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on Health Economics |
| By: | Buitrago, Giancarlo (Universidad Nacional de Colombia); Rodríguez-Lesmes, Paul Andrés (Universidad del Rosario); Serna, Natalia (Stanford University); Vera-Hernández, Marcos (University College London) |
| Abstract: | Narrow hospital networks have proliferated in health systems with managed care competition. In this paper, we investigate the causal effect of hospital network breadth on patient mortality. We leverage insurer terminations and subsequent hospital terminations for vertically integrated hospitals to identify this effect. We use data from the Colombian healthcare system where the largest health insurer and its hospitals were terminated by the end of 2015. Findings show that broad-network insurers reduce patient mortality because they include high-quality hospitals and can treat more health conditions. Our results suggest that in a setting without price competition, access to health care through a few insurers with broad networks is better for patient health than access to health care through many insurers with narrow networks. |
| Keywords: | Mortality; Hospital networks; Health Insurance; Healthcare cost. |
| JEL: | I10 I11 I13 I18 |
| Date: | 2023–11–22 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:col:000092:020945&r=hea |
| By: | Philipp Ager (University of Mannheim and CEPR); Casper Worm Hansen (University of Copenhagen and CEPR); Peter Z. Lin (Western Kentucky University) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the impact of the first effective medical treatment for an infectious disease -diphtheria antitoxin- on the historical health transition in the United States. Using an instrumental variable for local antitoxin adoption rates and information from approximately 1.6 million death certificates from 1880 to 1914, we find that the rapid diffusion of antitoxin led to a substantial decline in diphtheria mortality rates and increased life expectancy at birth. Exposure to antitoxin also significantly reduced school absenteeism. Overall, our results suggest that medicine played a more important role in increasing life expectancy in the early 20th century than previously thought. |
| Keywords: | Life expectancy, medical technology, antitoxin |
| JEL: | J11 N32 I15 |
| Date: | 2023–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hes:wpaper:0241&r=hea |
| By: | Li, Jinkai; Luo, Erga; Cockx, B. |
| Abstract: | In 2015, 15% of all children in China were left behind in the countryside because at least one of their parents migrated to a city. We implement an event study analysis between 2010 and 2018 on five waves of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to investigate the dynamic effects of parental migration on the health of left behind young children (LBC). While we find a gradual increase in medical expenditures, we do not detect any significant impact on the incidence of sickness. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the incidence of overweight declines gradually since their parents’ first migration and reports suggestive evidence for mental health improvement. We argue that these long-term positive effects on health and health consumption can be explained by the transitory nature of migration, the high-quality substitution of the caregiver role by grandparents, and by a reorientation in family expenditures, partly induced by government policy. |
| JEL: | I15 J10 J61 |
| Date: | 2023–12–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unm:umaror:2023004&r=hea |
| By: | Francesco Berlingieri (European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC)); Matija Kovacic (European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC); Ca' Foscari University of Venice; Global Labor Organization (GLO)) |
| Abstract: | A growing body of literature investigates disparities between sexual minorities and their heterosexual peers. However, few papers, focusing mostly on single countries, have considered socio-economic outcomes besides occupational opportunities and earnings, such as health, loneliness, and social connections. The contribution of our research is twofold. First, we rely on a novel data set that allows for a wide cross-national analysis (27 EU member states) of differences in reporting sexual orientation and disparities between sexual minorities. Second, we are able to consider a rich set of individual specific health outcomes, behaviors, relationship quality, and attitudes towards social media (ab)use. The results indicate that LGBTQIA+ people have a higher probability of reporting adverse physical and mental health conditions and are more likely to take health-related risks. They also have lower-quality social relationships, are more likely to experience feelings of loneliness, and spend more time on social networking sites. Some of these effects significantly differ across gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals. Finally, we find heterogeneous effects of individual relationship status, residence area (rural versus urban), and household income, as well as access to legal rights and other social benefits. |
| Keywords: | LGBTQIA+, health, loneliness, relationship quality, social networking |
