Research project Putting a price on health: Knowledge claims and ethical considerations in the field of health econom

This project analyses how epistemological ambiguities and ethical dilemmas have been discussed within, and in relation to, health economics. Since ca 1960 this field of knowledge – originally an offspring from the Chicago School of Economics – has discreetly but firmly established itself as both academic subdiscipline and auxiliary science for healthcare planning. 

Health economics rely strongly on quantitative yardsticks. However, the data those yardsticks refer to are largely subjective, and often used to compare outcomes of very different kinds of interventions. In light of this, how have health economists justified their tools and calculations as basis for knowledge? How have policy makers argued for concrete uses of health economics for prioritization between interventions and ultimately lives? And how have the tools of health economics been adapted to fit on different scales, to deal with global rather than national health?

The analysis focuses on one national context (Sweden) and one international (the WHO), and is based on various kinds of written source material, such as research articles, handbooks, legislative material, guidelines and public debates. It will fill an important research gap, but also has wider significance. Economic models today inescapably exert a great influence on the distribution of healthcare and welfare in general. However, which economic models, what explanatory value they are given and how they are used is another matter. Here, historical perspectives are important for illuminating what is fundamentally at stake.