Being Reasonable About the Economics of Health: Selected Essays.

This book gathers together, for the first time, a selection of the most important works of one of the world's most distinguished health economists - Alan Williams. It covers an extensive range of subjects in which Alan Williams has been decisively influential, and combines a moral approach to health economics with theoretical clarity and careful empirical application.

The topics examined represent Alan Williams's humane principles as applied within practical contexts. At times these principles go against the current thinking in health economics and the financing of health care services. Despite this, his innovative contribution to health care economics has resulted in his work becoming an essential part of the subject. His pioneering research includes the meaning and measurement of health and need, cost-benefit analysis in health care, priority setting, quality adjusted life years (their invention, measurement and valuation), technology assessment and decision analysis. In each of these areas Alan Williams was a pioneer, and conventional practice in each case embodies methods and techniques devised or developed by him.

This unique book offers insights into the vast experience of Alan Williams in both academia and policy making, and collects together papers which have not been widely disseminated. As such it will be of special interest to health economists, policymakers, health services managers, political scientists, health administrators and academics in social policy and social administration.