Optimization

This chapter seeks to determine how can we best allocate limited resources among many different programs. Given a budget to run a program that must be distributed among many different alternative projects (e.g., within a public health department, we might allocate some resources to a vaccination program, another set of resources to a diabetes prevention program, and yet another set of resources to an air pollution reduction program), how can we try to maximize the chances that we allocate limited resources fairly, ensuring that each program has at least the minimal resources that it needs while also ensuring that the distribution of resources maximizes overall public health? This chapter uses computational tools to solve such problems, focusing on how we can make smart decisions to maximize the potential effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of any particular program we’re interested in supporting—a goal known as optimization.