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on Health Economics |
| By: | Abouk, Rahi (William Paterson University); De, Prabal K. (City College of New York); Pesko, Michael (University of Missouri) |
| Abstract: | We examine the effect of raising the minimum legal sale age of tobacco to 21 (i.e., "T21"). We estimate difference-in-differences models using the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey data and Nielsen Retail Scanner data from 2012 to 2019. Outcomes include cigarette and e-cigarette use and sales. We find sizable reductions in e-cigarette and cigarette use for 12th graders. T21 also reduced cigarette sales by 12.4% and e-cigarette sales by 69.3% in counties with the highest percent quartile of individuals under 21 years of age. In terms of mechanisms, we find that T21 increases ID checking and perceived risks of using both products. |
| Keywords: | Tobacco-21, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, smoking, vaping, youth |
| JEL: | I12 I18 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16801&r=hea |
| By: | Donald S. Kenkel; Alan D. Mathios; Grace N. Phillips; Revathy Suryanarayana; Hua Wang; Sen Zeng |
| Abstract: | The Food and Drug Administration has proposed to prohibit menthol cigarettes, which are smoked by almost 19 million people in the U.S. Illegal markets for menthol cigarettes could not only blunt the prohibition’s intended consequence to reduce smoking but could also lead to unintended consequences. We use data from a discrete choice experiment to estimate a mixed logit model which predicts that the prohibition of menthol cigarettes would substantially increase the fraction of menthol smokers who attempt to quit. However, our model also predicts a substantial potential consumer demand for illegal menthol cigarettes. Depending on the impact of illegality on product prices, our model predicts the potential demand-side of an illegal market for menthol cigarettes could be 59-92 percent the size of the status quo market if menthol e-cigarettes are legal, and 69-100 percent the size of the status quo market if menthol e-cigarettes are also illegal. Our mixed logit model estimated in willingness to pay space implies that the mean WTP to avoid an illegal retail market is equivalent to a tax of $8.44 per pack. In our partial cost-benefit analysis, the opportunity costs of prohibition exceed the value of the reduction in mortality risks from secondhand smoke by $15.4 billion annually. |
| JEL: | D12 I12 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32148&r=hea |
| By: | Jill Horwitz; Austin Nichols; Carrie H. Colla; David M. Cutler |
| Abstract: | Estimates of the impact of Certificate of Need laws on medical care have been inconsistent, possibly because not all CON laws apply to all services. Using an original dataset identifying imaging-related CON laws, we estimate the effects of CON on CT and MRI, using regression discontinuities at state borders. Medicare beneficiaries in regulated states are slightly less likely to receive any image and considerably less likely to receive low-value imaging than beneficiaries in non-regulated states. High-value imaging is either unaffected or declines much less. Overall, CON reduces low value care and largely leaves high value care unaffected. |
| JEL: | I18 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32143&r=hea |
| By: | Brown, Dan (GiveWell); De Cao, Elisabetta (University of Bologna) |
| Abstract: | Child maltreatment is pervasive, often undetected, yet harmful. We investigate whether it is impacted by unemployment by leveraging unique administrative data including all reported cases of child abuse and neglect in the United States from 2004 to 2012. Using an industry shift-share instrument to identify county-level unemployment effects, we find a substantial rise in neglect. The likely channel is lower quality-time spent with children rather than decreased financial investments. Expenditures on children remain stable during recessions. Instead, higher local-area unemployment rate reduces parental childcare time, worsens mental health, and contributes to an increase in one-parent households. |
| Keywords: | child abuse and neglect, unemployment rate, recession, Bartik, mental health |
| JEL: | I10 D10 J12 J13 K42 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16799&r=hea |
| By: | Amorim, Guilherme (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign); Britto, Diogo (University of Milan Bicocca); Fonseca, Alexandre (Federal Revenue of Brazil); Sampaio, Breno (Universidade Federal de Pernambuco) |
