Education as an upstream social security intervention: constructing a competency-based talent development framework in health economics

Confronted with structural challenges arising from an aging population, rising chronic disease burdens, and inequitable resource allocation, traditional downstream interventions are increasingly inadequate for effective health governance. This study argues that the critical bottleneck lies in a "human capital deficit," where current education fails to equip students with interdisciplinary knowledge and competency to solve complex real-world challenges. To address this, we propose an upstream social security intervention by establishing a competency-based talent development framework in health economics. We construct a "T-shaped" talent development model that integrates systemic vision with professional depth. The framework operates on three levels: (1) Principles: Adopting principles of demand orientation, competency drive, and systems thinking to establish a comprehensive curriculum paradigm integrating knowledge, skills, and professional attributes; (2) Pedagogy: Implementing outcome-based education (OBE), real-world simulation-based teaching, and progressive case study method to bridge the gap between theoretical modeling and real-world policy implementation; and (3) Mechanism: Establishing a collaborative development mechanism among the government, industry, universities, and research institutions to ensure the dynamic alignment of talent competencies with evolving social security demands. Positioning the framework as a strategic upstream intervention, this study aims to cultivate health economists capable of applying practical competency and interdisciplinary knowledge to address complex health challenges, ultimately offering a sustainable pathway to enhance the governance effectiveness and equity of social security systems.