Governing the allocation of scarce resources: Is health care no longer a special case?

Abstract

Health care rationing has always been seen as a wicked problem, somehow special and not subject to the same rules of engagement as other policy areas. The article by Philip Sax makes a strong contribution by placing one prominent part of rationing, determination of a national drug formulary, into the larger political economy context of Israeli policy making. While one can argue with some of Sax's implied conclusions, his analysis provides a great platform not only to understand governance of this difficult area, but also to better govern in the future.