| Abstract: | We study the effects of job loss and unemployment insurance (UI) on health among Brazilian workers. We construct a novel dataset linking individual-level administrative records on employment, hospital discharges, and mortality for a 17-year period, rarely available in the context of developing countries. Leveraging mass layoffs for identification, we find that job loss increases hospitalization (+33%) and mortality risks (+23%) for male workers, while women are not affected. These effects are pervasive over the distribution of age, tenure, income and education, and men's children are also negatively affected. Remarkably, about half of these impacts are driven by external causes associated with accidents and the violent Brazilian context. Using a regression discontinuity design, we show that access to UI partially mitigates the adverse effects of job loss on health. Our results indicate that the health costs of job loss are only partially explained by the income losses associated with job displacement. |
| Keywords: | job loss, unemployment insurance, hospitalization, deaths |
| JEL: | I12 J63 J65 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16790&r=hea |
| By: | Abrahamsson, Sara (Dept. of Economics, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration) |
| Abstract: | How smartphone usage affects well-being and learning among children and adolescents is a concern for schools, parents, and policymakers. Combining detailed administrative data with survey data on middle schools’ smartphone policies, together with an event-study design, I show that banning smartphones significantly decreases the health care take-up for psychological symptoms and diseases among girls. Post-ban bullying among both genders decreases. Additionally, girls’ GPA improves, and their likelihood of attending an academic high school track increases. These effects are larger for girls from low socio-economic backgrounds. Hence, banning smartphones from school could be a low-cost policy tool to improve student outcomes. |
| Keywords: | Smartphones; mental health; grade point average; bullying; test scores |
| JEL: | I12 I21 I31 J24 O33 |
| Date: | 2024–02–22 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:nhheco:2024_001&r=hea |
| By: | Thanh P. Hui; Katsushi S. Imai |
| Abstract: | This study analyses the long-lasting effects of the Vietnam War on the human capital of first and second generations after 50 years. Our focus is on Agent Orange, herbicide bombings used by the US military during the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1971. Although there is extensive research on the direct impacts of exposure to the war on education, health, and economic conditions, little is known about its outcomes on children born well after the war. Using the nationally representative household data in 2014, 2016, and 2018, combined with Agent Orange Data, this paper finds evidence that bombing exposure has long-lasting adverse effects not only on the affected generation but also on the children of those who experienced the conflicts. Overall, women tend to be more severely influenced by bombings than men, and the adverse effects on years of education are persistent in the second generation. In the first generation, there are also stronger effects on individuals exposed to the bombing after birth than those exposed in utero. Results based on 2SLS show that mothers’ exposure to shocks during the prenatal period or after birth significantly affects the schooling level of their children, especially among the mother-daughter dyads. |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:man:sespap:2401&r=hea |
| By: | Do Won Kwak; Jong-Wha Lee |
| Abstract: | An aging workforce has adversely impacted the economy in Korea, amid growing fiscal challenges associated with providing pension and healthcare for older people. The increasing elderly population has raised concerns about the diminishing quality of life among seniors. This study explores the impact of retirement and re-employment on the life satisfaction of older individuals, utilizing longitudinal data from 2008 to 2020. To address endogeneity concerns, we use statutory eligibility ages for retirement pension benefits and the expected monetary value of these benefits as instrumental variables for retirement and re-employment status. Our findings suggest that retirement leads to a significant reduction in overall life satisfaction among older individuals. Conversely, life satisfaction improves significantly when retired individuals are re-employed. This study examines the dynamic effects of retirement on life satisfaction by employing the event study framework and investigating the reversal of retirement through re-employment. The findings emphasize that the life satisfaction of older individuals can be enhanced through policies that enable them to extend their employment or pursue new opportunities after retirement. |
| Keywords: | aging, retirement, re-employment, life satisfaction, longitudinal study, pension |
| JEL: | I31 J14 J21 J26 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:een:camaaa:2024-14&r=hea |
| By: | Carneiro, Pedro (University College London); Reis, Hugo (Banco de Portugal); Toppeta, Alessandro (SOFI, Stockholm University) |
