|
on Health Economics |
| By: | M.D.J.W. Wijesinghe (University of Waikato); Michael P. Cameron (University of Waikato); Susan Olivia (University of Waikato); Les Oxley (University of Waikato) |
| Abstract: | This study aims to provide a comparative analysis of the impacts of three significant pandemics - the 1918-19 influenza pandemic, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic - on life expectancy and lifespan inequality. Using cause-eliminated life tables and the Theil Index, we examine changes in life expectancy and lifespan inequality globally. The findings reveal that each pandemic uniquely altered demographic patterns. The 1918 influenza pandemic caused the sharpest immediate reductions in life expectancy, particularly affecting young adults, and led to a significant rise in lifespan inequality. In contrast, the HIV/AIDS epidemic had a more gradual and enduring impact, disproportionately affecting young and middle-aged adults in its early stages and exacerbating health disparities, especially in regions with limited access to antiretroviral therapy. COVID-19 primarily impacted older populations, resulting in smaller reductions in life expectancy compared to the 1918 influenza but with a distinctive decrease in lifespan inequality due to concentrated mortality among older adults. Furthermore, gender-specific effects varied across the pandemics. While the 1918 influenza pandemic and COVID-19 showed relatively uniform impacts across genders, HIV/AIDS revealed pronounced disparities, with women experiencing greater reductions in life expectancy and heightened lifespan inequality. By examining the unique mortality patterns and impacts of these pandemics, this study provides valuable insights to policymakers, emphasizing the need for tailored public health strategies to address inequalities and improve resilience in future global health crises. |
| Keywords: | Life Expectancy; Lifespan Inequality; 1918 Influenza; HIV/AIDS; COVID-19; Pandemics |
| JEL: | I14 I18 J18 |
| Date: | 2025–02–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wai:econwp:25/02 |
| By: | Martin Halla (Department of Economics, Vienna University of Economics and Business); Bernhard Schmidpeter (Department of Economics, Vienna University of Economics and Business) |
| Abstract: | Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide and a critical public health concern. We examine the hypothesis of suicide contagion within in the workplace, investigating whether exposure to a coworker's suicide increases an individual's suicide risk. Using high-quality administrative data from Austria and an event study approach, we compare approximately 150, 000 workers exposed to a coworker's suicide with a matched group exposed to a "placebo suicide". We find a significant increase in suicide risk for exposed individuals, with a cumulative treatment effect of 0.04 percentage points (33.3 percent) over a 20-year post-event period. Exposed individuals who also die by suicide are more likely to use the same method as their deceased coworker, strongly suggesting a causal link. Two placebo tests bolster this interpretation: workers who left the firm before the suicide and those exposed to a coworker's fatal car accident do not show an elevated suicide risk. |
| Keywords: | Suicide, workplace, contagion hypothesis, Werther-effect, mental health |
| JEL: | I10 I12 I18 D81 J10 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wiw:wiwwuw:wuwp374 |
| By: | Martin B. Hackmann; Jörg Heining; Roman Klimke; Maria Polyakova; Holger Seibert |
| Abstract: | We leverage decades of administrative data and quasi-experimental variation in the introduction of universal long-term care (LTC) insurance in Germany in 1995 to examine whether health insurance expansions can stimulate local economies. We find that the LTC insurance rollout led not only to sizeable growth of the target LTC sector, but also to an aggregate fall in unemployment and an increase in the labor force participation. Quantitatively, a 10 percentage point increase in the share of insured LTC patients led to 4 more nursing home workers per 1, 000 individuals age 65 and older (12% increase). Wages did not rise in the LTC sector or other sectors of the economy. The quality of newly hired nursing home workers declined, but this had no negative effect on old-age life expectancy. Overall, the insurance expansion brought lower-skilled workers into new jobs rather than reallocating workers away from other productive sectors. Our marginal value of public funds (MVPF) analysis suggests that the reform paid for itself when taking the positive fiscal externalities in the labor market into account. To understand which market primitives underpin our findings and to inform the external validity of our results, we develop and estimate a general model of labor markets with product-market subsidies in the presence of wedges, such as income taxes. Our model simulations show that the aggregate welfare effects of insurance expansions are theoretically ambiguous and depend centrally on the magnitude of frictions in input markets. |
| JEL: | D58 H0 H51 I0 I13 I31 I38 J08 J14 J23 J64 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33429 |
| By: | Pham, Thi Trang (RS: GSBE other - not theme-related research, Mt Economic Research Inst on Innov/Techn); Wong, Pui Hang (Maastricht Graduate School of Governance, RS: GSBE MGSoG, RS: UNU-MERIT Theme 3, RS: UNU-MERIT Theme 4) |
