Learning Objectives
- Understand why prioritization is necessary in resource-constrained environments
- Recognize how data and evidence enable (or prevent) effective prioritization
- Identify what types of evidence matter for different prioritization decisions
- Develop critical perspective on how missing data shapes which problems get attention
Pre-Session Reflection
When choosing health challenges or interventions to prioritize in your present or future work, what factors do you consider most important, and why?
[Your response here]
Reading Takeaways
Required Readings
- The Moral Imperative toward Cost-Effectiveness in Global Health by Toby Ord — Moral arguments for maximizing cost-effectiveness in global health
- Priority-Setting in Health by Centre for Global Development — Pages ix-19 (PDF Pages 1-32) — Essential framework for health prioritization
- The data that shapes global health | Saloni Dattani | EAG London: 2025
- Beyond Cost-Effectiveness: Insights for Effective Altruism from Health Economics | Center For Global Development
- Introduction to randomized evaluations | The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
Optional Readings
- J-PAL case studies on evidence and scale-up:
- Cairney P, Oliver K. "Evidence-based policymaking is not like evidence-based medicine" — Critical perspective on evidence use in policy
- Rethinking evidence and refocusing on growth in development economics
- Cost-Effectiveness is Not Enough. Aid Must Be Transformational. | Center For Global Development
- Adapting and Scaling a Program by The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) — Case studies focusing on evidence-informed development policy. Read the summary and then read case studies below.
(Optional) You can use the box below for taking notes about the readings.
[Your reading notes here]
Prioritization Principles
Based on the readings (Toby Ord's paper and CGD's Priority-Setting report):
Is prioritization necessary in global health? Why?
[Your response here]
In your view, what criteria should decision-makers use when choosing which health challenges to prioritize? Consider factors like disease burden, cost-effectiveness, equity, feasibility, and economic impact. Drawing on Baker's discussion of Health Technology Assessment, what does HTA add to a pure cost-effectiveness approach, and do you find those additions convincing?
[Your response here]
Why Data Matters
Dattani gives some examples on how measuring the scale of a problem, and quantifying its impact lead to action. What are some examples or arguments she gives in favour of how more data leads to more action?
[Your response here]
Evidence Analysis
The J-PAL introduction explains why randomized evaluations are often considered the strongest form of evidence for measuring impact.
Based on the J-PAL reading, what specifically makes RCTs powerful for measuring causal impact? When does J-PAL itself say RCTs are not the right choice?
[Your response here]
Evidence Exercise
Please select one health policy intervention from:
- the Millions Saved database
- J-PAL's Chlorine Dispensers
- J-PAL's Deworming
- another intervention you are knowledgeable/curious about
Using concepts from the WHO Guide for Evidence-Informed Decision-Making and J-PAL's Adapting and Scaling a Program:
- Describe briefly the health policy intervention you selected.
- What types of evidence and data would be most useful for understanding whether this intervention would be effective in another context? Why?
- What key data or metrics suggest this intervention deserves priority? In other words, as Dattani says: What data had to exist before this intervention could be designed? (Example: For TB screening, they needed to know TB was prevalent in Glasgow)
Primary objective of the intervention: [Your response here]
Population served: [Your response here]
[Your response here]
[Your response here]
Post-Meeting Reflection
Key Discussion Points
What insights about prioritization and evidence use resonated most strongly?
- [Insight 1]
- [Insight 2]
- [Insight 3]
Looking Ahead
What aspects of advocacy strategy development are you most interested in exploring?
[Your response here]
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