| Abstract: | Generous maternity leave, affordable daycare, extensive social safety nets, excellent universal health care, and high-quality public schools, are all notable features of Nordic countries. There is a widespread belief that such strong public investments in children contribute to a levelled playing field and promote social mobility. However, gaps in learning outcomes between children of rich and poor parents remain as high in Nordic countries as elsewhere in Europe. One explanation for this paradox is that the equalizing impacts of public investments are undone by parental investments in children of rich and poor families, which are as unequal in Nordic countries as in the rest of the European continent. |
| Keywords: | intergenerational transmission, inequality, education, human capital |
| JEL: | J62 D63 I21 J24 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16785&r=hea |
| By: | Tran, Nhan |
| Abstract: | Fear of immigration enforcement may deter undocumented parents from seeking government benefits for their US citizen children. This paper examines the effect of providing legal status to parents through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on health insurance coverage among US-born children. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that DACA eligibility among likely undocumented mothers increases Medicaid enrollment among their US-born children by 4 to 5 percentage points. I do not find evidence to support a similar effect among US-born children with likely undocumented fathers. |
| Keywords: | DACA; undocumented immigrants; US-born children; health insurance; regression discontinuity design |
| JEL: | I13 I18 J18 |
| Date: | 2024–01–17 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:120173&r=hea |
| By: | L. Bister; Peter Eibich (MPIDR - Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research - Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Legos - Laboratoire d'Economie et de Gestion des Organisations de Santé - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris sciences et lettres, LEDa - Laboratoire d'Economie de Dauphine - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris sciences et lettres - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); R. Rutigliano; M. Kühn; K. van Hedel |
| Abstract: | Existing literature shows the importance of maternity leave as a strategy for women to balance work and family responsibilities. However, only a few studies focused on the long-run impact of maternity leave length on maternal health. Therefore, how exactly they are related remains unclear. We examine women's selection into different lengths of maternity leave as a potential explanation for the inconclusive findings in the literature on the association between maternity leave and maternal health. This study aims to unravel the association between maternity leave length and mothers' long-term health in Germany. Drawing on detailed data from the German Statutory Pension Fund (DRV), we estimated the association between maternity leave length and sick leave from 3 years following their child's birth for 4, 243 women living in Germany in 2015 by applying discrete-time logistic regression. Our results show a negative relationship between maternity-leave length and long-term maternal health, likely driven by negative health selection. Long maternity leaves of more than 24 months were associated with worse maternal health in the long run, while a positive association emerged for vulnerable women with pre-existing health problems. |
| Keywords: | maternital health, maternity leave, child health, Germany |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04442896&r=hea |
| By: | Jiyoon Han (Northern Valley Regional High School, Old Tappan, New Jersey, USA) |
| Abstract: | Adolescence is a stage in life in which many students undergo social, emotional, academic, and moral changes. Psychiatric problems and markers of mental disorders are highly prevalent among students, ranging from distress and anxiety to depression and sleep disorders. Continuation of minor symptoms during adolescence can possibly lead to major depression, insomnia, and panic disorder in adulthood. The state of mental wellness is not examined as often as physical health even though mental health is volatile and is one of the most delicate parts of human health. In the present-day, mental illnesses are still highly stigmatized at the interpersonal level and the frequency of utilizing mental health care is significantly low compared to its increased accessibility. The purpose of the paper is to introduce a theoretical framework that reveals the importance of managing mental health from adolescence and how increased mental health care in educational institutions can provide students with a positive transition into adulthood. |
| Keywords: | Mental Health, Mental Illness, Educational Institution, Adolescence, Emotional Learning, High-risk, Behavioral Health, Stigma |
| Date: | 2023–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:smo:raiswp:0304&r=hea |
| By: | Rostand Arland Yebetchou Tchounkeu (Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche); Raffaella Santolini (Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche); Giulio Palomba (Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche); Elvina Merkaj (Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche) |