| Abstract: | This paper provides one of the first robust evidence on the impact of internet access on adolescents’ well-being and mental health in a low-income country context. We find reduced subjective well-being and increased measures of mental health disorders among young people in Ethiopia during 2020-2021 following internet diffusion. Our heterogeneity analysis reveals that the effects of internet access on mental health are unequal, with stronger negative impacts for adolescents from lower-wealth households. The mechanism analysis suggests that passive internet use, particularly among youth from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, might drive these negative outcomes. To address potential endogeneity, we employ instrumental variable techniques combined with fixed effects. The instrument is relevant based on network effect arguments and reasonably exogenous conditional on control variables and fixed effects. Our results offer policy implications regarding internet access and youth human capital development in the digital age and highlight the significance of social causes in shaping mental health. |
| JEL: | I14 O33 J13 |
| Date: | 2025–02–18 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unm:unumer:2025007 |
| By: | Elena Bassoli (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement) |
| Abstract: | The role of gender norms in determining women's and men's health has been largely overlooked by the economic discipline. This paper is among the first to evaluate the role of social norms on health disparities, a topic that has received limited attention. By combining two European cross-country data sources, I propose a novel approach to measuring gender norms and identifying the causal effect of changes in social norms on individuals' health. I exploit the European Value Study (EVS) and build time-varying measures of gender norms in the family and the work domains at the country-year level. These measures are then linked with the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) data, which is representative at the older population in Europe. I set up an OLS model, including individuals and time-fixed effects, and investigate the role of norms on health status. I show that stronger traditional gender norms in the family increase women's depression. I also find that more gendered norms at work decrease women's reporting of poor health. I disentangle some potential mechanisms to test the precise channel by which the type of norm leads to the selected outcomes: financial difficulties, smoking and drinking are among the most critical drivers. Given that reducing gender health inequalities is crucial for fostering an equitable society, targeting neutral gender norms remains a crucial goal of public policies |
| Keywords: | Health, Health inequalities, Mental Health, EVS, SHARE |
| Date: | 2024–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:psewpa:halshs-04655501 |
| By: | Cylus, J; Siciliani, L |
| Abstract: | While there is considerable research and policy interest into how factors outside the health system (i.e. social determinants) influence health outcomes, there has historically been less interest in how health and health systems affect other economic and societal objectives. Such evidence can be useful to health policymakers making the case for investing in health systems to demonstrate that health systems do more than just improve health. The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies has put together a special issue of the journal Health Policy to explore the evidence on how health and health systems advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provides a helpful conceptual framework for considering economic and societal objectives. The articles each consider a particular SDG and review relevant literature with an emphasis on causal studies to explore the ways in which health and health systems have causal effects on key societal objectives such as poverty reduction, gender equality, climate change, and responsible consumption. In this presentation we will provide a summary of the findings from the special issue, highlighting areas with the strongest (and weakest) evidence and discuss how this work can be factored into budget negotiations and decisions about resource allocation. |
| JEL: | R14 J01 |
| Date: | 2024–10–28 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:127119 |
| By: | Costa-Font, Joan; Vilaplana-Prieto, Cristina |
| Abstract: | The hidden value of adult informal care (IC) refers to the unaccounted value of informal care in overall costs of long‐term care(LTC) estimates. This paper estimates the net value of adult IC in Europe, drawing on a well‐being‐based methodology. We use an instrumental variable strategy and a longitudinal and cross‐country dataset to estimate the causal effect of the extensive and intensive margin of caregiving on subjective well‐being. We estimate the so‐called compensating surplus (CS), namely the income equivalent transfer, to compensate for the net disutility of caregiving. We show that IC reduces average subjective well‐being by about 1% compared to the mean (6% among co‐residential caregivers). Relative to a country's Gross Domestic Product(GDP), the value of IC ranges between 4.2% in France and 0.85% in Germany. Such relative value declines as the country's share of formal LTC spending increases. These results call for a reconsideration of the existing classifications of LTC regimes. We estimate that the average CS per hour for IC is 9.55€, with a range from 22€ per hour in Switzerland to 5€ per hour in Spain.Additionally, we estimate that the long‐term CS (estimated using an individual’s permanent income) tends to be lower than short‐term CS (estimated using an individual’s current income). |
| Keywords: | caregiving; compensating surplus; daughters; informal care; life satisfaction; the value of time; wellbeing method |
| JEL: | I18 J17 J18 |
| Date: | 2025–01–29 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:126347 |
| By: | Silvia H. Barcellos; Leandro Carvalho; Kenneth Langa; Sneha Nimmagadda; Patrick Turley |
