We present a simple dynamic model of the demand and supply for elective surgery in the NHS and test it using a panel of quartely data for 123 English health authorities from the second quarter of 1987 to the first quarter of 1993. We find that supply is increasing in measures of the previous...

Traditionally, most health care systems which pretend to any sort of rationality and cost control have sought to allocate their limited funds in order to secure equal opportunity of access for equal need. The UK government is implementing a fundamental change of resource allocation philosophy...

The World Health Organization has recently received the findings of its Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. The Commission's report offers a remarkable summary of the evidence, and makes a passionate case for government action to address the social determinants of health, especially...

This paper discusses the economic implications of distributing funds for devolved public services using mechanical formulae. The rationale for using such methods is that they will contribute to the increased efficiency and equity of public services. By acting as arbiters in complex bargaining...

Long waiting times for non-emergency (elective) procedures are a central feature of the UK's National Health Service, with about 1 million people waiting for surgery at any one time. This paper develops empirical models of the demand for and supply of elective surgery which simultaneously...

Policy makers are increasingly seeking to develop overall measures of the effi-ciency of public service organizations. For that, the use of 'off-the-shelf' statistical tools such as data envelopment analysis and stochastic frontier analysis have been advocated as tools to measure organizational...