Health Organisation, Policy, and Economics (HOPE)

This interdisciplinary group undertakes research on the determinants of health, health inequalities, and the organisation and financing of health and care services.

Our expertise encompasses rigorous econometric analysis and a wide range of qualitative social scientific methods, including particular experience in the use of ethnographic approaches to understand organisational processes.

We use mixed methods to study the important challenges facing health and care systems, including:

  • care organisation, delivery and integration;
  • payment and incentive systems;
  • determinants of health and health inequalities;
  • working conditions and labour supply.

HOPE provides a vibrant research community, with weekly internal or external seminars, a reading group, and frequent international visitors. The group compromises over 50 staff and PhD students, including economists, clinicians, social scientists, health service and policy researchers.

We are part of the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Sustainable Treatment of Anxiety and Depression in Indonesia (STAND Indonesia), contributing to international efforts to improve mental health systems in low- and middle-income countries.

We also help to manage the Special Interest Group on Financing for Universal Health Coverage of the International Health Economics Association (IHEA) (IHEA FUHC SIG), promoting dialogue and research around sustainable and equitable health financing globally.

We aim to inform the development of future health and care policy, and communicate our findings to government, policy-makers, practitioners and academics.

Led by: Professor Kath Checkland and Professor Matt Sutton.

Our Research

We are part of the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Systems and Commissioning, the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester, and the NIHR School for Primary Care Research.

We receive funding from a range of sources, including the NIHR, UKRI, Wellcome and the Health Foundation.

We have examined the work experiences of GPs for over 20 years, most recently surveying GPs in 2024.

We also help to manage the Health Policy and Politics Network (HPPN) and the UK Health Economists’ Study Group (HESG).