| JEL: | J12 J16 K38 |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ven:wpaper:2023:29&r=hea |
| By: | Dench, Daniel (Georgia Institute of Technology); Pineda-Torres, Mayra (Georgia Institute of Technology); Myers, Caitlin Knowles (Middlebury College) |
| Abstract: | The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization sparked the most profound transformation of the landscape of abortion access in 50 years. We provide the first estimates of the effects of this decision on fertility using a pre-registered synthetic difference-in-differences design applied to newly released provisional natality data for the first half of 2023. The results indicate that states with abortion bans experienced an average increase in births of 2.3 percent relative to states where abortion was not restricted. |
| Keywords: | abortion, Dobbs, fertility, power analysis |
| JEL: | I11 I12 I18 J13 K23 |
| Date: | 2023–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16608&r=hea |
| By: | David Molitor (University of Illinois and NBER); Corey White (Monash University and IZA) |
| Abstract: | Do environmental conditions pose greater health risks to individuals living in urban or rural areas? The answer is theoretically ambiguous: while urban areas have traditionally been associated with heightened exposure to environmental pollutants, the economies of scale and density inherent to urban environments offer unique opportunities for mitigating or adapting to these harmful exposures. To make progress on this question, we focus on the United States and consider how exposures—to air pollution, drinking water pollution, and extreme temperatures—and the response to those exposures differ across urban and rural settings. While prior studies have addressed some aspects of these issues, substantial gaps in knowledge remain, in large part due to historical deficiencies in monitoring and reporting, especially in rural areas. As a step toward closing these gaps, we present new evidence on urban-rural differences in air quality and population sensitivity to air pollution, leveraging recent advances in remote sensing measurement and machine learning. We find that the urban-rural gap in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has converged over the last two decades and the remaining gap is small relative to the overall declines. Furthermore, we find that residents of urban counties are, on average, less vulnerable to the mortality effects of PM2.5 exposure. We also discuss promising areas for future research. |
| Keywords: | environment, urban, rural, pollution, health |
| JEL: | I10 Q53 Q54 |
| Date: | 2023–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mos:moswps:2023-25&r=hea |
| By: | Osea Giuntella; Johannes König; Luca Stella |
| Abstract: | This study explores the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and workers’ well-being and mental health using longitudinal survey data from Germany (2000-2020). We construct a measure of individual exposure to AI technology based on the occupation in which workers in our sample were first employed and explore an event study design and a difference-in-differences approach to compare AI-exposed and non-exposed workers. Before AI became widely available, there is no evidence of differential pre-trends in workers’ well-being and concerns about their economic futures. Since 2015, however, with the increasing adoption of AI in firms across Germany, we find that AI-exposed workers have become less satisfied with their life and job and more concerned about job security and their personal economic situation. However, we find no evidence of a significant impact of AI on workers’ mental health, anxiety, or depression. |
| Keywords: | Artificial Intelligence, Future of Work, Well-being, Mental Health |
| JEL: | I10 J28 O30 |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp1194&r=hea |
| By: | Castro-Pires, Henrique (University of Surrey); Mello, Marco (University of Aberdeen); Moscelli, Giuseppe (University of Surrey) |
| Abstract: | We exploit the 2016 Brexit referendum as a migration shock to evaluate the impact of reduced labour supply on the provision of hospital care. After the referendum, a sharp drop in the number of early-career new joiners from Europe resulted in a considerable decrease in the share of EU nurses in the English NHS. Using an enclave instrumental variable empirical strategy, we find that emergency readmission rates increased, and more so in hospital organizations more exposed to the missing inflow of new joiners. A theoretical model shows that this is consistent with a decrease in the quality of new hires. |
| Keywords: | labour supply, workers' mobility, immigration, patient care, hospital quality, Brexit |
| JEL: | J45 J61 J68 I11 C26 |
| Date: | 2023–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16616&r=hea |
| By: | Jeffrey Hicks (Department of Economics, University of Toronto); Gaëlle Simard-Duplain (Department of Economics, Carleton University); David A. Green (Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia); William Warburton (Enterprise Economic Consulting) |