| Abstract: | There is little causal evidence on factors that can protect individuals against Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) risk. We study the causal effect of education on ADRD, exploiting a regression discontinuity generated by a compulsory schooling reform. ADRD was ascertained based on medical history, hospital records, and death registries, addressing concerns about selective sample attrition. We find that education reduces incidence of ADRD and may delay its onset. Using molecular genetic data, we show that the reform weakened the relationship between genetics and ADRD incidence, implying this genetic risk is not immutable and can be modified by social policy. |
| JEL: | I1 I2 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33430 |
| By: | Mélanie Gittard (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, CIRED - Centre International de Recherche sur l'Environnement et le Développement - Cirad - Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AgroParisTech - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Irène Hu (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement) |
| Abstract: | In the midst of Africa's mining boom, communities downstream from industrial mines face increased exposure to toxic waste. Yet, the effects of induced water pollution on the local population's health have not been quantified at the continental scale of Africa, due to data limitation and non-random exposure. This paper investigates this question using a new quasi-experimental design and a novel dataset detailing the location and opening dates of all known industrial mines, obtained through intensive manual data collection. We combine geo-coded information on 2, 016 industrial mines with health outcomes from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) from 1986 to 2018 in 26 African countries. Through a staggered difference-in-difference strategy, we compare villages downstream and upstream of mines before and after their opening and find a 25% increase in 24-month mortality rates downstream. The effect is mainly observed among children who were no longer breastfed, confirming that water pollution drives the results. Our analysis rules out other mechanisms like fertility changes, access to facilities, in-migration, conflicts and income effects. The impact intensifies during mine operation and high international mineral prices, is higher in densely mined regions, and fades out with distance. From a public policy perspective, this paper underscores the significant local costs of mine openings on the environment and the health of the surrounding populations. |
| Keywords: | Health, Water Pollution, Natural Resource, Environmental Degradation, Africa, Industrial Mining |
| Date: | 2024–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:psewpa:halshs-04685390 |
| By: | Jianhua Xu (Peking University [Beijing]); Shiwei Fan (Central University of Finance and Economics [Beijing]); Jiakun Zheng (AMSE - Aix-Marseille Sciences Economiques - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - ECM - École Centrale de Marseille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) |
| Abstract: | Lack of high-quality value per statistical life (VSL) studies in low- and middle-income countries have been recognized by scholars and analysts in the benefit-cost analysis field for decades. However, progress has been slow in addressing it. We estimated VSL in China using a stated-preference survey in the context of reducing mortality risks associated with COVID-19. The survey was administered in seven cities across China in 2022 with a purposive sampling approach, and consistency checks at different levels of stringency regarding willingness to pay (WTP) for mortality risk reductions of different magnitudes were used to screen respondents. The estimated VSL ranges from 8.0 million to 10.3 million Chinese Yuan, which is higher than previous estimates. Also previous studies found much higher VSL estimates from a subsample obtained with more stringent consistency check requiring that WTP be approximately proportional to the magnitude of mortality risk reduction, we did not find such a difference with our dataset. In addition, based on our anlaysis, respondents in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have higher VSL than those in second-tier cities such as Changchun, Chengdu, Wuhan and Xi'an; the VSL-age relationship shows a U-shaped pattern; and the collective experience of city lockdown has a negative impact on VSL. Other factors which were found to influence VSL include education, sector of work, health status, risk perception, behaviors (physical exercises, wearing face masks, getting vaccinated), knowledge, political identity, and trust in government. |
| Keywords: | Willingness to pay, Mortality risk reductions, Value per statistical life VSL, Value per statistical life, vsl, COVID-19 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04909840 |
| By: | Salvatore Barbaro (Johannes-Gutenberg University, Germany); Reyn van Ewijk (Johannes-Gutenberg University, Germany); Julia M. Rode (Deutsche Bundesbank, Germany) |
| Abstract: | The COVID-19 pandemic presented governments with unprecedented challenges, requiring decisions that balanced public health measures against substantial social and economic impacts. This study examines the strategic and opportunistic behaviors of regional officials in Germany during the pandemic. Using a comprehensive empirical analysis based on hundreds of statements from state incumbents, we shed light on the dynamics of state level political behavior. Our findings reveal that German regional leaders emphasized their autonomy when performance metrics were favorable but strategically shifted responsibility when outcomes were less favorable. This behavior underscores the dual potential of federal systems as both laboratories of democracy and breeding grounds for responsibility-avoiding (opportunistic) behavior. |
