Economic analysis for public policy decisions

Pollard, Jack (2026) Economic analysis for public policy decisions. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Economics is the study of optimally allocating society’s limited resources. Public policy, what governments choose to do or not to do, involves distributing resources across sectors. Economic analysis encompasses all analytical approaches used to explore economics, including the costs and outcomes of policies and interventions. It therefore plays a crucial role in public policy decisions, supporting the optimal allocation of resources.

Five publications are presented in this thesis, each applying economic analysis to a different policy issue. Collectively, the papers demonstrate how economic analysis can support decision-making in various sectors. A critical analysis is presented alongside the publications, exploring the development of the studies and their contribution to the field, individually and collectively.

Chapter 1 introduces the critical analysis by providing context to the publications and the central theme that runs through them. Chapter 2 builds on this to develop an analytical framework used to critique each of the papers in turn, considering the background of the research, the methods and the contribution to the field. The papers are discussed collectively in Chapter 3, pulling together the insights from Chapter 2, including the influence of knowledge mobilisation and methods on the impact of the research, and how circumstances influence the approach taken.

Co-design with end-users appeared to improve research quality and reach, although the research with most impact provided decision-makers with information on value for money. The overarching economic analysis (e.g., cost-effectiveness analysis vs. cost-utility analysis) and the within-method approach (e.g., cost perspective) both influenced the results of the research, and potentially the policy decision.

The critical analysis demonstrated that the selection of economic analysis depends on practical constraints such as the existing evidence base, research question, timing of the analysis, data, time and resource. Synthesising insights from the critical analysis, a questionnaire was developed to provide researchers and decision-makers with advice on the appropriate considerations to be made and potential analytical approaches given their context.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Publication
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	18 Feb 2026 11:37
Last Modified:	18 Feb 2026 11:37
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/101975
DOI:

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