| Abstract: | The aim of this study is to assess the impact of healthcare efficiency on the mortality rate of elderly people aged 65 and 75 years old and over. To do this, we estimate a dynamic panel data model using the system generalised method of moments (SYS-GMM) on 106 Italian provinces over the period 2012-2019. To measure the efficiency index in the health sector, we apply the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method. We also calculate the index via a bootstrap DEA method for robustness checks. Our results show that, on average, a 10% increase in healthcare efficiency at the Italian provincial level reduces the mortality rate of older adults by approximately 2% to 3%. Improving healthcare efficiency is crucial in enhancing the health services for the elderly and reduce mortality for this age group. Our findings could be helpful to policymakers in adopting measures that aim to increase healthcare efficiency, taking into account the specific needs of an aging population. |
| Keywords: | health efficiency, elderly mortality, DEA, dynamic panel data analysis |
| JEL: | I10 I18 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:anc:wpaper:485&r=hea |
| By: | Effrosyni Adamopoulou; Jeremy Greenwood; Nezih Guner; Karen A. Kopecky |
| Abstract: | The role of friends in the US opioid epidemic is examined. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health), adults aged 25-34 and their high school best friends are focused on. An instrumental variable technique is employed to estimate peer effects in opioid misuse. Severe injuries in the previous year are used as an instrument for opioid misuse in order to estimate the causal impact of someone misusing opioids on the probability that their best friends also misuse. The estimated peer effects are significant: Having a best friend with a reported serious injury in the previous year increases the probability of own opioid misuse by around 7 percentage points in a population where 17 percent ever misuses opioids. The effect is driven by individuals without a college degree and those who live in the same county as their best friends. |
| Keywords: | opioid; peer-group effects; friends; instrumental variables; Add Health; severe injuries |
| JEL: | C26 D10 I12 J11 |
| Date: | 2024–02–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedcwq:97764&r=hea |
| By: | Turan Akdag, Merve; Jacquemin, Philippe; Wahl, Nihal |
| Abstract: | The emergence of the metaverse as a virtual world platform has opened up new possibilities for the use of immersive technologies in healthcare. This paper aims to explore the potential of the metaverse for healthcare and show how metaverse should be designed. We conduct a study based on design science research and derive design principles for the designing of a virtual environment for mental health counselling. We evaluate each of these design principles and describe how they can be applied in a practical solution. The results indicate that the metaverse holds significant promise for improving healthcare delivery and enhancing patient outcomes. Our study thus contributes to the emerging field of metaverse in healthcare by providing a design approach for the development of applications that can serve as a virtual environment for therapeutic sessions between medical therapists and patients. |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dar:wpaper:142900&r=hea |
| By: | Jessen, Lasse J. (Kiel University); Koehne, Sebastian (Kiel University); Nüß, Patrick (Kiel University); Ruhose, Jens (University of Kiel) |
| Abstract: | Using survey experiments in the United States and Germany with 12, 000 participants, we examine perceptions of life expectancy inequality between rich and poor people. The life expectancy of the poor is underestimated more than that of the rich, leading to exaggerated perceptions of inequality in both countries. Receiving accurate information narrows concerns about this inequality. However, the impact of information on policy demand is limited because support for policies addressing life expectancy for the poor is consistently high, regardless of varying perceptions of inequality. We conclude that there is strong and unconditional public support for health equity policies. |
| Keywords: | socioeconomic inequality in life expectancy, health care, information treatment, survey experiment |
| JEL: | C90 D71 D83 I14 I18 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16780&r=hea |
| By: | Daniel Orogun (University of Pretoria, South Africa) |