| Date: | 2025–02–13 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:jgu:wpaper:2503 |
| By: | David G. Blanchflower |
| Abstract: | I find evidence from 167/193 UN member countries that the young have lower levels of well-being than older age groups, using self-reported data collected on the internet from the Global Minds internet-based surveys of 2020-2024 using their MHQ measure. We found that the evidence on the mental health of the young was different when self-reported, internet-based responses were used compared with those obtained via an interviewer, either face-to-face or via the telephone. Our analysis of the United States using 14 surveys taken using all three methods always found the young had the lowest well-being of any age group. The evidence for relatively low youth well-being on we collected using four major European surveys was stronger in internet-based surveys and when negative affect variables rather than life satisfaction and happiness were used. The young were significantly more lonely and more unhappy than all other age group, in 26/27 EU member countries in the internet-based EU Loneliness Survey of 2022. We also examined the Global Flourishing survey of 2022-2024 across 22 countries that used both telephone and web-based surveys and the results showed rising well-being in age, in the internet surveys and declining well-being in age in the telephone surveys. Mode of survey and question used matters. The young are experiencing a mental health crisis globally picked up especially in self-reports. This is new. |
| JEL: | I31 I38 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33415 |
| By: | Andrew E Clark (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Rong Zhu (Flinders University [Adelaide, Australia], IZA - Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit - Institute of Labor Economics) |
| Abstract: | We use nationally representative panel data from Australia to consider the impact of retirement on individual locus of control, a socio-emotional skill that has substantial explanatory power for a broad range of life outcomes. We establish causality via cohort-specific eligibility age for the Australian Age Pension. We show that retirement leads to increased internal locus of control. This greater sense of internal control can explain around one-third and one-fifth of the positive effects of retirement on health and subjective well-being, respectively. The impact of retirement on control beliefs varies along the distribution of locus of control, with the positive influence being most pronounced for men with a relatively high sense of internal control and for women with a relatively high sense of external control. Last, we provide evidence that locus of control is much more malleable at retirement than the other socio-emotional skills of the Big-Five personality traits, risk and time preferences, and trust. |
| Keywords: | Retirement, Locus of control, Socio-emotional skills, Public pensions |
| Date: | 2023–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:psewpa:halshs-04335808 |
| By: | Claudia Soucek (Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf - Institute for Health Services Research and Health Economics, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany); Tommaso Reggiani (Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia; IZA, Bonn, Germany); Nadja Kairies-Schwarz (Heinrich-Heine-University Duesseldorf - Institute for Health Services Research and Health Economics, Moorenstr. 5, 40225 Duesseldorf, Germany) |
| Abstract: | Background. In hospitals, decisions are often made under time pressure. There is, however, little evidence on how time pressure affects the quality of treatment and the documentation behavior of physicians. Setting. We implemented a controlled laboratory experiment with a healthcare framing in which international medical students in the Czech Republic treated patients in the role of hospital physicians. We varied the presence of time pressure and a documentation task. Results. We observed worse treatment quality when individuals were faced with a combination of a documentation task and time pressure. In line with the concept of the speed-accuracy trade-off, we showed that quality changes are likely driven by less accuracy. Finally, we showed that while documentation quality was relatively high overall, time pressure significantly lowered the latter leading to a higher hypothetical profit loss for the hospital. Conclusions. Our results suggest that policy reforms aimed at increasing staffing and promoting novel technologies that facilitate physicians' treatment decisions and support their documentation work in the hospital sector might be promising means of improving the treatment quality and reducing inefficiencies potentially caused by documentation errors. |
| Keywords: | physician incentives; work motivation; time pressure; laboratory experiment |
| JEL: | C91 I11 M50 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mub:wpaper:2025-01 |
| By: | Shan Huang; Jing Li; Anirban Basu |
| Abstract: | Altruism is a key component of medical professionalism that underlies the physician's role as a representative agent for patients. However, physician behavior can be influenced when private gains enter the objective function. We study the relationship between altruism and physicians' receipt of financial benefits from pharmaceutical manufacturers, as well as the extent to which altruism mitigates physicians' responsiveness to these industry payments. We link data on altruistic preferences for 280 physicians, identified using a revealed preference economic experiment, with administrative information on their receipt of financial transfers from pharmaceutical firms along with drug prescription claims data. Non-altruistic physicians receive industry transfers that are on average 2, 184 USD or 254% higher than altruistic physicians. While industry transfers lead to higher drug spending and prescribing on paid drugs, these relationships are entirely driven by non-altruistic physicians. Our results indicate that altruism is an important determinant of physicians’ relationships with and responses to industry benefits. |
