An Undisciplined Economist

"For the past four decades Robert Evans has been Canada's foremost health policy analyst and commentator, in the process playing a leadership role in the development of both health economics and population health at home and internationally. In this book the editors have assembled sixteen of Evans' most important contributions, including several seminal works and two new, previously unpublished articles. The topics addressed range widely, from the peculiar structure of the health care 'industry' to the social determinants of the health of entire populations to the misleading role that economists have sometimes played in health policy debates. Few academics write with Evans' clarity, candour or wit, while unabashedly exposing health policy myths and the interests that lie behind them. Claims that public health insurance is unsustainable, that the health care costs of an aging population will bankrupt us, that user charges will make the health care system more efficient, or that health care is the most important determinant of a population's health, are refuted with piercing analysis and supporting data. For those familiar with Evans' work, this will be a prized collection. For those new to the fields of health economics, health policy, or population health, there could be no better or more lucid introduction. For everyone, this collection is important reading and a fitting tribute to an outstanding scholar."--