IOM: Considerations in Applying Benefit-Cost Analysis to Preventive Interventions for Children, Youth, and Families – Workshop Summary
Benefit-cost analyses hold great promise for influencing policies related to children, youth, and families. By comparing the costs of preventative interventions with the long-term benefits, benefit-cost analysis provides a tool for determining what kinds of investments have the greatest potential to reduce the physical, psychological, and behavioral health problems of children, youth, and families. However, the utility of benefit-cost analyses has been limited by a lack of uniformity in the methods and assumptions underlying these studies. To explore this issue, the IOM/NRC held a workshop that brought together leading practitioners in the field, researchers who study the methodological and analytic dimensions of benefit-cost analysis, and representatives of organizations that use the results of benefit-cost analyses to shape and implement public policies.