| Abstract: | Welfare caseloads in North America halved following reforms in the 1990s and 2000s. We study how this shift affected families by linking Canadian welfare records to tax returns, medical spending, educational attainment, and crime data. We find substantial and heterogenous employment responses that increased average income despite reduced transfers. We find zero effects on aggregate health expenditures, but mothers saw reduced preventative care and increased mental health treatment, consistent with the transition to employment elevating time pressure and stress. We find no effect on teenagers' education and criminal charges as young adults but do find evidence of intergenerational welfare transmission. |
| JEL: | H23 H31 I14 I24 I38 J62 |
| Date: | 2023–10–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:car:carecp:23-05&r=hea |
| By: | Bradley T. Heim; Elena Patel; Shanthi Ramnath |
| Abstract: | We study the effect of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion on coverage dynamics following the sudden loss of coverage from an employer plan. This analysis leverages novel administrative data capturing monthly health insurance coverage for the U.S. population. Using these data, we develop several stylized facts describing the post-separation coverage dynamics. In addition, we use a difference-in-differences model to estimate the causal effect of Medicaid expansion on the duration of uninsurance following a separation from an employer plan. We find that Medicaid expansion increases the likelihood of finding coverage by 16% and reduces the duration of uninsurance by 12%. |
| Keywords: | Health insurance; Unemployment; Medicaid expansion |
| JEL: | J65 I13 I18 I38 |
| Date: | 2023–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedhwp:97421&r=hea |
| By: | Costa-Font, Joan (London School of Economics); Cowell, Frank A. (London School of Economics); Shi, Xuezhu (Peking University) |
| Abstract: | We study inequality in the distribution of self-assessed health (SAH) in the United States and China, two large countries that have expanded their insurance provisions in recent decades, but that lack universal coverage and differ in other social determinants of health. Using comparable health survey data from China and the United States, we compare health inequality trends throughout the period covering the public health insurance coverage expansions in the two countries. We find that whether SAH inequality is greater in the US or in China depends on the concept of status and the inequality-sensitivity parameter used; however, the regional pattern of SAH inequality is clearly associated with health-insurance coverage expansions in the US but not significant in China. |
| Keywords: | health inequality, self-assessed health, health insurance coverage, social determinants of health |
| JEL: | D63 I18 I3 |
| Date: | 2023–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16629&r=hea |
| By: | John J. Donohue; Samuel V. Cai; Arjun Ravi |
| Abstract: | We provide the first quasi-experimental estimates of variation in suicide impulsivity by age by examining the impact of firearm purchase delay laws by age. Prior studies of firearm purchase delay laws use traditional two-way-fixed-effects estimation, but we demonstrate that bias due to heterogenous treatment effects may have inflated previous estimates relative to our stacked-regression approach. We also develop a triple-difference stacked-regression estimator to confirm the robustness of our results. We find that purchase delay laws reduce firearm suicide for the overall adult population, but this effect is largely driven by a 6.1 percent reduction in firearm suicides for young adults ages 21-34. We demonstrate that the relationship between purchase delay laws and firearm suicide reduction weakens with age and is not driven by gun ownership rates. We argue that this is due to the impulsiveness of young adults in committing suicide, indicating that removing firearm access for young adults may provide a critical deterrent to suicide. |
| JEL: | H0 I0 I18 K0 K32 |
| Date: | 2023–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31917&r=hea |
| By: | Kelli Marquardt; Conor Ryan |
| Abstract: | This paper theoretically and empirically examines the role of information in the practice of pharmaceutical detailing (promotional interactions between drug representatives and physicians). We start with a theoretical framework in which pharmaceutical firms target detailing visits to physicians who potentially learn about drug quality and prescribe it to their patients. We derive several predictions about the role of information in these visits, which we then test empirically using Medicare Part D prescriptions and pharmaceutical detailing visit data. We find there is little empirical evidence to support learning as a primary mechanism of detailing visits and, in fact, document strong evidence to the contrary. |
| Keywords: | Pharmaceutical advertising; physician learning |
| JEL: | I1 D8 L0 M3 |
| Date: | 2023–10–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedhwp:97420&r=hea |
| By: | Anupam Jena; David Slusky; Lilly Springer |
