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on Health Economics |
| By: | Marianne Bitler; Janet Currie; Hilary W. Hoynes; Krista J. Ruffini; Lisa Schulkind; Barton Willage |
| Abstract: | The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a widely used program. Previous research shows that WIC improves birth outcomes, but evidence about impacts on children and families is limited. We use a regression discontinuity leveraging an age five when children become ineligible for WIC and examine nutritional and laboratory outcomes for adults and children. We find little impact on children who aged out of the program. But among adult women caloric intake falls and food insecurity increases, suggesting that mothers protect children by consuming less themselves. We find no effect on others in the household. |
| JEL: | H51 H53 I18 I38 |
| Date: | 2022–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:30112&r= |
| By: | Rita Ginja; Julie Riise; Barton Willage; Alexander L.P. Willén |
| Abstract: | We estimate doctor value-added and provide evidence on the distribution of physician quality in an entire country, combining rich population-wide register data with random assignment of patients to general practitioners (GPs). We show that there is substantial variation in the quality of physicians, as measured by patients’ post-assignment mortality, in the primary care sector. Specifically, a one standard deviation increase in doctor quality is associated with a 12.2-percentage point decline in a patient’s two-year mortality risk. While we find evidence of observable doctor characteristics and practice styles influencing a GP’s value-added, a standard decomposition exercise reveals that most of the quality variation is driven by unobserved differences across doctors. Finally, we show that patients are unable to identify who the high-quality doctors are, and that patient-generated GP ratings are uncorrelated with GP value-added. Using a lower bound of the predicted value of an additional life year in Norway ($35,000), our results demonstrate that replacing the worst performing GPs (bottom 5 percent of the VA distribution) with GPs of average quality generates a social benefit of $27,417 per patient, $9.05 million per GP, or $934 million in total. At the same time, our results show that higher-quality GPs are associated with a lower per-patient cost. |
| Keywords: | value-added, health behaviors, mortality rate |
| JEL: | H75 I11 I14 J18 |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_9788&r= |
| By: | Philip Armour (RAND Corporation); Rosanna Smart (RAND Corporation); Elliott Brennan (RAND Corporation) |
| Abstract: | This study examines the effects of prescription opioid analgesic use for older Americans, specifically with regard to work disability and disability program participation. We draw on the long-panel structure of the Health and Retirement Study and a newly available 2009 survey module measuring prescription drug use and initiation. We pursue regression-adjustment and nearest neighbor matching approaches, using rich 2008 HRS measures on health, disability, sociodemographic characteristics, and economic status, to account for selection into prescription opioid use, since supply-side instruments used in the opioid literature have little relevance to opioid use for this population in 2009. Pre-2008 comparisons between individuals with 2009 opioid prescriptions and controls demonstrate face validity of the analytic approach; we then estimate opioid use effects on mortality, self-reported health, labor force participation, work-limiting health conditions, and disability program participation, spanning from 2010 to 2018. We find substantial and significant mortality effects starting in 2010; in estimating effects on other outcomes, we account for differential attrition through mortality via inverse probability reweighting. Our findings are significant, both statistically and economically: up through 2018, individuals with 2009 opioid prescriptions were nearly 40% more likely to develop a health condition that limited their ability to work than those without a prescription. This difference in work disability led to substantial differences in disability program participation: those using opioids were nearly 300% more likely to apply for or receive Social Security disability benefits by 2018. |
| Date: | 2021–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mrr:papers:wp419&r= |
| By: | Kaiser, Caspar; Oparina, Ekaterina; Gentile, Niccolò; Tkatchenko, Alexandre; Clark, Andrew E.; De Neve, Jan-Emmanuel; D’Ambrosio, Conchita |
| Abstract: | There is a vast literature on the determinants of subjective wellbeing. Yet, standard regression models explain little variation in wellbeing. We here use data from Germany, the UK, and the US to assess the potential of Machine Learning (ML) to help us better understand wellbeing. Compared to traditional models, ML approaches provide moderate improvements in predictive performance. Drastically expanding the set of explanatory variables doubles our predictive ability across approaches on unseen data. The variables identified as important by ML – material conditions, health, social relations – are similar to those previously identified. Our data-driven ML results therefore validate previous conventional approaches. |
| Date: | 2022–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:amz:wpaper:2022-11&r= |
| By: | Joan Costa-i-Font; Francesco D'Amico; Cristina Vilaplana-Prieto |
| Abstract: | We study the effect of long-term care (LTC) subsidies and supports on the wellbeing of unpaid caregivers. We draw on evidence from a policy intervention, that universalized previously means-tested caregiving supports in Scotland, known as free personal care (FPC). We document causal evidence of an increase in the well-being (happiness) of unpaid carers after the introduction of FPC. Our estimates suggest economically relevant improvements in the happiness (12pp increase in subjective wellbeing) among caregivers exposed to FPC and that provide at least 35 hours of care per week. Consistently, these results are larger among women and non-actively employed caregivers (17pp increase in happiness). Estimates are not driven by selection into caregiving (we find similar wellbeing effects among caregivers at baseline and caregivers throughout the sample), and are driven by income effects of FPC among caregivers. |
