Alex Voorhoeve & Veronika Luptakova (LSE): “How Do People Balance Saving Some from Death against Saving Others from Lesser Burdens?”

This event will take place online via Zoom. 

Everyone is welcome to join using a computer with access to the internet and Zoom. To take part just follow these instructions:

• Download Zoom
• Join the event using this link: https://lse.zoom.us/j/88937835129

Please note that these events are routinely recorded, with the edited footage being made publicly available on our website and YouTube channel. We will only record the audio, the slides and the speaker and will not include the Q&A section. However, any question asked during the talk itself will feature in the final edit.

Abstract: When the number of people one can save from harm is fixed and the difference in harm one can save people from is substantial, standard principles for health resource allocation prioritize by severity. Standard principles are also fully aggregative: one death can be outweighed not merely by a large number of cases of paraplegia, but also by a sufficiently large number of very minor burdens. We examine the responses of a representative sample of the UK population (n = 389) to priority-setting dilemmas. We find that an overwhelming majority of our subjects’ views do not align with standard priority setting principles. Half of respondents do not always adhere to prioritization by severity. Among the remaining respondents, limited aggregation is much more popular than full aggregation.