| Abstract: | This article assesses the efficacy and sufficiency of spiritual care and calls for deliberate improvement to bridge the gap between the overwhelming demand and depleting supply of healthcare services in South Africa. Without disregard for other spiritual care groups, this article investigates the activities of healthcare chaplains and a few healthcare organizations in two municipalities in Gauteng which are Johannesburg and Tshwane. As a primary source, a mixed research method was used to collect data from healthcare chaplains, nursing managers, and hospital human resource managers. The outcome agrees with the global statistics that healthcare demand is rising while its supply is depleting. This leads to the question of necessary alternatives to bridge the gap between healthcare demand and supply. Consequently, this article recommends that healthcare chaplaincies, government health departments, healthcare organizations, theological institutions, community leaders, and healthcare professionals should pay more attention to improved spiritual care as an essential alternative support system in healthcare services. |
| Keywords: | Chaplaincy, demand, supply, efficacy, sufficiency, spiritual care |
| Date: | 2023–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:smo:raiswp:0294&r=hea |
| By: | Mahar, Hamad |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the impact of granting formal legal protection to children on their health by studying the impact of the Child Rights Act in Nigeria. Using a Difference in Differences model that is robust to the staggered adoption of this reform across states, I show that granting formal protection to children leads to a reduction in stunting and has limited positive effects on vaccinations. I provide suggestive evidence that the mechanism behind these results is a change in the demand of care by parents. These findings suggest that secular laws which grant protection improve outcomes for children in a society where harmful traditions persist. |
| Date: | 2024–01–26 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:ty35q&r=hea |
| By: | Paul Gertler; Ada Kwan |
| Abstract: | Patients rely on medical care providers to act in their best interests because providers understand disease pathology and appropriate treatment much better than patients. Providers, however, not only give advice (diagnose) but also deliver (sell) treatments based on that advice. This creates a moral hazard dilemma where provider financial interests can diverge from patient interests, especially when providers are motivated more by profits than by altruism. We investigate how profit motivated versus altruistic preferences influence medical care decision making in the context of malaria in Kenya. We measured the appropriateness of care using data from an audit study that employed standardized patients (SP) who were trained to present as real patients the identical clinical case scenario to providers. The SPs were confirmed to be malaria negative before and after field work with a very reliable and sensitive blood test at a high-quality laboratory. We measured provider preferences using a lab in the field, real stakes, modified version of the dictator game. We find that more profit-motivated providers report higher rates of false-positive malaria test results than do more altruistic providers. Specifically, purely profit motivated providers report 30 percentage points more positives than providers who are altruistically motivated, and providers likely knew that the positive results that they reported to their patients were false. We also find that more profit motivated providers sold more unnecessary antimalarial drugs than did more altruistic providers. Based on mediation analysis, more profit-oriented providers sold more drugs not only because they knowingly reported more false positives, but also because they promoted drugs sales more conditional on a positive test result. Thus, profit motivated providers seem to have misrepresented test results to sell more unnecessary malaria-related drugs. |
| JEL: | I11 I12 I15 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32151&r=hea |
| By: | Bardey, David (Universidad de los Andes); De Donder , Philippe (TSE - CNRS); Zaporozhets , Vera (TSE - INRAe) |
| Abstract: | We review the medico-economic literature assessing the economic value of diagnostic tests. We first present the health technology assessment methods, as applied to generic health interventions. We then define our object of study, diagnostic and prognostic tests, and relate them to various definitions of personalized medicine. We then review the empirical assessments of diagnostic tests related to personalized medicine and of companion tests. We summarize systematic reviews which are not performing quantitative meta-analyses, but rather provide a descriptive synthesis of the results reviewed. We find no evidence that such tests perform better than more traditional approaches, such as pharmaceutical interventions. At the same time, there is a lot of heterogeneity in the cost per QALY (Quality-Adjusted Life Year) gained, so that some genetic testing procedures may perform better than non-genetic ones. Finally, we focus on imperfect tests and show how to optimize, from an economic perspective, their accuracy levels, and how to take accuracy levels into considerations when assessing their economic value. |
