Cardinal Scales for Health Evaluation

Charles M. Harvey () and Lars Peter Østerdal
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Charles M. Harvey: Department of Decision and Information Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204

Decision Analysis, 2010, vol. 7, issue 3, 256-281

Abstract: Policy studies often evaluate health for an individual or for a population by using measurement scales that are ordinal scales or expected-utility scales. This paper develops scales of a different type, commonly called cardinal scales, that measure changes in health. Also, we argue that cardinal scales provide a meaningful and useful means of evaluating health policies. Thus, we develop a means of using the perspective of early neoclassical welfare economics as an alternative to ordinalist and expected-utility perspectives.

Keywords: health scales; population health; cardinal utility; neoclassical welfare economics; social welfare; preference intensity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (17)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inm:ordeca:v:7:y:2010:i:3:p:256-281

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