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on Health Economics |
| By: | Chaufan, Claudia (York University); Hemsing, Natalie |
| Abstract: | As the COVID-19 global vaccination campaign was launched in December of 2020, vaccination became mandatory for many healthcare workers (HCWs) worldwide. Large minorities resisted the policy, and the responses of authorities to this resistance led to damaged professional reputations, job losses, and suspension or termination of practice licenses. The joint effect of dismissals, early retirements, career changes, and vaccine injuries disabling some compliant HCWs from adequate performance, has exacerbated existing crises within health systems. Nevertheless, the position of leading health authorities has been that the benefits of a fully vaccinated healthcare labour force - protecting health systems, vulnerable patient populations, and even HCWs themselves – achieved through mandates, if necessary, outweigh its potential harms. Informed by critical policy and discourse traditions, we examine the expert literature on vaccine mandates for HCWs. We find that this literature neglects evidence countering claims about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, dismisses the science supporting the contextual nature of microbial virulence, miscalculates patient and system-level harms of vaccination policies, and ignores or legitimizes the coercive elements built into their design. We discuss the implications of our findings for the sustainability of health systems, for patient care, and for the well-being of HCWs, and suggest directions for ethical clinical and policy practice. (Update: Published in AIMS Public Health https://www.aimspress.com/article/doi/10 .3934/publichealth.2024035) |
| Date: | 2024–03–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:z7usq_v1 |
| By: | Jason Fletcher; Katie Jajtner; Jinho Kim |
| Abstract: | Objective: Building on the hypothesis that early-life exposures might influence the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (ADRD), this study delves into geographic variations in ADRD mortality in the US. By considering both state of residence and state of birth, we aim to discern the comparative significance of these geospatial factors. Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of the National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS), that has 3.5 million records from 1973-2011 and over 0.5 million deaths. We focused on individuals born in or before 1930, tracked in NLMS cohorts from 1979-2000. Employing multi-level logistic regression, with individuals nested within states of residence and/or states of birth, we assessed the role of geographical factors in ADRD mortality variation. Results: We found that both state of birth and state of residence account for a modest portion of ADRD mortality variation. Specifically, state of residence explains 1.19% of the total variation in ADRD mortality, whereas state of birth explains only 0.6%. When combined, both state of residence and state of birth account for only 1.05% of the variation, suggesting state of residence could matter more in ADRD mortality outcomes. Conclusion: Findings of this study suggest that state of residence explains more variation in ADRD mortality than state of birth. These results indicate that factors in later life may present more impactful intervention points for curbing ADRD mortality. While early-life environmental exposures remain relevant, their role as primary determinants of ADRD in later life appears to be less pronounced in this study. |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cen:wpaper:25-11 |
| By: | Coen van de Kraats (Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tinbergen Institute); Titus Galama (University of Southern California, Center for Economic and Social Research and Department of Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tinbergen Institute); Maarten Lindeboom (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Centre for Health Economics, Monash University, Tinbergen Institute and IZA); Zichen Deng (School of Economics, University of Amsterdam; FAIR Centre) |
| Abstract: | We provide evidence that the social norm (expectation) that adults work has a substantial detrimental causal effect on the mental well-being of unemployed men in mid-life, as substantial as, e.g., the detriment of being widowed. As their peers in age retire and the social norm weakens, the mental well-being of the unemployed improves. Using data on individuals aged 50+ from 10 European countries, we identify the social norm of work effect using exogenous variation in the earliest eligibility age for old-age public pensions across countries and birth cohorts. |
| Keywords: | mental well-being, social norm of work, retirement institutions |
| JEL: | I10 I31 J60 D63 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mhe:chemon:2025-04 |
| By: | Arntz, Melanie; Findeisen, Sebastian; Maurer, Stephan; Schlenker, Oliver |