| Keywords: | caregiving, long-term care subsidies, subjective wellbeing, caregiver’s wellbeing, Scotland |
| JEL: | I18 J22 |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_9802&r= |
| By: | Péter Hudomiet (RAND); Michael D. Hurd (RAND, NBER, NETSPAR); Susann Rohwedder (RAND, NETSPAR) |
| Abstract: | A single person in a nursing home is relatively well-protected financially from nursing home expenses because Medicaid covers these once assets are depleted. Couples, however, are less well protected, because the high cost of nursing homes rapidly depletes household assets, possibly impoverishing the spouse living in the community, despite Medicaid provisions that shield spousal assets up to some threshold. In this paper, we estimate the lifetime risk that one spouse will reside in the community while the other resides in a nursing home, and the distribution of the accumulated number of days spent in a nursing home and costs. We use data from the longitudinal Health and Retirement Study and follow individuals and their spouses from age 70 to death. We also examine how spousal nursing home use affects families\rquote financial outcomes and to what extent Social Security income protects the community-residing spouse from the adverse effects of spousal nursing home use. We find that a 70- to 74-year-old married person who lives in the community faces a 34.3% chance that his or her spouse would move to a nursing home before death. When they do, spouses spend about nine months, on average, in nursing homes, and the average out-of-pocket cost is about $19,800 (2019 dollars). We find that spousal nursing home use significantly decreases households\rquote assets and increases the risk of further impoverishment. While Social Security income has an overall positive impact on families\rquote financial outcomes, it does not mitigate the financial effects of spousal nursing home use. |
| Date: | 2021–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mrr:papers:wp433&r= |
| By: | Rakesh Banerjee (University of Exeter Business School); Tushar Bharati (University of Western Australia Business School) |
| Abstract: | We study the causal effect of mass shooting incidents during pregnancy on infant health outcomes. Our identification strategy exploits the spatial and temporal variation of mass shooting incidents across counties of United States. We find increased severity of mass shooting incidents lead to lower average birth weight, shorter gestational age, increased incidence of low birth weight (less than 2500 gms), and higher infant mortality rate. Further, we use the exogenous variation in the media coverage of mass shooting incidents due to competing international newsworthy events to show that the effects are exacerbated by the coverage of these events, suggesting that the adverse effects on health might be due to psychological stress from exposure to news coverage of shooting incidents. |
| Keywords: | mass shootings; infant mortality; birth weight; mental stress |
| JEL: | I10 I18 J10 |
| Date: | 2021–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hic:wpaper:346&r= |
| By: | Mary O'Mahony; Lea Samek |
| Abstract: | This study examines the impact of morbidity on human capital stocks (HCS) with an application to the UK from 1996 to 2018. It incorporates health status into the standard Jorgenson-Fraumeni lifetime earnings measure of HCS through its effect on absenteeism and presenteeism (lost productivity) by taking account of inactivity due to illness and modelling the impact of health on earnings and retirement behaviour. It employs the approach of estimating individual health indices, which reduce concerns for reporting and errors-in-variable bias, and takes account of individuals' and spouses' health as well as caring responsibilities due to adverse health of third parties. The results show that overall poor health leads to a reduction in HCS by about 12 per cent in 2018, but shows a slight tendency to decrease over time, mostly driven by trends in inactivity due to long-term illness, and retirements for those aged over 50. There are significant impacts of poor health on earnings, especially for males, but the results show only a small impact on HCS from earnings as most people in poor health are not economically active. The results vary by qualification level, gender and age, with productive HCS reduced by about 45 per cent for individuals aged 50 years or older with low qualifications. |
| Keywords: | health status, human capital, lifetime earnings |
| JEL: | I10 I26 O15 |
| Date: | 2021–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nsr:escoed:escoe-dp-2021-03&r= |
| By: | Volha Lazuka |
| Abstract: | This study provides new evidence regarding the extent to which medical care mitigates the economic consequences of various health shocks. To obtain causal effects, I focus on the role of medical scientific discoveries and leverage the longitudinal dimension of unique administrative data on adults in Sweden, their partners, and their working-age children. The results indicate that medical innovations strongly mitigate the negative economic consequences of a health shock, including subsequent losses for the individual and close relatives, and income inequalities within these groups. Such mitigating effects are highly heterogeneous across diseases that cause health shocks. These results support the view that the economic repercussions of health shocks have been overlooked, and there is a lack of focus on the efficiency of medical care for specific health conditions. |
| Date: | 2022–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2206.03306&r= |
| By: | Moreno-Ternero, Juan D. (Department of Economics, Universidad Pablo de Olavide); Østerdal, Lars Peter (Department of Economics, Copenhagen Business School) |
| Abstract: | We analyze the implications of axioms formalizing entitlements to continued life for the evaluation of population health, when combined with basic structural axioms. A straightforward implication of our analysis is that if the scope of equal entitlements to continued life is not limited, concerns for morbidity (and not just mortality) are dismissed in the evaluation of population health. Nevertheless, with axioms formalizing a more limited scope of equal entitlement to continued life, we provide several characterization results of focal population health evaluation functions, ranging from lifetime utilitarianism to generalized healthy years equivalent utilitarianism. |
