Conference 2020 'Health Economics in the Low Lands: Roots & Trends'

In recent decades, health economics has become a powerful voice in the social and political debate on health care. During this conference we will analyze the historical roots of health economics in the Low Lands and discuss new and ongoing trends in research and policy.

The plenary session in the morning will start with a keynote by Dr. Robert Vonk, Prof. Eddy Houwaart and Prof. Tom van der Grinten about their recent study on the history of health economics in the Netherlands. Using document research and interviews they have analyzed how health economics started to play a role in research and policy. The outcomes of their study shed light on the dynamics between research and policy, both in and outside the limelight. Who were the pioneers of health economics in the Low Lands? What were the most important knowledge claims of this ‘discipline’ and what were the underlying norms, values and paradigms? How did this knowledge affect health policy, and vice versa?

After the keynote, a panel of leading health economists from Belgium and the Netherlands will share their views on trends and challenges in some key areas: solidarity & affordability (Prof. Johan Polder), competition & incentives (Prof. Erik Schokkaert), prevention and public health (Prof. Jochen Mierau) and health technology assessment (Prof. Silvia Evers). There will be plenty of room for discussion with the audience.

The afternoon program provides space for 4 sessions (2x2) of 75 minutes each on ongoing themes. Would you like to discuss ongoing research or policy issues with your fellow health economists? Take your chance and submit a session proposal before December 1 to congres gezondheidseconomie.org . The proposal (max. 300 words) should describe the objective(s) of the session and the format and speakers you have in mind. The conference team likes to see sessions that bridge the divide between research, policy and/or practice and provide opportunities for interaction with the audience.

For PhD students there will be a job-market in the afternoon. Students and organizations who have registered for the job-market have access to the morning session. For more information see http://bit.ly/vgejob2020.

On the same day as the conference, the Dutch/Flemish Health Economics Association will publish a bulletin on ‘Health Economics in the Low Lands: Roots and Trends’. Would you like to make a contribution about ongoing challenges or new trends regarding a specific topic in the field of Health Economics? Would you like to reflect on bigger picture developments in this field? Or do you have another idea for this bulletin? Please let us know before December 1 via bulletin gezondheidseconomie.org. Briefly describe the topic and format you have in mind for a potential contribution and the editorial team will soon get in contact with you. The deadline for the final contribution is January 31, 2020. The editorial team welcomes contributions of 500-1000 words, preferably with a figure, table or illustration.

Members fee: € 75 (including entrance, coffee, tea, lunch and drinks)
Non-members fee: €110 (incl. membership) or € 125 (excl. membership)