Article Abstract Online ISSN: 1099-176X    Print ISSN: 1091-4358 The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics Volume 2, Issue 3, 1999. Pages: 137-139 Published Online: 24 Dec 1999 Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

^*Correspondence to Dirk Sauerland, Lehrstuhl für Volkswirtschaftslehre, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Am Stadtgraben 9, D-48143 Münster, Germany.

Abstract

From an economic viewpoint, the amount of primary research conducted on a topic at any given point in time depends on grantmaker and researcher incentives. The potential addresses of research findings often set these incentives. Following this logic, there is an economic explanation provided for the availability of primary data in effcacy studies. This also explains the lack of data in other important fields of health care. This article evaluates why there are few studies on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness then discusses how research incentives might be changed to overcome this problem. As a result of cost containment efforts in some countries, this process has already been initialized.