Stretching the severely constrained health system budgets of low- and middle-income countries to ensure access to essential health care while protecting against financial hardship caused by medical expenses is, arguably, the greatest challenge in the field of health economics. Our research contributes evidence of the effects on health, health care, and financial protection of extensions to coverage and of policies intended to motivate health care professionals. We have produced measures of health inequality, health care inequity, and financial protection from medical expenses that are used in monitoring progress toward . We are using insights from behavioural economics and field experiments to explain major issues on the global health agenda: low take-up of health insurance, limited quality of provided care, insufficient prevention to slow the accumulating burden of non-communicable diseases, and poor adherence to TB medication. Innovative research with strong policy relevance feeds directly into our teaching.
Our research on global health economics
We have published about:
Effectiveness of health care financing reforms
- Can vouchers deliver? An evaluation of subsidies for maternal health care in Cambodia
Universal health coverage
Inequality and inequity in health
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Methodology of inequality measurement
- O.A. O'Donnell & T.G.M. Van Ourti (2020). ‘Dominance analysis’ and ‘Rank-dependent equity weights’ in ‘Distributional cost-effectiveness analysis: Quantifying Health Equity Impacts and Trade-Offs’. Oxford: Oxford University Press
- O.A. O'Donnell (2020). ‘Financial Protection Against Medical Expense’. In ‘The Oxford Encyclopedia of Health Economics’. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Collaborations
The is a multi-disciplinary global health research and education network drawing on expertise from the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, , , and the Erasmus School of Economics. We are also involved in the Erasmus Initiative (EI) “Smarter choices for better health”. We collaborate with researchers, health care providers, health insurers, and NGOs in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and have worked closely with the and the .
Media coverage and policy briefs
- Dr. Igna Bonfrer new director Global Health Initiative
- Health Equity and Financial Protection in Asia Documentary
- Frequent contributions to news stations such as the Dutch BNR News Radio
Memberships and editorial positions
- Professor Eddy van Doorslaer is an Elected Member of the (KNAW)
- Editorial positions at a.o. Health Economics and Journal of Health Economics
Researchers working on this theme
Dr. Igna BonfrerEmail address
Callum Brindley MScEmail address
Charlotte Dieteren MScEmail address
Dr. Judith BomEmail address
Novat Pugo Sambodo MScEmail address
Mila Duvekot MScEmail address
Fiorella Parra MujicaEmail address
Prof. Eddy van DoorslaerEmail address
Prof. Owen O’DonnellEmail address
Prof. Tom Van OurtiEmail address
Links
- MSc course
- MSc course
- Erasmus Initiative “Smarter choices for better health”
Contact
Questions or remarks? Click on one of the publications or researcher profiles above for more information or send an email to Igna Bonfrer via bonfrer@eshpm.eur.nl.
Want to stay up to date? Follow the Rotterdam Global Health Initiative via and the Erasmus Centre for Health Economics Rotterdam (EsCHER) via on Twitter.