicely Saunders Institute, King's College London, UK, and Professor of Health Policy and Management, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Ireland. Samantha Smith, Research Fellow, Centre for Health Policy and Management, Trinity College, University of Dublin, Ireland. Anne Nolan, Associate Research Professor, Social Division, Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin, Ireland.

1. Introduction: health economics in international perspective PART 1 Introductory health economics 2. The demand for health and health services 3. Production, health and health care: efficient use of inputs 4. Cost of delivering health services 5. Basic market models 6. Supplier-induced demand and agency 7. Market failure and government PART 2 Further economics of markets and market intervention 8. Contracting 9. Market structures 10. Hospital and health provider behaviour and motivation 11. The economics of regulation 12. Incentives and agency PART 3 The economics of health systems 13. Health systems: a framework for analysis 14. Tax and social health insurance mechanisms 15. Private financing mechanisms 16. Health systems around the world: an introduction to variation and performance 17. The economics of health in an era of global transition PART 4 Tools and techniques for measurement and analysis PART 4a Economic evaluation 18. The theoretical bases of economic evaluation 19. Issues in the measurement of costs 20. Measuring benefits in economic evaluation 21. Practical steps in economic evaluation 22. Economic evaluation as a framework for choice PART 4b Applied econometrics and other tools 23. Introductory applied health econometrics 24. Methods and applications for causal analysis 25. Equity in access to health care: key measurement issues.