The analyst tasked with measuring population health, with appraising healthcare investments, or allocating healthcare resources, may frame their task in one of two possible ways: either as being concerned with health assets (e.g. health expectancy or stock of QALYs), or with health deficits (a...

This paper focuses on the contrast between describing the benefit of a healthcare intervention as gain in health (QALY-type ideas) or a disability reduction (DALY-type ideas). The background is an apparent convergence in practice of the work conducted under both traditions. In the light of these...