Health care in the developing world: The role of economists and economics

The paper then moves on from analysis to consider implementation, and investigates the political constraints and institutional barriers to the acceptance of economic analysis in the health sector. In the past, the nature of the economics of health has sometimes been considered improper, i.e. views have been expressed that services should be made available to those for whom they may be beneficial, as a matter of right without regard to economics. Today, however much health professionals may regret it, the hard facts are that the economics of health care occupy the centre of the stage. In short: this paper aims to clarify what role the economist can play in the health sector, and to document the ways in which economics can address a wide spectrum of health care issues at both the macro and micro levels.