| Abstract: | Training to become a physician involves long work hours that can be physically demanding, particularly for surgeons. Are birth outcomes of physician mothers affected as a result? Using Texas birth data from 2007-2014, we compared birth outcomes between physicians and another highly educated group, lawyers, and between surgeons and non-surgeon physicians. Further, using a difference-in-differences framework, we examine whether the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education 2011 duty hour reform, which lowered trainee work hours, impacted the birth outcomes of babies born to physicians compared with lawyers. We find that physicians have lower birth weights and shorter pregnancies than lawyers with the results driven by physicians in surgical specialties. However, the duty hour reform appears to not have impacted birth outcomes. Thus, we find that physicians tend to have worse birth outcomes than lawyers and, in this case, the work reform did little to address the difference. |
| JEL: | I12 J13 J44 K32 |
| Date: | 2023–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31955&r=hea |
| By: | Daniel Graeber |
| Abstract: | We describe the joint permanent health distribution of parents and children in Germany using 25 years of data from the Socio-Economic Panel. We derive three main results: First, a ten percentile increase in parental permanent health is associated with a 2.3 percentile increase in their child’s health. Second, employing our anchoring method, we find that a percentile point increase in permanent health ranks is associated with a 0.8% to 1.4% increase in permanent earnings. Additionally, we conclude that health is particularly important for earnings at lower levels of health. We argue that our anchoring method has great potential to enhance the comparability of the literature across data sets and countries. Third, a more favorable socioeconomic status of the parents is predominantly associated with higher upward mobility in health. |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp1195&r=hea |
| By: | Blumenthal, Anne; Martin, Karin A. |
| Abstract: | For decades, scholars in demography, public health, and medicine have documented a gender gap in early childhood mortality rates, primarily attributing this gap to male biological fragility (susceptibility to disease and perinatal conditions and disorders). However, unintentional injury is a leading cause of death for boys in early childhood (0-4 years of age), suggesting social causation of at least part of the gap. Using restricted detailed mortality and compressed vital statistics data from the U.S. over the period 2000-2020, we show that accounts of the innate fragility of boys have been overemphasized. While boys have higher rates of leading natural causes of death in infancy, they have similar rates to girls between the 1-4 years of age. We also show that boys have higher risk of mortality among causes where adult supervision is a key contributing factor, such as drowning, poisoning, falls, or firearms. These patterns have remained largely unchanged over time. Extending prior work on supervision and incorporating gender theory, this paper suggests that a gendered supervision context likely accounts for some of the gender differences in fatalities in early childhood. |
| Date: | 2023–11–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:pgehb&r=hea |
| By: | Anna Andreasson; Arnaud Tognetti (CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier, Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm]); Mike Jones (Botany - Trinity College Dublin); Mats Lekander (Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm], CERCO - Centre de recherche cerveau et cognition - ISCT - Institut des sciences du cerveau de Toulouse. - UT2J - Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès - UT - Université de Toulouse - UT3 - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier - UT - Université de Toulouse - CHU Toulouse - Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse - INSERM - Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UT3 - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier - UT - Université de Toulouse - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, GU - University of Gothenburg); Julie Lasselin (Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm]) |
| Abstract: | The Sickness Questionnaire (SicknessQ) is a questionnaire developed to assess symptoms of sickness behavior, including somatic, behavioral, and affective dimensions. To promote cross-cultural assessments of sickness behavior, we aim to expand the use of this questionnaire to other populations and languages. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the French translation of SicknessQ in a French-speaking general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. One hundred and thirty-nine individuals completed the SicknessQ online, along with the construct criteria measures of self-rated health, state anxiety (STAI-S), and depressive symptoms (PHQ-9). The principal component analyses revealed two components: the first component included seven items concerning mood, motivation and experiences of fatigue and pain; the second component included three items concerning somatic sickness symptoms. Higher scores on the total scale and the two component subscales were associated with poorer self-rated health and higher STAI-S and PHQ-9 scores. Since the associations with construct criteria variables were relatively similar between the single- and the two-dimensional solutions, both the total scale and the subscales of the two components of the French SicknessQ can be used in future studies to measure sickness behavior in French-speaking populations. |