| Abstract: | This study quantifies the relationship between workplace digitalization, i.e., the increasing use of frontier technologies, and workers' health outcomes using novel and representative German linked employer-employee data. Based on changes in individual-level use of technologies between 2011 and 2019, we find that digitalization induces similar shifts into more complex and service-oriented tasks across all workers but exacerbates health inequality between cognitive and manual workers. Unlike more mature, computer-based technologies, frontier technologies of the recent technology wave substantially lower manual workers' subjective health and increase sick leave, while leaving cognitive workers unaffected. We provide evidence that the effects are mitigated in firms that provide training and assistance in the adjustment process for workers. |
| Keywords: | health; inequality; technology; machines; automation; tasks; capital-labor substitution |
| JEL: | J21 J23 J24 O33 |
| Date: | 2024–03–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:126827 |
| By: | Eriksson, Mathilda; del Valle, Alejandro; De La Fuente, Alejandro |
| Abstract: | This paper studies how air quality around combustion power plants changes in response to hydrological droughts that affect hydropower generation. Using fixed-effect and post-double selection methods, the paper analyzes a unique plant-level panel of fine particulate matter concentrations and meteorological conditions spanning 20 years at monthly frequency. The findings show that, on average, hydrological droughts lead to 0.83 micrograms per cubic meter excess fine particulate matter, equivalent to a 5.3 percent increase from non-drought conditions. Counterfactual simulations for the region indicate that this excess fine particulate matter may have resulted in up to 10, 000 premature deaths annually. Combining the estimates with climate, demographic, and policy projections, the paper also shows that this health burden will likely persist over the next four decades. |
| Date: | 2024–05–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10760 |
| By: | Judite Goncalves; Joao Rocha-Gomes; Mario Amorim-Lopes; Pedro S. Martins |
| Abstract: | Women appear to take sick leave at a higher rate and for longer periods than men. However, the reasons for these differences are poorly understood. This study starts by outlining several channels (biological, psychological, socio-economic, and occupational) that may drive this gender gap. We then analyse rich individual longitudinal administrative data on employment and sickness benefits. We consider the case of Portugal, where sickness benefits are relatively generous, in contrast to other potentially related social support (such as childcare). We find that women’s adjusted monthly odds of receiving sickness benefits are 1.66 times those of men. This ratio falls to 1.37 when considering only hospitalisation-initiated sickness benefits, which may be driven exclusively by health factors. Overall, our results suggest that biological factors, as well as work-related hazards and stressors, play a large role in the gender gap in sickness benefits; yet behavioural and socioeconomic factors are non-negligible. For example, more women may use sickness benefits to accommodate caregiving responsibilities, and more men may forgo statutory sick leave to provide for their family. Our findings underscore the importance of more evidence for the enhancement of health and equity at work. Improved social and workplace policies to mitigate the double burden of work and family responsibilities, laying mostly on (poorer) women, may be needed, also to increase fair use of sickness benefits. |
| Keywords: | Sick leave, Gender inequality, Hospitalisation, Diagnosis, Caregiving responsibilities |
| JEL: | I18 H55 J28 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:unl:unlfep:wp661 |
| By: | Julia Mink |
| Abstract: | I estimate the causal impact of short-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ground-level ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM) on healthcare costs in France. I construct a large-scale dataset by linking administrative healthcare expenditures for a nationally representative sample with high-resolution air pollution and meteorological data. To address endogeneity concerns related to economic activity, I implement an instrumental variable (IV) strategy that exploits weekly variations in altitude atmospheric conditions—such as thermal inversions, wind speed, and the height of the planetary boundary layer—that predict local pollutant concentrations yet are unlikely to affect healthcare utilization except through pollution. My findings reveal that air pollution, even at concentrations below current European air quality standards, imposes annual healthcare costs that exceed earlier estimates by a factor of ten. Heterogeneity analyses show that pollution affects multiple medical specialties, including cardiology, pulmonology, and ophthalmology, while placebo specialties, such as trauma surgery, exhibit no significant effects. Contrary to prior work focusing on children and the elderly, I find that adverse health outcomes extend across all age groups, demonstrating broader population vulnerability. Moreover, marginal effects prove larger at lower pollution levels, implying a concave doseresponse function that underscores the potential for substantial cost savings from even modest pollution abatement in relatively clean areas. These results suggest that earlier cost-benefit analyses likely undervalue the societal gains from stricter environmental regulation. |
