The role of health systems infrastructure in studies of cost-effectiveness analysis and health resource allocation is discussed, and previous health sector cost-effectiveness analyses are cited. Two substantial difficulties concerning the nature of health system costs and the policy choices are presented. First, the issue of health system infrastructure can be addressed by use of computer model...

Amid growing concerns about the impact of rising obesity and physical inactivity levels, climate change, population growth, increasing traffic congestion and declining oil supplies, multiple sectors are now promoting active transportation as an alternative to driving. This paper considers the health benefits and co-benefits of investing in active transportation, enabling comparison of policy op...

e34 www.thelancet.com Vol 382 December 7, 2013 The world has changed radically since the World Development Report (WDR) Investing in Health was published 20 years ago, so it is valuable and timely to look ahead once again. The Lancet Commission’s optimistic report on investing in health confi rms my view that the best times for public health are still ahead of us. As we debate the place of heal...

BACKGROUND Health care is a less important determinant of health than behaviour and the environment but paradoxically, spending on health in most countries suggests the opposite. What determines these health policy and funding decisions, and might there be ways to increase investment in public health? METHODS Published papers, reviews and reports on the cost-effectiveness of public health int...

In 1996, an Ad Hoc Committee on Health Research Relating to Future Intervention Options (formed under the auspices of the World Health Organization) described a model for setting priorities in research funding. This model, however, as presented in the Ad Hoc Committee's report entitled Investing in health research and development, fails in the following important situations: (i) when there is a...