| JEL: | C91 D64 D84 I11 I14 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33439 |
| By: | Hippolyte d'Albis (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Emmanuelle Augeraud-Véron (BSE - Bordeaux sciences économiques - UB - Université de Bordeaux - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Dramane Coulibaly (GATE Lyon Saint-Étienne - Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon - Saint-Etienne - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - UJM - Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne - EM - EMLyon Business School - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Rodolphe Desbordes (SKEMA Business School - SKEMA Business School) |
| Abstract: | This paper disentangles the relationship between COVID-19 propagation and mobility. In a theoretical model allowing mobility to be endogenously determined by the COVID-19 prevalence rate, we show that an exogenous epidemic shock has an immediate effect on mobility whereas an exogenous mobility shock influences epidemic variables with a delay. In the long run, exogenous disease contagiousness and mobility jointly shape epidemiological outcomes. The short-run theoretical result allows us to recover, empirically, the causal impacts of mobility and COVID-19 hospitalisations on each other in France. We find that hospitalisations are highly sensitive to mobility whereas mobility is little influenced by hospitalisations. In France, it seems therefore that voluntary social distancing would not have been effective to control the epidemic, in the absence of social distancing mandates. |
| Keywords: | COVID-19, Epidemic models, Mobility |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-04331269 |
| By: | Alberto Prati (UCL - University College of London [London], LSE - London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Oxford); Claudia Senik (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, SU - Sorbonne Université) |
| Abstract: | We revisit the Easterlin paradox about the flatness of the happiness trend over the long run, in spite of sustained economic development. With a bounded scale that explicitly refers to "the best possible life for you" and "the worst possible life for you", is it even possible to observe a rising trend in self-declared life satisfaction? We consider the possibility of rescaling, i.e. that the interpretation of the scale changes with the context in which respondents are placed. We propose a simple model of rescaling and reconstruct an index of latent happiness on the basis of retrospective reports included in unexploited archival data from the USA. We show that national well-being has substantially increased from the 1950s to the early 2000s, on par with GDP, health, education, and liberal democracy. We validate our new index on several datasets, and find that it captures important changes in personal life circumstances over and above nominal life satisfaction. Our model sheds light on several well-documented happiness puzzles, including why life satisfaction did not drop during the COVID-19 pandemic, why Ukrainians report similar levels of life satisfaction today as before the war, and why people take life-changing decisions -like having kids -that seem to make them less happy. |
| Keywords: | Gallup, SOEP, Happiness, Life Satisfaction, Subjective Well-Being, Easterlin Paradox, Cantril Ladder, Rescaling |
| Date: | 2024–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:psewpa:halshs-04850502 |
| By: | Erica Ordali; Chiara Rapallini |
| Abstract: | Decades of research have assumed the stability of risk preferences across domains and ages. However, recent evidence has shown that it might not be the case since variations in the level of risks taken are, in fact, observable. Economics and Psychology literature investigated such issues, providing mixed evidence regarding age changes. This paper provides the first exhaustive meta-analytical review of the economic and psychology literature results regarding the association between aging and financial risk attitudes. We find differences in the effect mainly due to the methods used for measuring risk preferences. In particular, we find that the positive association between risk aversion and age is verified for survey data and lotteries, while psychological tasks underline the role played by the learning process and, ultimately, that cognitive abilities and health status may affect preferences. The meta-regression on effect sizes derived from studies based on surveys shows that cognitive abilities and healthstatus explain a significant part of the heterogeneity of this sample of studies. |
| Keywords: | Ageing, financial risk-taking, meta-analysis, survey data, lottery, task |
| JEL: | J1 D91 D81 D01 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:frz:wpaper:wp2024_27.rdf |
| By: | Ayllón, Sara (Universitat de Girona); Kirkpatrick, Linda (Auckland University of Technology); Plum, Alexander T. (Auckland University of Technology) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates how a change in marital status can influence labour market-related child penalties, by comparing married couples and those whose marriage is dissolved after the birth of their first child. We take advantage of the rich administrative data from New Zealand and show that child penalties vary greatly by civil status: whereas the employment penalty for married mothers is 32%, for mothers who get divorced within seven years of giving birth, it is about 5% and indistinguishable from that facing fathers. The same is true of earnings, indicating that divorced mothers have a much stronger attachment to the labour market than do married mothers. Our section on mechanisms points to differences in economic need as the driver behind the discrepancy in child penalties by marital status. |