| Keywords: | Air pollution, healthcare cost, instrumental variables |
| JEL: | Q51 Q53 I12 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2025_650 |
| By: | Julie Moschion (University of Queensland; ARC Centre of Excellence for Children and Families over the Life Course; IZA); Jan C. van Ours (Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tinbergen Institute; CEPR; IZA; Centre for Health Economics, Monash University) |
| Abstract: | Using a sample of Australians who display high rates of early school-leaving, we compare the trajectories of respondents who left school at each incremental age between 14 and 17 with respondents who left at 18 years old or more, in terms of homelessness, incarceration, substance use and mental health issues. Leveraging recent methodological advances, we estimate a staggered difference-in-difference to: eliminate biases arising from reverse causality or unobserved time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity and account for heterogenous treatment effects across cohorts and time. Results indicate that leaving school before age 18 increases males’ likelihood of experiencing homeless, being incarcerated, using cannabis daily and illegal street drugs weekly several years after school-leaving. In contrast, for females the difference-in-difference strategy eliminates the correlations between school-leaving age and their outcomes, providing some support for a causal interpretation of our findings. To minimise concerns that gender specific time-varying unobserved heterogeneity may be driving our results, we also show that while the occurrence and timing of parental separation and other adverse behaviours coincide with early school-leaving, our results are robust to accounting for these. Taken together, our findings suggest that preventing early school-leaving can help disadvantaged youth break cycles of multi-dimensional disadvantage. |
| Keywords: | Education, Homelessness, Substance use, Incarceration, Mental health |
| JEL: | C23 I12 I24 I32 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mhe:chemon:2025-02 |
| By: | Jan C. van Ours (Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tinbergen Institute, The Netherlands; CEPR; Centre for Health Economics, Monash Business School) |
| Abstract: | Around 50 years ago, the Netherlands decriminalized cannabis for recreational use. This paper uses retrospective data on the ages at which individuals began and ceased cannabis use to reconstruct its prevalence in Amsterdam during the period surrounding the policy change. This approach enables a detailed analysis of the policy’s effects. The main conclusion is that the introduction of this policy did not lead to an increase in the prevalence of cannabis use. |
| Keywords: | cannabis use, cannabis policy, age of onset |
| JEL: | I12 I18 K42 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mhe:chemon:2025-03 |
| By: | Kabir Dasgupta; Keisha T. Solomon |
| Abstract: | The Medicaid continuous enrollment provision, which ensured uninterrupted coverage for beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic, was ended in March 2023. This unwinding process has led to large-scale Medicaid disenrollments, as states resumed their standard renewal process to evaluate enrolled individuals' eligibility status. Our analysis investigates whether resumption of states' renewal process has led to an increase in the risk of becoming uninsured for adults aged under 65 and affected their household economic well-being. Using state-month variation in the timing of the first round of disenrollments, we first document a 6-12 percent decline in total Medicaid enrollments after states resumed their renewal process. Next, based on nationally representative samples of adults younger than age 65, we do not find statistically relevant effects on the probability of being without any health coverage. However, looking at different demographic groups, we see a one percentage point increase in the likelihood of becoming uninsured for adults who have a college education but do not have a bachelor's or higher degree. |
| Keywords: | Continuous enrollment provision; COVID-19 pandemic; Medicaid; Health insurance; Policy analysis |
| JEL: | I13 I18 I31 |
| Date: | 2025–02–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedgfe:2025-08 |
| By: | Costa-Font, Joan; Cowell, Frank |
