Policy-Relevant Observational Studies for Population Health Equity and Responsible Development
Development epidemiology for public health
The PROSPERED project evaluates the impact of social policies and programs on the health-related outcomes of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Principal Investigator: Arijit Nandi
PROSPERED Website (includes complete list of co-investigators)
Funding: Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Public policies are frequently advanced as potential solutions for achieving sustainable development. As former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said, “With the right policies, adequate and fairly distributed funding, and a relentless resolve to deliver to those who need it most – we can and will make a life-changing difference for current and future generations”. But which policies are the “right policies?” Through impact evaluation, we can achieve a better understanding of which public policies and programs really make a difference to population health. The overall objective of the PROSPERED project is to support training, research, and knowledge synthesis and dissemination to identify policy levers for achieving the health-related targets set forth by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
With impact evaluation methodology, comparisons are made across nations, within nations that have substantial policy variation at the provincial or state level, and in terms of program cost-effectiveness. To facilitate policy evaluation, PROSPERED researchers have built databases summarizing national laws and policies across most countries worldwide in twelve areas.
Some current projects are:
Analyzing effects of paid leave policies
Measuring effectiveness of environmental health policies
Evaluating universal health coverage reform
Evaluating the influence of child labour legislation
Measuring the impact of daycare and early childhood education
