Craig Mitton is the author of Priority Setting Toolkit: Guide to the Use of Economics in Healthcare Decision Making, published by Wiley.Cameron Richard Donaldson is a health economist. He holds the Yunus Chair in Social Business & Health and is Pro Vice Chancellor at Glasgow Caledonian University, the University for the Common Good.

• Introduction. The basic principles.Alternative approaches.Program budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA): review of the literature.Putting it into practice.The challenges of data and time.The challenge of the program budget: is it worth it?.The challenge of disinvesting.The challenges of measuring and valuing benefits.The challenge of the organization.Using evidence, public involvement and values.Conclusion