| Abstract: | This paper examines a behavioural explanation for the Brexit referendum result, namely the role of an individual’s inequality aversion (IA). We study whether the referendum result was an “unconsidered Leave” out of people’s low aversion to inequality. We use a representative sample of the UK population fielded in 2017, and analyse the extent to which lottery-based individual IA estimates predict their Brexit vote. We consider alternative potential drivers of IA in both income and health domains; these include risk aversion, alongside socio-economic and demographic characteristics. A greater aversion to income inequality predicts a lower probability of voting for Leave, even when controlling for risk aversion and other drivers of the Brexit vote. However, this effect is only true among men, for whom an increase in income IA by one standard deviation decreases their likelihood of voting for leaving the EU by 5 percentage points which would have reduced the probability of a leave vote, resulting in an overall remain majority in our sample. However, the effect of health inequality aversion is not significantly different from zero. |
| Keywords: | Brexit; inequality aversion; income inequality aversion; health inequality aversion; imaginary grandchild; risk aversion; locus of control |
| JEL: | H10 I18 |
| Date: | 2025–01–31 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:126923 |
| By: | Boulhane, Othmane; Boxho, Claire Elise; Kanga, Désiré; Koussoube, Mousson Estelle Jamel; Rouanet, Lea Marie |
| Abstract: | This study uses a cluster-randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of a large-scale women and girls empowerment program on sexual and reproductive health and empowerment outcomes in Côte d’Ivoire. The study assesses and compares the impact of diverse strategies aimed at equipping girls with life skills and sexual and reproductive health knowledge, provided through well-established safe spaces, in isolation or in combination with livelihood support interventions, or with initiatives designed to engage boys and men and community and religious leaders. The findings show that one year after the end of the interventions, safe spaces alone have a moderate impact on girls’ empowerment, while safe spaces combined with husbands’ and future husbands’ clubs are the most impactful. Combining safe spaces with livelihood support interventions leads to improvements in adolescent girls’ employment outcomes, as expected. Finally, the findings show that engaging leaders in the context of safe spaces interventions yields mixed results on girls’ empowerment. |
| Date: | 2024–03–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10721 |
| By: | Anja Sautmann; Carolina Lopez; Schaner, Simone |
| Abstract: | Can better information on the value of diagnostic tests improve adoption and help patients recognize higher quality of care? In a randomized experiment in public clinics in Mali, providers and patients received tailored information about the importance of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for malaria. The provider training increased reliance on RDTs and improved the match between a patient's malaria status and treatment with antimalarials by 15-30 percent. Nonetheless, patients were significantly less satisfied with the care they received, driven by those whose prior beliefs did not match their malaria status. The patient information intervention reduced malaria testing and did not improve treatment outcomes or patient satisfaction. These findings are consistent with highly persistent patient beliefs and distrust of the promoted diagnostic technology, which translate into low demand and limit patients' ability to recognize improved quality of care. |
| Date: | 2024–04–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10746 |
| By: | Robert D. Metcalfe; Sefi Roth |
| Abstract: | Exposure to ambient air pollution has been shown to be detrimental to human health and productivity, and has motivated many policies to reduce such pollution. However, given that humans spend 90% of their time indoors, it is important to understand the degree of exposure to Indoor Air Pollution (IAP), and, if high, ways to reduce it. We design and implement a field experiment in London that monitors households’ IAP and then randomly reveals their IAP in real-time. At baseline, we find that IAP is worse than ambient air pollution when residents are at home and that for 38% of the time, IAP is above World Health Organization standards. Additionally, we observe a large household income-IAP gradient, larger than the income-ambient pollution gradient, highlighting large income disparities in IAP exposure. During our field experiment, we find that the randomized revelation reduces IAP by 17% (1.9 μg/m³) overall and 34% (5 μg/m³) during occupancy time. We show that the mechanism is households using more natural ventilation as a result of the feedback (i.e., opening up doors and windows). Finally, in terms of welfare, we find that: (i) households have a willingness to pay of £4.8 ($6) for every 1 μg/m ³ reduction in indoor PM2.5; (ii) households have a higher willingness to pay for mitigation than for full information; (iii) households have a price elasticity of IAP monitor demand around -0.75; and (iv) a £1 subsidy for an IAP monitor or an air purifier has an infinite marginal value of public funds, i.e., a Pareto improvement. |
