"Economic analysis" encompasses a variety of methods for systematically assessing the impact that interventions, policies, and programs have on outcomes and costs. The methods described in this commentary are cost-of-illness/injury analyses; program-cost analyses; and economic evaluation methods, including cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, and cost-utility analysis. Next, the authors briefly review the findings of eight studies that assessed the cost per case of child maltreatment based on the use and cost of medical and nonmedical resources as well as losses in productivity due to victims' injuries or premature death. The authors then note the sparse literature on such evaluations compared to other public health fields. This may be due to the distinctive challenges of evaluating the effectiveness of behavioral interventions in general and their cost-effectiveness in particular. A major challenge is establishing the link between readily accessible intermediate outcomes and the final outcomes of interest. Another challenge is placing a monetary value on potential outcomes of child-maltreatment interventions for use in a cost-benefit analysis. Still, as times and economies require increased accountability, it becomes more important to distinguish programs that are cost-effective compared to other interventions or no intervention. It is not sufficient to show that a particular intervention is effective in achieving desirable outcomes. The costs of the intervention and the costs saved by the outcomes must be determined before decisions about funding and large-scale implementation of the program can be made. 48 references