| Keywords: | Sickness behavior, Questionnaire, French, Fatigue, Pain, Mood, Sickness behavior Questionnaire French Fatigue Pain Mood |
| Date: | 2023–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04308357&r=hea |
| By: | Jenn, Alan; Li, Xinwei |
| Abstract: | Vehicle electrification has attracted strong policy support in California due to its air quality and climate benefits from adoption. However, it is unclear whether these benefits are equitable across the state’s sensitive populations and socioeconomic groups and whether disadvantaged communities are able to take advantage of the emission savings and associated health benefits of electric vehicle (EV) adoption. In this study, we analyze the statewide health impacts from the reduction of on-road emissions reduction (from reducing gasoline powered cars) and the increase in power plant emissions (from EV charging) across disadvantaged communities (DACs) detected by using the environmental justice screening tool CalEnviroScreen. The results indicate that EV adoption will reduce statewide primary PM2.5 emissions by 24.02-25.05 kilotonnes and CO2 emissions by 1, 223-1, 255 megatonnes through 2045, and the overall monetized emission-related health benefits from decreased mortality and morbidity can be 2.52-2.76 billion dollars overall. However, the average per capita per year air pollution benefit in DACs is about $1.60 lower than that in the least 10% vulnerable communities in 2020, and this disparity expands to over $31 per capita per year in 2045, indicating that the benefits overlook some of the state's most vulnerable population, and suggesting clear distributive and equity impacts of existing EV support policies. This study contributes to our growing understanding of environmental justice rising from vehicle electrification, underscoring the need for policy frameworks that create a more equitable transportation system. View the NCST Project Webpage |
| Keywords: | Social and Behavioral Sciences, Electric vehicles, emissions, health impacts, environmental justice |
| Date: | 2023–12–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cdl:itsdav:qt5xv65775&r=hea |
| By: | Rodríguez-Planas, Núria (Queens College, CUNY); Secor, Alan (City University of New York); De Balanzó Joue, Rafael (City University of New York) |
| Abstract: | We conducted a randomized evaluation of a universal primary prevention intervention whose main goal was to increase the resilience of students from a large broad-access Hispanic Serving Institution and commuter urban college. In a 90-minute workshop, students were: introduced to the resilient-thinking approach, which offers conceptual tools to cope with unexpected negative shocks; worked individually and in groups to identify challenges in their community; and brainstormed strategies to address them. We find that the intervention increased by 5 percent of a standard deviation the short-run resilience of the average student. Importantly, the intention-to-treat effects were larger for students with lower levels of baseline resilience. The intervention was most effective among students with weaker individual protective factors at baseline (the most vulnerable students, those with lower resilience, and with higher mental health problems), and for those with stronger community protective factors, suggesting that individual and community factors mediate differently within this intervention. The intervention effects on students' resilience persisted over time. These effects were mostly driven by an improvement in students' collaboration (i.e., maintenance and formation of support networks and personal relationships), and vision (i.e., sense of purpose and belief in an ability to define, clarify, and achieve goals). |
| Keywords: | resilience, randomized control trial, mental health, low-touch interventions, higher education, protective factors |
| JEL: | I10 I18 I3 |
| Date: | 2023–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16627&r=hea |
| By: | Porto Natalia; Carella Laura; Rucci Ana Clara; Velazquez Cecilia |
| Abstract: | This paper aims to estimate the effect of a child's disability on mothers' labor supply. It uses data from the 2019-20 UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) of Argentina. Four measures of disability were used: children with a functional disability (based on Washington Group criteria) - distinguishing physical (for seeing, hearing or walking) from other types of functional disability- and children with a disability certificate or pension. The results suggest that having a child with a physical disability reduces a mother's probability of participating in the labor force by 8.3 percentage points. When the child has a disability certificate or pension, the probability that a mother participates in the labor force is reduced by 13.4 percentage points. No significant effect is found for mothers of a child with a functional disability or a non-physical disability. The evidence also shows heterogeneous effects depending on the mother’s education. The disincentive to participate is present for non-graduated mothers, while the effect is not statistically significant for graduated ones. These findings are particularly relevant for policymakers in a developing country like Argentina. |