| Keywords: | genetic tests; companion tests; cost-benefit analysis (CBA); cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA); cost-utility analysis (CUA); and cost-minimization analysis (CMA); personalized medicine; Receiver-Operator (ROC) curve; Incremental cost-effectiveness ration (ICER). |
| JEL: | H51 I18 J17 |
| Date: | 2024–02–28 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:col:000089:021041&r=hea |
| By: | McLaughlin, Eoin; Whelehan, Niall |
| Abstract: | Analysis of excess mortality holds the potential to revise understandings of key moments in modern Irish history. Yet aside from studies of the Great Famine, it has been neglected by historians of Ireland. Examining rates of excess mortality across post-Famine Ireland reveals that the Land War crisis of 1877-1882, a transformational period, was one of the worst public health crises of modern Irish history. In fact, during the years 1878-1880 excess mortality levels were much higher than during any other period from when registration records began in 1864 up to the present day. Western regions, particularly Co. Mayo, have long been considered the worst affected by this crisis, but from the perspective of excess mortality, we establish that this was an islandwide crisis and one that was more severe that previously understood. The study of excess mortality in Irish history has been neglected partly because of some concerns expressed by scholars about the reliability of the source material in the annual statistical reports of the Registrar General. Yet, we document the reliability of the registers by cross-referencing with census returns, demonstrating their accuracy in the 1870s and 1880s, and their importance as sources to provide vital insights and context in modern Irish history. |
| Keywords: | Land War, Excess Mortality, Ireland |
| JEL: | N13 N33 I18 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:hwuaef:283610&r=hea |
| By: | Bruno Boidin (CLERSÉ - Centre Lillois d’Études et de Recherches Sociologiques et Économiques - UMR 8019 - Université de Lille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) |
| Abstract: | This article investigates the shortcomings in the implementation of an approach based on the social determinants of health in sub-Saharan Africa. This approach is extended by looking at health and development from a political economy perspective. This perspective acknowledges the non-linear nature of the political decision-making process and the absence of any institutional ideal type. The notion of institutional complementarities is used to investigate the deficiencies in this area in sub-Saharan Africa. It will be shown that the health programmes are based on a rationalist postulate and vertical concept of the problems and are characterised by low levels of institutional complementarity. The article's contribution to the literature rests on its use of an expanded political economy perspective to help bridge the gap between public health and analyses of public policy. |
| Abstract: | Cet article examine les défaillances dans la mise en oeuvre d'une approche fondée sur les déterminants sociaux de la santé en Afrique. Nous prolongeons cette approche en adoptant une perspective d'économie politique qui considère le processus de décision politique comme étant non linéaire et l'absence d'idéal-type institutionnel. La notion de complémentarité institutionnelle est mobilisée pour analyser les lacunes des politiques de santé en Afrique à partir d'une perspective systémique. Nous voulons montrer que les programmes de santé sont fondés sur une vision rationaliste et verticale des problèmes et caractérisés par de faibles complémentarités institutionnelles. La contribution de cet article à la littérature réside dans la mobilisation d'une perspective d'économie politique qui cherche à rapprocher la santé publique des analyses en termes de politique publique. |
| Date: | 2022–03–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04440840&r=hea |
| By: | Audi, Marc; Poulin, Marc; Ali, Amjad |
| Abstract: | This study aims to examine the impact of financial inclusion on human well-being in South Asian countries from 1996 to 2020. Specifically, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh were selected for this investigation. Human well-being is treated as the dependent variable, while financial inclusion, health facilities, voice & accountability, income inequality, corruption, education facilities, and the unemployment rate are considered independent variables. The study's findings indicate that financial inclusion, health facilities, and education facilities have a positive and significant impact on human well-being. The improvement of health and educational facilities not only creates more employment opportunities but also contributes to the enhancement of income, education, and health status within a nation. These results explain that selected South Asian countries should prioritize the promotion of education and health facilities to elevate the overall level of human well-being. Voice & accountability, along with corruption, exhibit an inverse and significant influence on human well-being in selected South Asian countries. Income inequality, on the other hand, shows an inverse but insignificant impact on human well-being, while unemployment has a significant and positive influence. Based on the estimated results, it is recommended that to enhance the level of human well-being in South Asian countries, there is a need to improve financial inclusion, health facilities, and educational facilities. |
