This book guides you toward reconsidering the field of health economics as it is taught & practiced. The book discusses & analyzes the assumptions that must be met for a competitive market to be successful, concludes that these assumptions are not met in the health field, & provides a number of applications for health policy. "Tom Rice has done all of us in health a favor. In succinct, accessible-at times even delightful- prose, he has expressed so many of our concerns about what sometimes passes for 'conventional' health economics." - Gavin Mooney, Ph.D., Professor of Health Economics, University of Sydney, Australia.

This book reconsiders the field of health economics as it is traditionally taught and practiced. It critically examines economic theory as applied to the health sector and questions the prevailing belief that a competitive healthcare marketplace results in the best outcomes. New information, including an overview of standard microeconomic theory, makes this new edition an ideal stand-alone text for health economics and health policy courses. # Expanded and thoroughly updated, this edition features: A new chapter on traditional microeconomic theory that includes an overview of demand, supply, competition, monopoly, and social welfare # An expanded overview of the role of government # Added information about market competition and the implications for health policy # Expanded information about the demand for health insurance and health services # A new chapter discussing for-profit versus nonprofit organizations in healthcare, including specialty hospitals and the nursing home and pharmaceutical industries # A new chapter on healthcare-workforce issues including the markets for physicians and nurses # An update on the different ways developed countries can and have organized their healthcare systems

This reconsideration of the macroeconomics, microeconomics, methodology, and social philosophy of the classical economists has been a small gem on the history of economic thought, written in a way accessible to students, while having much to teach scholars. The reissue of this book twenty years after its original publication is a tribute to the enduring relevance of the questions raised during the formative period of economics and to the skill with which the author analyzes them.

Population Policy Reconsidered brings together a rare combination of scholars, feminists, social activists, and policy-makers across many disciplines to critically reexamine the scientific foundation of contemporary population policies. This book explores population policy dilemmas based on the perspective of ethics, women's empowerment and health, and human rights. The seventeen chapters are centered around the premise that the single-minded pursuit of demographic goals may not be the most effective means of achieving policy objectives--for such may lead to the abuse or violation of choice and human rights, especially of women. Rather, the book explores the alternative idea that population policies should focus on those ultimate aims of development that are linked to human reproduction--health, social empowerment, and human rights. If respectful of individuals, especially women, such policies are likely to promote better individual welfare and may well also result in desirable demographic outcomes.

Homeopathy is over 200 years old and is still experiencing an uninterrupted influx of new practitioners and patients. Many patients and therapists swear by this "alternative healing method", which in some countries is even financed by health insurances. This seems completely incomprehensible to critics: For them it is clearly evident that homeopathy is hopelessly unscientific and has at best a placebo effect. The positions of supporters and opponents seem to be just as immutable as they are incompatible. This book answers some essential and fascinating questions: What remains of the founding ideas of homeopathy in 21st century medicine? Does it really work and, if so, how? Which of the original theories can we still apply today with a clear conscience and use for the benefit of patients and the healthcare system? Where does homeopathy have its limits and does it indeed need to be critically reconsidered and evaluated? The author has dealt with the points of criticism for years, but at the same time also takes seriously the wishes and concerns of patients who often feel insufficiently cared for by conventional medical practice. Against the background of her own personal history, her book attempts to bridge the gap between these two traditionally opposing camps.

A fresh look at Austrian economists and the dynamic intellectual and political context in which they lived and worked.

Shifting faculty roles in a changing landscape Ernest L. Boyer's landmark book Scholarship Reconsidered: Priorities of the Professoriate challenged the publish-or-perish status quo that dominated the academic landscape for generations. His powerful and enduring argument for a new approach to faculty roles and rewards continues to play a significant part of the national conversation on scholarship in the academy. Though steeped in tradition, the role of faculty in the academic world has shifted significantly in recent decades. The rise of the non-tenure-track class of professors is well documented. If the historic rule of promotion and tenure is waning, what role can scholarship play in a fragmented, unbundled academy? Boyer offers a still much-needed approach. He calls for a broadened view of scholarship, audaciously refocusing its gaze from the tenure file and to a wider community. This expanded edition offers, in addition to the original text, a critical introduction that explores the impact of Boyer's views, a call to action for applying Boyer's message to the changing nature of faculty work, and a discussion guide to help readers start a new conversation about how Scholarship Reconsidered applies today.