Policy decisions can be informed by information on anticipated costs and expected future benefits of courses of action. The key questions in economic evaluation of a public health law are whether its benefits, as measured by health outcomes or cost savings, exceed its costs; secondarily, there is the question of the distribution of those costs and benefits across stakeholders. Cost savings are concrete and understandable benefits, and they provide a single compact measure that captures wrecked cars, stolen statues, fractured arms, even deaths.

The goal of this paper is to introduce the reader to current methods used in the conduct of a careful economic evaluation of public health law effects on population health. It outlines specific steps involved in conducting a proper analysis and the different choices made when dealing with issues at each step. 

The first edition resource is available on the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN): http://ssrn.com/abstract=2012618

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Author:

• Rosalie Pacula, PhD