| JEL: | I12 |
| Date: | 2023–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aep:anales:4686&r=hea |
| By: | Emile Cammeraat (CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis); Brinn Hekkelman (CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis); Pim Kastelein (CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis); Suzanne Vissers (CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis) |
| Abstract: | Setbacks such as dismissal or illness can turn the lives of people upside down. This study shows that such adverse events can be anticipated in advance and that their occurrence is strongly interrelated. These insights suggest that social security policy should consider the fact that vulnerable groups are likely to face multiple difficulties at the same time. Using machine learning techniques and anonymous data on millions of Dutch people, this study maps out the entire probability distribution of a wide range of labor market and health shocks. The degree of inequality in risk exposure across the population is striking. Most people have a low probability of becoming seriously ill or dependent on social benefits, while one percent of people bears up to thirty times more risk compared to the population average. People with a flexible employment contract, low income, little wealth and migration background are overrepresented within this high-risk group. |
| JEL: | C53 H55 I10 J01 J64 |
| Date: | 2023–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpb:discus:453&r=hea |
| By: | Mario Mansour; Patrick Petit; Fayçal Sawadogo |
| Abstract: | This How to Note examines the complex interplay between excise taxes on alcohol and alcoholic beverages, their revenue yield, and the public health concerns related to alcohol consumption. The note suggests guidance on how countries can approach the design of excise taxes on alcohol based on theoretical principles as well as empirical evidence drawn from international experience. Key questions addressed include: How important is alcohol consumption, and what form does it take across countries of different income levels? What has been the trend in alcohol excise tax revenue? How can countries design simple excise regimes that yield revenue while having the potential to contribute to reducing the externalities and internalities caused by alcohol consumption? |
| Keywords: | excise taxes; alcohol consumption; public health |
| Date: | 2023–12–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfhtn:2023/004&r=hea |
| By: | Neugebauer, Martin (University of Mannheim); Patzina, Alexander (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg); Dietrich, Hans (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg); Sandner, Malte (Technische Hochschule Nürnberg) |
| Abstract: | How much did young people suffer from the COVID-19 pandemic? A growing number of studies address this question, but they often lack a comparison group that was unaffected by the pandemic, and the observation window is usually short. Here, we compared the 2-year development of life satisfaction of German high school students during COVID-19 (N = 2, 698) with the development in prepandemic cohorts (N = 4, 834) with a difference-in-differences design. We found a decline in life satisfaction in winter 2020/2021 (Cohen's d = -0.40) that was approximately three times stronger than that in the general population and persisted until winter 2021/2022. Young people found some restrictions particularly burdensome, especially travel restrictions, bans on cultural events, and the closure of bars/clubs. |
| Keywords: | COVID-19, well-being, causal analysis, pandemic, adolescents, Germany |
| JEL: | I31 I18 J24 |
| Date: | 2023–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16636&r=hea |
| By: | Messono, Omang; Asongu, Simplice; Tchamyou, Vanessa |
| Abstract: | This study examines the effects of the historical prevalence of infectious diseases on contemporary gender equality. Previous studies reveal the persistence of the effects of historical diseases on innovation, through the channel of culture. Drawing on the Parasite-Stress Theory, we propose a framework which argues that historical prevalence of infectious disease reduces contemporary gender equality. Using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS) in a cross-section with data from 122 countries between 2000 and 2021, we provide support for the underlying hypothesis. Past diseases reduce gender equality both directly and indirectly. The strongest indirect effects occur through innovation output. Gender equality analysis may take these findings into account and incorporate disease pathogens into the design of international social policy. |
| Keywords: | infectious diseases; gender equality; economic development |
| JEL: | B15 B40 B54 I31 J24 |
| Date: | 2022–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:119329&r=hea |