| Keywords: | human well-being, financial inclusion, health facilities, voice & accountability |
| JEL: | D63 I22 I30 P46 |
| Date: | 2023 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:120119&r=hea |
| By: | Husbands, Samantha; Mitchell, Paul Mark; Kinghorn, Philip; Byford, Sarah; Bailey, Cara; Anand, Paul; Peters, Tim J.; Floredin, Isabella; Coast, Joanna |
| Abstract: | Purpose: This study explores how important well-becoming factors appear to be to children during childhood. We define well-becoming as the indicators which predict children and young people’s future wellbeing and opportunities. The priority for this work was to explore whether well-becoming might be an important factor to include in outcome measures for children and young people. The inclusion of well-becoming indicators could ensure that opportunities to invest in promoting wellbeing in children’s futures are not missed. Methods: In-depth, qualitative interviews (N = 70) were undertaken with children and young people aged 6–15 years and their parents. Analysis used constant comparison and framework methods to investigate whether well-becoming factors were considered important by informants to children and young people’s current wellbeing. Results: The findings of the interviews suggested that children and young people and their parents are concerned with future well-becoming now, as factors such as future achievement, financial security, health, independence, identity, and relationships were identified as key to future quality of life. Informants suggested that they considered it important during childhood to aspire towards positive outcomes in children and young people’s futures. Conclusion: The study findings, taken alongside relevant literature, have generated evidence to support the notion that future well-becoming is important to current wellbeing. We have drawn on our own work in capability wellbeing measure development to demonstrate how we have incorporated a well-becoming attribute into our measures. The inclusion of well-becoming indicators in measures could aid investment in interventions which more directly improve well-becoming outcomes for children and young people. |
| Keywords: | capabilities; children and young people; economic measure development; well-becoming; wellbeing measures; 205384/Z/16/Z |
| JEL: | J1 |
| Date: | 2024–01–31 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:122060&r=hea |
| By: | Turan Akdag, Merve; Wahl, Nihal |
| Abstract: | The metaverse, a virtual reality-based platform, offers unique opportunities for immersive and interactive therapeutic sessions. With the ability to remain anonymous, it enables a greater sense of openness and honesty during their therapeutic sessions. However, the impact of anonymity on patient's intention to use the metaverse for therapeutic purposes remains unclear. Thus, we conducted a quantitative study encompassing a sample of 147 participants to investigate the relationship between anonymity and the intention to use the metaverse for therapeutic sessions. The results provide insights into how anonymity influences users' attitudes and motivations regarding the use of the metaverse for therapeutic purposes. Understanding the role of anonymity may contribute to the design and implementation of more effective therapeutic interventions in the metaverse. |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dar:wpaper:142941&r=hea |
| By: | Ying, Xiangji; Vorland, Colby J.; Qureshi, Riaz; Brown, Andrew William (Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington); Kilicoglu, Halil; Saldanha, Ian; DeVito, Nicholas J; Mayo-Wilson, Evan |
| Abstract: | Background: Selective non-reporting of studies and study results undermines trust in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Changes to clinical trial outcomes are sometimes associated with bias. Manually comparing trial documents to identify changes in trial outcomes is time consuming. Objective: This study aims to assess the capacity of the Generative Pretrained Transformer 4 (GPT-4) large language model in detecting and describing changes in trial outcomes within ClinicalTrials.gov records. Methods: We will first prompt GPT-4 to define trial outcomes using five elements (i.e., domain, specific measurement, specific metric, method of aggregation, and time point). We will then prompt GPT-4 to identify outcome changes between the prospective versions of registrations and the most recent versions of registrations. We will use a random sample of 150 RCTs (~1, 500 outcomes) registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. We will include “Completed” trials categorized as “Phase 3” or “Not Applicable” and with results posted on ClinicalTrials.gov. Two independent raters will rate GPT-4’s judgements, and we will assess GPT-4’s accuracy and reliability. We will also explore the heterogeneity in GPT-4’s performance by the year of trial registration and trial type (i.e., applicable clinical trials, NIH-funded trials, and other trials). Discussion: We aim to develop methods that could assist systematic reviewers, peer reviewers, journal editors, and readers in monitoring changes in clinical trial outcomes, streamlining the review process, and improving transparency and reliability of clinical trial reporting. |