| JEL: | Q5 Q53 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33510 |
| By: | Hutton, Guy; Chase, Claire; Kennedy-Walker, Ruth Jane |
| Abstract: | In Sub-Saharan Africa, health care facilities face critical challenges in water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services; health care waste management; and environmental cleanliness. With coverage below 50 percent, these deficiencies pose significant health risks to patients and health care workers, contributing to health care–associated infections. Meta-analyses and individual studies estimate rates of health care–associated infections in Sub-Saharan Africa at between 13 and 30 percent of hospital admissions, impacting patients, families, and health care providers. Rising antimicrobial resistance further exacerbates health outcomes and costs. In Eastern and Southern Africa, an estimated 3.1 million health care–associated infections in 2022 incurred over 320, 000 excess deaths, costing at least US$6 billion, or 1.14 percent of combined gross domestic product in 2022. Investing in comprehensive water supply, sanitation, and hygiene and health care waste management can yield substantial benefits, with a benefit-cost ratio of 5.8 for all economic costs. Beyond preventing health care–associated infections, improved cleanliness and infrastructure are crucial for patient satisfaction, impacting future health care–seeking behavior and health care worker job satisfaction. Sub-Saharan African countries should prioritize infrastructure investment, budget allocation, staffing, and behavioral improvements to enhance the quality of health care and mitigate these pressing challenges. |
| Date: | 2024–02–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10708 |
| By: | Singh, Tejendra Pratap; Yusuff, Olanrewaju |
| Abstract: | We investigate the health impacts of Nigeria’s free maternal and child health program (FMCHP), leveraging variation in exposure to the program across births to the same mother. Results show reduced under-five mortality, with effects more pronounced in disadvantaged populations. The decline in under-five mortality is higher in areas with more healthcare services. Increased demand for preventive care likely drives improvements in under-five mortality. The FMCHP prevents a child’s death at approximately 54% of annual household expenditure. Our findings suggest that improving access to institutional healthcare during pregnancy improves maternal and child health outcomes in areas with low healthcare utilization. These conclusions are robust to various empirical checks. |
| Date: | 2025–02–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:y6wzt_v2 |
| By: | Abrigo, Michael R.M.; Lingatong, Edmar E.; Relos, Charlotte Marjorie L. |
| Abstract: | The Philippines has one of the highest school bullying rates in the world. While its nature, causes, and impacts are well-documented in the international literature, local evidence remains limited and at times conflicting. This study assesses the contribution of bullying exposure to student achievement in a large-scale international student assessment and infers its potential long-term implications. Differences in bullying exposure explain around 0.05 standard deviations of the gap in average student achievement between proficient and nonproficient students, which could potentially cost the Philippines around PHP 10–20 billion annually in foregone economic activity. Important risk factors for being the “most bullied” around the world are also documented, along with highlighting spatial disparities in bullying risks. Comments on this paper are welcome within 60 days from the date of posting. Email publications@pids.gov.ph. |
| Keywords: | school bullying;basic education;learning loss;learning achievement;small area estimate;machine learning |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:phd:dpaper:dp_2024-45 |
| By: | Kjelsrud, Anders; Kotsadam, Andreas; Rogeberg, Ole; Brodeur, Abel |
| Abstract: | Siddique et al. (2024a) report massive effects of a mobile phone-based health awareness campaign in a randomized field experiment conducted in rural Bangladesh and India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both awareness and compliance with preventive COVID-19 measures were higher when the information was received by voice call rather than text, and even higher for those receiving both. Reproducing the analyses we identify many severe issues, including that the study did not in fact randomize treatment assignment. We further find implausible response patterns in the data, undisclosed sampling criteria that negate the study motivation, and an (unreported) retreatment where some of the respondents were also included in a separate study that provided additional COVID-19 information immediately before the last data collection. |
| Keywords: | Replication, Health Awareness, COVID-19 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:i4rdps:208 |
