nep-hea New Economics Papers
on Health Economics
Issue of 2010‒04‒24
seven papers chosen by
Yong Yin
SUNY at Buffalo, USA

  1. MORTALITY DIFFERENTIAL, LABOR TAXATION AND GROWTH: WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THE BARRO-BECKER MODEL? By Thomas Seegmuller; Stefano Bosi
  2. Gender and the Influence of Peer Alcohol Consumption on Adolescent Sexual Activity By Waddell, Glen R.
  3. Technological adoption in health care By Barros, Pedro Pita; Martinez-Giralt, Xavier
  4. The Rise of Obesity in Transition Economies: Theory and Evidence from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey By Sonya K Huffman; Marian Rizov
  5. Competition in Health Care By Baranov, Igor N.
  6. Affluence, Obesity and Non-Communicable Diseases in India By Raghav Gaiha; Raghbendra Jha; Vani S. Kulkarni
  7. The Effects of School Quality on Long-Term Health By Sansani, Shahar

  1. By: Thomas Seegmuller (GREQAM - Groupement de Recherche en Économie Quantitative d'Aix-Marseille - Université de la Méditerranée - Aix-Marseille II - Université Paul Cézanne - Aix-Marseille III - Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) - CNRS : UMR6579); Stefano Bosi (THEMA - Théorie économique, modélisation et applications - CNRS : UMR8184 - Université de Cergy Pontoise)
    Abstract: We revisit the seminal paper on endogenous fertility by Barro and Becker (1989) taking into account households' heterogeneity in terms of capital endowments, mortality differential and cost per surviving child. Focusing on an endogenous growth version, we show at first that there exists a unique balanced growth path (BGP) where the population growth rates of all dynasties are identical. Then, we study the long-run effects of shocks on mortality rates (such as epidemics), mortality differential and total factor productivity (TFP) on the economic and demographic growth rates. The main mechanism rests on the adjustment of the average rearing cost of a surviving child. Finally, we extend the model considering the effects of labor taxation. We find that a higher tax rate may, on the one side, enhance growth but, on the other side, raise wealth inequalities.
    Keywords: endogenous fertility, heterogeneous households, mortality differential, labor taxation, endogenous growth
    Date: 2010–04–13
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-00472732_v1&r=hea
  2. By: Waddell, Glen R. (University of Oregon)
    Abstract: I consider the alcohol consumption of opposite-gender peers as explanatory to adolescent sexual intercourse and demonstrate that female sexual activity is higher where there is higher alcohol consumption among male peers. This relationship is robust to school fixed effects, cannot be explained by broader cohort effects or general anti-social behaviors in male peer groups, and is distinctly different from any influence of the alcohol consumption of female peers which is shown to have no influence on female sexual activity. There is no evidence that male sexual activity responds to female-peer alcohol consumption.
    Keywords: sex, alcohol, adolescent, peer, risky behavior
    JEL: J13 I12
    Date: 2010–04
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp4880&r=hea
  3. By: Barros, Pedro Pita; Martinez-Giralt, Xavier
    Abstract: This paper addresses the impact of payment systems on the rate of technology adoption. We present a model where technological shift is driven by demand uncertainty, increased patients’ benefit, financial variables, and the reimbursement system to providers. Two payment systems are studied: cost reimbursement and (two variants of) DRG. According to the system considered, adoption occurs either when patients’ benefits are large enough or when the differential reimbursement across technologies offsets the cost of adoption. Cost reimbursement leads to higher adoption of the new technology if the rate of reimbursement is high relative to the margin of new vs. old technology reimbursement under DRG. Having larger patient benefits favors more adoption under the cost reimbursement payment system, provided that adoption occurs initially under both payment systems. JEL codes: I11, I12, Q33
    Date: 2010
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unl:unlfep:wp545&r=hea
  4. By: Sonya K Huffman; Marian Rizov
    Abstract: This study integrates theoretical and empirical models to facilitate understanding of human obesity and the factors contributing to rising obesity in Russia during the transition from a planned to a market economy. Recent individual level data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey for 1994 and 2004 show that diet/caloric intake, smoking, gender and education are important determinants of obesity in Russia. Empirical results strongly support our model for production of health and demand for inputs in the health production function.
    Keywords: health, obesity, transition economies, Russia
    Date: 2010
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ess:wpaper:id:2473&r=hea
  5. By: Baranov, Igor N.
    Abstract: This policy paper highlights key theoretical issues related to the possibility of competition in provision of health care services and provides their illustrations for Russian health care system. Executive summary is available at pp. 48.
    Keywords: competition, health care,
    Date: 2010
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sps:wpaper:103&r=hea
  6. By: Raghav Gaiha; Raghbendra Jha; Vani S. Kulkarni
    Abstract: Recent high rates of economic growth in India have been accompanied by major dietary transitions. Using a nationwide household survey, India Human Development Survey 2005, this paper estimates the impact of such transitions on the incidence of non communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and cancer in India. The estimated deaths from NCDs are projected to rise from 3.78 million in 1990 (40.46 per cent of all deaths) to 7.63 million deaths in 2020 (66.70 per cent of all deaths). The paper also investigates relationships between NCDs and key demographic variables, level of affluence, caste affiliation and geographical concentration of the sample. The paper also models the determinants of these NCDs. The paper concludes with broad policy prescriptions.
    Keywords: Obesity, affluence, non-communicable diseases, India
    JEL: I12 I19 I32 O15
    Date: 2010
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pas:asarcc:2010-08&r=hea
  7. By: Sansani, Shahar
    Abstract: In this paper I estimate the relationship between school quality and mortality. Although many studies have linked the quantity of education to health outcomes, the effect of school quality on health has yet to be examined. I construct synthetic birth cohorts and relate the quality of education they attained to their mortality rates. I find that there is a statistically significant relationship between the mortality-schooling gradients, which depict the return to a year of schooling, and the length of school term and relative teacher wage. For instance, increasing the relative teacher wage by one standard deviation results in about 1.9 less deaths per 1,000 people per extra year of education. My results suggest that one way to improve the health of the population is to improve school quality.
    Keywords: quality of education; health production
    JEL: I0 I12
    Date: 2009–08
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:22189&r=hea

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