| Date: | 2024–02–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:metaar:npvwr&r=hea |
| By: | Borisova, Tatiana; Litkowski, Carrie; Law, Jonathan; Mandalay, Okkar |
| Abstract: | USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) publicly releases forecasts and estimates of financial indicators that provide insights relevant to the financial health of the U.S. agricultural sector. Based on preliminary data and projections, the sector's income is forecast four times over a period spanning from February to the following February. Estimates are released later when more complete data are gathered, for example, from USDA’s Agricultural Resource Management Survey. This report discusses the evolution of the 2020 farm sector income forecasts, illustrating how the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and related economic uncertainty affected the forecasts. USDA, ERS overestimated 2020 cash receipts and underestimated 2020 production expenses, generally resulting in an overprediction of the 2020 farm sector income relative to official estimates in all four forecasts. The first forecast (released in February 2020) was close to the estimated value because the dollar value of the overprediction of cash receipts nearly offset the underprediction of direct Government payments. In contrast, the last 2020 farm income forecasts (released in February 2021) significantly deviated from the later estimates (released in September 2021), contrary to the historical evidence showing the forecasts converge to the estimates over the forecasting cycle. |
| Keywords: | Financial Economics, Production Economics, Public Economics, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods |
| Date: | 2023–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:uersap:340103&r=hea |
| By: | Ebert, Cara (RWI); Steinert, Janina Isabel (Technical University of Munich) |
| Abstract: | We study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence against women in Germany in 2020. The analysis draws on three data sources: (1) longitudinal administrative data on the volume of help requests to helplines, shelters and counselling services, (2) cross-sectional survey data collected during the first wave of the pandemic, and (3) a qualitative online survey with counsellors and domestic violence experts. The number of violence-related requests at helplines increased significantly by 29% with the first physical distancing measures, whereas ambulatory care services such as shelters experienced a 19% increase in help requests only after physical distancing restrictions were lifted. Our results indicate that individuals substituted help services away from ambulatory care towards helplines. We do not observe exacerbated violence in states with greater mobility reductions, lower daycare capacity for childcare or higher COVID-19 infection numbers. Our findings highlight the importance of providing easily accessible online counselling offers for survivors of violence and governmental financial relief packages. |
| Keywords: | COVID-19, lockdown, violence against women, event study |
| JEL: | J12 J16 J18 I18 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16793&r=hea |
| By: | Dela Cruz, Nina Ashley (Lanzhou University); Adona, Ann Jillian (University of San Francisco); Molato-Gayares, Rhea (Asian Development Bank); Park , Albert (Asian Development Bank) |
| Abstract: | This systematic review covers 56 studies that measure the effects of school closures on learning outcomes during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and 20 studies that evaluate the impact of measures to reduce learning loss. It restricts attention to evaluations with credible control groups and provides the first meta-analysis of learning losses that covers more developing countries (21) than developed ones (15). We find that a year of school closure is associated with learning loss equivalent to 1.1 years’ worth of learning and that school reopening mitigates these losses down to 0.5 years. With regard to measures to reduce learning loss, we find that tutoring delivered either in-person or through mobile phones has positive, statistically significant effects on mitigating learning loss. |
| Keywords: | learning loss; COVID-19; education; systematic review; meta-analysis |
| JEL: | I20 I21 I24 I28 |
| Date: | 2024–03–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:adbewp:0717&r=hea |