| By: | Motta, Matt (Boston University School of Public Health); Callaghan, Timothy; Ross, Jennifer; Padmanabhan, Medini; Gargano, Lisa; Bowman, Sarah; Yokum, David Vincent (North Carolina) |
| Abstract: | In May 2023, federal regulators authorized two vaccines designed to prevent infection with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) for adults aged 60 or older. While some efforts have been made to study the prevalence of vaccine uptake thus far, few have studied this group’s intentions to vaccinate, as well as socio-demographic barriers to vaccination. In a nationally representative survey of N = 1, 200 US Adults (N = 362 aged 60+), we find that a majority of seniors (53%) intend to refuse an RSV vaccine. As of late Fall 2023, just 14% of those eligible have already received a RSV vaccine. We also present multivariate evidence that vaccine safety and efficacy attitudes, as well as previous vaccination behaviors, are associated with RSV vaccination intentions. |
| Date: | 2024–01–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:ezaur_v1 |
| By: | Díaz, Lina M.; Martínez Villarreal, Déborah; Marquez Guerra, Karina Olenka Stella; Scartascini, Carlos |
| Abstract: | Cervical cancer, primarily caused by persistent Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection, remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in developing countries. Although HPV vaccines are widely available in these regions, vaccine uptake remains persistently low. To address behavioral barriers contributing to this low demand, we evaluated the effectiveness of a behaviorally informed SMS campaign targeting parents in Cali, Colombia. Our study included 15, 231 parents, who were randomized into six groups: control, placebo, and four behaviorally informed treatment groups, forming a large-scale study of text-based nudges. Participants received tailored messages over eight weeks. The intervention yielded significant increases in vaccination rates, with improvements ranging from 34% to 55%. Furthermore, the economic analysis demonstrated that the intervention generated between USD 3.6 and USD 5.75 in economic benefits for every dollar spent, primarily due to prevented deaths. These findings underscore the potential of behavioral interventions in enhancing HPV vaccination rates among parents and emphasize the cost-effectiveness and relative success of each intervention strategy. This study provides actionable insights for public health officials to design targeted strategies that address vaccination disparities and promote preventive healthcare practices. |
| Keywords: | HPV Vaccine |
| JEL: | D01 I12 |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idb:brikps:13990 |
| By: | Brodeur, Abel; Fiala, Lenka; Fitzgerald, Jack; Kujansuu, Essi; Valenta, David; Rogeberg, Ole; Bensch, Gunther |
| Abstract: | Vlassopoulos et al. (2024) find that after providing two hours of telephone counseling over three months, a sample of Bangladeshi women saw significant reductions in stress and depression after ten months. We find three anomalies. First, estimates are almost entirely driven by reverse-scored survey items, which are handled inconsistently both in the code and in the field. Second, participants in this experiment are reused from multiple prior experiments conducted by the paper's authors, and estimates are extremely sensitive to the experiment from which participants originate. Finally, inconsistencies and irregularities in raw survey files raise doubts about the data. |
| Keywords: | Reproduction, Replication, Mental health, COVID-19 pandemic |
| JEL: | B41 C12 I12 I18 J16 O12 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:i4rdps:207 |
| By: | Beegle, Kathleen G.; Demombynes, Gabriel; De Walque, Damien B. C. M.; Gubbins, Paul Michael; Veillard, Jeremy Henri Maurice |
| Abstract: | Men die at higher rates in nearly all places and at all ages beyond age 45. Using World Health Organization excess mortality estimates by sex and age groups for 75 countries in 2020 and 62 countries in 2021, this paper analyzes how patterns of excess mortality varied by sex and age groups across countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and their association with country income level. In 2020, the pandemic amplified the gender mortality gap for the world, but with variation across countries and by country income level. In high-income countries, rates of excess mortality were much higher for men than women. In contrast, in middle-income countries, the sex ratio of excess mortality was similar to the sex ratio of expected all-cause mortality. The exacerbation of the sex ratio of excess mortality observed in 2020 in high-income countries declined in 2021, likely as a result of the faster rollout of vaccination against COVID-19. |
| Date: | 2024–04–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10750 |
| By: | Decerf, Benoit Marie A; Friedman, Jed; Galego Mendes, Arthur; Pennings, Steven Michael; Yonzan, Nishant |
