Economic Evaluation in Education: Cost-Effectiveness and Benefit-Cost Analysis

by Henry M. Levin, Patrick J. McEwan, Clive R. Belfield

The past decade has seen increased attention to cost-effectiveness and benefit-cost analysis in education as administrators are being asked to accomplish more with the same or even fewer resources, philanthropists are keen to calculate their "return on investment" in social programs, and the general public is increasingly scrutinizing how resources are allocated to schools and colleges. Economic Evaluation in Cost-Effectiveness and Benefit-Cost Analysis (titled Cost-Effectiveness Methods and Applications in its previous editions) is the only full-length book to provide readers with the step-by-step methods they need to plan and implement a benefit-cost analysis in education. Authors Henry M. Levin, Patrick J. McEwan, Clive Belfield, Alyshia Brooks Bowden, and Robert Shand examine a range of issues, including how to identify, measure, and distribute costs; how to measure effectiveness, utility, and benefits; and how to incorporate cost evaluations into the decision-making process. The updates to the Third Edition reflect the considerable methodological development in the evaluation literature, and the greater empiricism practiced by education researchers, to help readers learn to apply more advanced methods to their own analyses.

Genres: Leadership

376 pages, Paperback

Published July 13, 2017

Reviews

[Permanently 23 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Levin and friends really need to get a bit tighter when writing about value for money evaluation. This is a little repetitive and better case studies and examples are needed. The physical size of the book is also irritating.
2.5 stars

[Rob Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readable, comprehensive, thoughtful, practical, basically everything you want in a textbook. This is a great book on cost, cost-effectiveness, and cost-benefit analysis not just for people in the education field, but for those interested in analyzing all types of policies with an economic lens.