4-26 junio 2012
«Economic evaluation» is a generic term that includes cost analysis, cost-benefit analysis, cost effectiveness analysis, and cost utility analysis, and it is employed as a tool for making decision in the public and private sector.
Economic evaluation is gaining more relevance in the current economic context as European countries, and in particular Spain, seek to make better decisions, i.e. prioritize the programs that have a positive impact on society welfare at the minimum cost.
Unlike a business course, which focuses on profit/loss to the firm, this course is taught primarily from the societal perspective, so that impacts on all citizens in society are considered.
The course introduces the theory, methods, and application of economic evaluation to health, safety, and environmental programs. Applications cover preventive and therapeutic medicine, occupational and environmental health, consumer protection and injury control, and environmental programs and policy.
The learning objectives of the course are:
- To develop an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of economic evaluation
- To learn how different types of economic evaluations are carried out in practice
- To learn how to critically examine economic evaluations of specific programs
- To explore how economic evaluation bears an impact on the real-world decision making responsibilities of authorities in the public and private sectors
The course is organized by Indiana University (School of Public and Environmental Affairs, USA) in collaboration with the Public University of Navarra (Department of Economics, Spain).