| Abstract: | This study compares the magnitude of national level losses that the COVID-19 pandemic inflicted across three critical dimensions: loss of life, loss of income, and loss of learning. The well-being consequences of excess mortality are expressed in years of life lost, while those of income losses and school closures are expressed in additional years spent in poverty (measured by national poverty lines), either currently or in the future. While 2020–21 witnessed a global drop in life expectancy and the largest one-year increase in global poverty in many decades, widespread school closures may cause almost twice as large an increase in future poverty. The estimates of well-being loss for the average global citizen include a loss of 8 days of life, an additional two and half weeks spent in poverty in 2020 and 2021 (17 days), and the possibility of an additional month of life in poverty in the future due to school closures (31 days). Well-being losses are unequally distributed across countries. The typical high-income country suffered the least additional poverty years while low- and low-middle-income countries suffered far higher poverty losses with roughly the same degree of mortality shock as richer countries. Upper-middle income countries experienced the highest mortality shock of all and also high poverty costs. Aggregating total losses requires the valuation of a year of life lost vis-à-vis an additional year spent in poverty. For the wide range of valuations considered, high-income countries experienced the lowest well-being loss. Aggregate losses were much higher among lower-income countries. This is especially true for countries in the Latin America region who suffered the largest mortality costs as well as large losses in learning and sharp increases in poverty. |
| Date: | 2024–03–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10728 |
| By: | Dang, Hai-Anh H.; Salehi Isfahani, Djavad; Do, Minh N. N. |
| Abstract: | Although female labor force participation in the Islamic Republic of Iran is among the lowest in the world, there is a lack of studies on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s female labor force participation. This paper finds that female labor force participation decreased during the pandemic years by around 1 percentage point in 2021 and 2022. When controlling for excess mortality rates, the declines increase by as much as 3.9 and 8.7 percentage points in late 2021 and early 2022, respectively. Compared to the modest, pre-pandemic female labor force participation rates, these figures translate into 5 percen t and 18-40 percent decreases, respectively. There is heterogeneity, with more educated individuals being more likely to work. Compared to married individuals, divorcees were more likely to work, and those who were widowed or never married were less likely to work. The results offer relevant inputs for labor policies, particularly those aimed at reducing gender inequalities. |
| Date: | 2024–06–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10801 |
| By: | Tchuisseu Seuyong, Feraud; Edochie, Ifeanyi Nzegwu; Newhouse, David Locke; Silwal, Ani Rudra |
| Abstract: | How did the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic impact poor households in Sub-Saharan Africa This paper tackles this question by combining 73 High-Frequency Phone Surveys collected by national governments in 14 countries with older nationally representative surveys containing information on household consumption. In particular, it examines how outcomes differed according to predicted per capita consumption quintiles in the first wave of the survey, and in subsequent waves by households’ predicted per capita consumption. The initial shock affected households throughout the predicted welfare distribution. Households in the bottom 40 percent responded by sharply increasing farming activities between May and July of 2020 and gradually increasing ownership of non-farm enterprises starting in August. This coincided with an improvement in welfare, as measured by a decline in food insecurity and distressed asset sales among these households during the second half of 2020. With respect to education, children in the bottom quintile were 15 percentage points less likely to engage in learning activities than those in the top quintile in the immediate aftermath of the crisis, and the engagement gap between the bottom 40 and top 60 widened in the summer before narrowing in the fall due to large declines in engagement among the top 60. Poorer households were slightly more likely to report receiving public assistance immediately following the shock, and this difference changed little over the course of 2020. The results highlight the widespread impacts of the crisis both on welfare and children’s educational engagement, the importance of agriculture and household non-farm enterprises as safety nets for the poor, and the substantial recovery made by the poorest households in the year following the crisis. |
| Date: | 2024–03–19 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10726 |