| Keywords: | child penalty, labour market, marital dissolution, event-study estimates, New Zealand |
| JEL: | J13 J16 J22 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17658 |
| By: | Hartley, Robert Paul (Columbia University); Lamarche, Carlos (University of Kentucky); Ziliak, James P. (University of Kentucky) |
| Abstract: | We investigate how length of time on welfare during childhood affects economic outcomes in early adulthood. Using intergenerationally linked mother-child pairs from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we adopt a nonlinear difference-in-differences framework using the 1990s welfare reform to estimate average and quantile treatment effects on intensity of welfare use and earnings in adulthood. The causal estimates indicate that additional childhood welfare exposure leads to more adulthood years on the broader safety net for both daughters and sons, yet this positive relationship only applies below moderate levels of adult welfare participation and reverses at greater levels of dependence. Increasing childhood welfare exposure implies lower earnings in adulthood for daughters, however we find no evidence that it depresses adult sons’ earnings. Both daughters and sons exhibit some wage penalty from childhood welfare exposure, yet only daughters are penalized through hours worked in the labor market. |
| Keywords: | intergenerational welfare, nonlinear difference-in-differences, quantile correlations, quantile treatment effects |
| JEL: | I38 J62 H53 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17650 |
| By: | Marcén, Miriam; Morales, Marina |
| Abstract: | This study provides a thorough examination of the evolving gender gap in time allocated to housework in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. With data from the American Time Use Survey (2015-2022), our findings reveal a significant trend towards greater equality in the allocation of household tasks among couples, extending beyond the initial stages of COVID-19. Although the immediate response post-pandemic was not substantial, the subsequent period witnessed a sizable decrease of 16 minutes, representing 57% of the pre-pandemic gender gap related to housework time. Our research demonstrates an increase in men's domestic contributions, particularly in tasks related to interior cleaning. The pandemic's impact on housework time varied across personal characteristics, with younger individuals without a college degree and those without school-aged children making significant strides in closing the gender gap. Further results show that parents maintained a similar share of childcare responsibilities as before the pandemic, which may suggest that mothers mistrust fathers' ability to provide the same standard of care. This is also reflected by the fact that men have increased their participation in housework with their partner present. A supplementary analysis highlights the intensity of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) as a potential mechanism for changing gender roles. We show a more significant closure of the gender gap in household labor in areas with more intense NPIs. Our study presents suggestive evidence indicating that the ability to telework is also reducing the gender gap in domestic labor among couples. |
| Keywords: | COVID-19, housework, gender, American Time Use Survey (ATUS) |
| JEL: | D13 J16 J22 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1563 |
| By: | Drydakis, Nick (Anglia Ruskin University) |
| Abstract: | This study aims to evaluate whether key factors related to homelessness and the utilisation of support services by homeless youth are associated with their employment outcomes. Data from 402 young people living in 21 housing accommodation buildings across three urban cities in England are used to evaluate the study's research aims. The results revealed that non-native and non-heterosexual homeless youth were overrepresented in housing accommodation and experienced lower employment rates compared to native and heterosexual homeless youth. The estimates indicated that employment levels among homeless youth were negatively associated with several factors related to homelessness, such as parental neglect, substance misuse, and inadequate social care during childhood. Conversely, the estimates showed that both employment levels and the duration of employment among homeless youth were positively associated with the use of well-being, educational, mentoring, and employment support services. A critical insight, however, indicated that discrimination in the labour market reduced their employment prospects. This study contributes to the literature by expanding the application of Capability Theory in the multidimensional study of youth homelessness. Furthermore, it develops and validates two new scales to capture both factors of youth homelessness and the utilisation of support services by homeless youth, facilitating evidence-based recommendations for policymakers. A policy approach should recognise the multifaceted nature of the challenges identified and advocate for a comprehensive strategy that integrates preventative measures, support services, and targeted interventions to address the root causes of homelessness while providing holistic support to vulnerable youth populations. |
| Keywords: | Capability Theory, employment, homeless youth, support services, homelessness |
| JEL: | E24 J21 J64 I3 M53 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17660 |