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Welcome to Economics for Health, the new name for Tobacconomics, an international team of researchers dedicated to producing rigorous economic evidence that helps to address public health challenges like tobacco use, alcohol use, and more, based at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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Quarterly Update (October 2019)

Featured Research
Think Tank Partner Research:
Prepared by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), in Dhaka, Bangladesh, this brief discusses the role of tobacco tax structures in reducing tobacco use and raising government revenue in Bangladesh. Click here to read the brief. 
Based on a larger study, “The Illicit Cigarette Trade in Indonesia”, conducted by Prakarsa, this brief discusses the burden of tobacco use in Indonesia. Click here to read the brief.   
Tobacconomics Research:
Based on the U.S. NCI and WHO 2016 Monograph, “The Economics of Tobacco and Tobacco Control” and other published sources, this brief discusses methodologies to estimate the economic costs of tobacco use. Click here to read the brief. 
Excise taxes are a key policy tool in reducing tobacco use. This brief recommends ‘large’ increases in taxes that reduce the affordability of tobacco products to significantly reduce tobacco use. Click here to read the brief. 
Network Research:
Photo credit: Geoffrey T. Fong (Photo) and Sonya Lyon, Sentrik Graphics Solutions, Inc. (Design).
The International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project is the first international research program for the systematic evaluation of key policies of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control at the population level. Part 3 of the Economics of Tobacco Control  collection, includes research from our Tobacconomics team and was recently published. To see the full collection, click here.
Research 'World Tour'
Earlier this year the team embarked on a research 'World Tour,' to meet with our think tank partners, and see presentations of their findings at several important events. Here are a few snapshots: 
SPDC Seminar, 21 March 2019
Karachi, Pakistan
Prakarsa Dissemination Event, 26 March 2019
Jakarta, Indonesia
ENSP, 27-29 March 2019
Bucharest, Romania
BIGD Dissemination Event, 7 April 2019
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Tobacconomics Team Member Spotlight
Maryam Mirza, PhD

Maryam Mirza is an Economist on the Tobacconomics team, and leads our work in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Previously, her research focus was studying the unintended consequences of policies designed to increase education and health outcomes. At present, she focuses on fiscal policies for health, primarily in low- and middle-income countries.

Maryam received her bachelor’s degree in business administration–management information systems from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Pakistan, and her PhD in economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
About Us 

Based in the Health Policy Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), the Tobacconomics team conducts economic research to shape global tobacco control policies, and we also partner with economic policy think tanks in low- and middle-income countries to build the local evidence base for more effective tobacco tax systems. UIC is a partner of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use.