Book excerpt: Health economics is concerned with the evaluation of the effectiveness of health care, particularly by examining the social opportunity costs of alternative forms of treatment. The peculiar nature of the market for health care – that doctors have a major influence on both supply and demand -.has attracted attention, as has the study of the options available for financing such services. Economic Analysis in Health Care provides a comprehensive coverage of both the economics of health care systems and the evaluation of health care technologies. It has been written as a core textbook for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students with knowledge of economic analysis and will appeal to an international audience. Adopts an international perspective, using examples and case studies from the UK, the rest of Europe, and other countries. Contains detailed exposition of the economic theory alongside relevant examples and applications Focuses on both market-related and economic evaluation aspects of health economics (some books focus purely on market-related aspects) Strong author team with very broad experience of writing and teaching health economics