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Economic Foundations of Cost Effective Analysis

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Author Info
Alan M. Garber
Charles E. Phelps
Abstract

In order to address several controversies in the application of cost-effectiveness analysis, we investigate the principles underlying the technique and discuss the implications for the evaluation of medical interventions. Using a standard von Neumann-Morgenstern utility framework, we show how a cost-effectiveness criterion can be derived to guide resource allocation decisions. We investigate its relation to age, gender, income level, and risk aversion. Cost-effectiveness analysis can be a useful and powerful tool for resource allocation decisions, but in the presence of heterogeneous preferences and personal characteristics, a cost-effectiveness criterion that is applied at the population level is unlikely to yield pareto-optimal resource allocations.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 4164.

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Date of creation: Sep 1992
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:4164

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  13. Weber, Warren E, 1970. "The Effect of Interest Rates on Aggregate Consumption," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 60(4), pages 591-600, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Benninga, Simon & Protopapadakis, Aris, 1991. "The Stock Market Premium, Production, and Relative Risk Aversion," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 81(3), pages 591-99, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Siegel, Frederick W & Hoban, James P, Jr, 1982. "Relative Risk Aversion Revisited," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 64(3), pages 481-87, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Victor R. Fuchs, 1982. "Time Preference and Health: An Exploratory Study," NBER Chapters, in: Economic Aspects of Health, pages 93-120 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
  17. Blume, Marshall E & Friend, Irwin, 1975. "The Asset Structure of Individual Portfolios and Some Implications for Utility Functions," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 30(2), pages 585-603, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Weber, Warren E, 1975. "Interest Rates, Inflation, and Consumer Expenditures," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 65(5), pages 843-58, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Caballero, Ricardo J, 1991. "Earnings Uncertainty and Aggregate Wealth Accumulation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 81(4), pages 859-71, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  1. David Meltzer, 1997. "Accounting for Future Costs in Medical Cost-Effectiveness Analysis," NBER Working Papers 5946, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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