Health Economics and Human Services: Family Resource Centers in Alberta, Canada

Abstract

Government and non-profit programs are under increasing pressure to demonstrate the value of their work. However, there are few structures in place to evaluate spending and outcomes in a way that is comparable between agencies and programs serving the same population. Using Parent Link Centres in Alberta as a case study, we demonstrate the use of economic analysis in a complex system integrating health and human services. The first paper establishes a baseline of costs and resources in the Parent Link Centres and examines the economic contribution of volunteers. The second section is a cost function analysis of the centres, and the third paper compares the economic behaviour of non-profit versus government operated centres. Finally, we perform a social return on investment for the parenting program in the centres. Economic analysis, more often used to assess health interventions, can place seemingly different and difficult policy questions within the same framework.