Aiming the work at advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers, Jones (health economics, U. of York, UK) presents 50 chapters that introduce key topics in the ＂frontier of research
in health economics,＂ focusing on specific concepts, methods, and key evidence. He has organized the papers into sections on population health; health care finance, expenditure, and use; equity
in health and health care; organization of health care markets; provider reimbursement, incentives, and behavior; assessing the performance of health care organizations; measuring benefits;
measuring costs and statistical issues; and economic evaluation and decision making. Some essays discuss theoretical models and empirical methods for studying health care systems, while other
explore such issues as the economic causes of obesity in the West, links between drug use and crime, globalization and international trade in health care systems, and the possible impact of
direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals. With significant exceptions, contributors largely hail from the UK and North America. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
(booknews.com)