| Keywords: | Axioms; Population health; Equal value of life; mMrbidity; Mortality |
| JEL: | D63 I10 |
| Date: | 2022–05–19 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:cbsnow:2022_009&r= |
| By: | Amanda Sonnega (University of Michigan); Brooke Helppie-McFall (University of Michigan) |
| Abstract: | A growing body of research implicates life span adversity in later-life outcomes. We use data from the Life History Mail Survey (LHMS) with data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) core surveys to examine the relationship between adverse experiences over the life course and retirement due to disability. We employ 31 measures of childhood and adulthood adversities in both the financial and social domains. We create three measures of retirement due to disability based on survey responses to questions about health as a reason for retiring and the extent to which health limits work ability. For each measure of early retirement due to disability, we perform competing risk survival analysis modeling these outcomes relative to continued work or retirement for any other reason. We conduct these analyses in four samples depending on the component of the survey the data from which the data derived, with the sample including LHMS information being the most restricted but including the greatest number of adversities. Cumulative life adversity was associated with all outcomes examined, including the most conservative specification of disability retirement (i.e., retirement in the context of a health problem that completely limits work) and across all samples. We also found that childhood financial adversity and adult social adversity were most consistently associated with an increased hazard of retirement due to disability in our analysis, which balances the greatest number of adversities with a reasonably large sample (Sample 3). |
| Date: | 2021–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mrr:papers:wp435&r= |
| By: | Megan Henly (University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability); Debra L. Brucker (University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability); Andrew J. Houtenville (University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability) |
| Abstract: | This report examines the occupational requirements, physical and mental functioning, and use of accommodations among workers in three key occupations: cashiers, receptionists, and those in nursing fields. These jobs are among the top occupations represented in the work histories of federal disability claimants in the United States (U.S.). We collected survey data from 802 people working in these occupations. The survey collected demographic information, work-related characteristics (including the use of workplace accommodations), and functional assessment information using the self-reported functional assessment using the Work Disability Functional Assessment Battery (WD-FAB). The WD-FAB generates eight scores per respondent, one for each of eight dimensions related to physical function (basic mobility, fine motor function, upper body function, and community mobility) and mental function (resilience and sociability, mood and emotions, self-regulation, and cognition and communication). Results indicated that accommodation use is associated with lower functioning in this population of employed or recently employed adults. In addition, for each occupation, we compared the WD-FAB scores to data from the Occupational Requirements Survey (ORS) using measures that align with these WD-FAB domains. This comparison demonstrates the extent to which functioning in these dimensions is necessary and suggests opportunities for task-specific, occupation-specific accommodations. We discuss implications for disability determination according to SSA guidelines. |
| Date: | 2021–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mrr:papers:wp430&r= |
| By: | Raquel Fonseca (UQAM - Université du Québec à Montréal = University of Québec in Montréal, CIRANO - Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en analyse des organisations - UQAM - Université du Québec à Montréal = University of Québec in Montréal); François Langot (UM - Le Mans Université, PSE - Paris School of Economics - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris sciences et lettres - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Pierre-Carl Michaud (HEC Montréal - HEC Montréal, NBER - National Bureau of Economic Research [New York] - NBER - The National Bureau of Economic Research); Thepthida Sopraseuth (THEMA - Théorie économique, modélisation et applications - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - CY - CY Cergy Paris Université) |
| Abstract: | Using a general equilibrium heterogeneous agent model featuring health production, we quantify the relative contribution of price distortions in the health market, TFP and other health risks in explaining cross-country differences in health expenditure (as a share of GDP) and health status. Estimated parameters reveal a substantial price wedge that explains at most 20% of the difference in health spending (as a share of GDP) and 30% of the difference in health status between Europe and the U.S. We estimate a one percentage point negative impact on the life-time cost-of-living of Americans from higher prices due to inefficiencies. |
| Date: | 2022–05–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-03679009&r= |
| By: | yann Le Bodo (EHESP - École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique [EHESP], ARENES - Centre de Recherches sur l'Action Politique en Europe - UR1 - Université de Rennes 1 - UNIV-RENNES - Université de Rennes - Institut d'Études Politiques [IEP] - Rennes - EHESP - École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique [EHESP] - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Fabrice Etilé (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 des Ponts ParisTech - 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 des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Chantal Julia (CRESS (U1153 / UMR_A_1125 / UMR_S_1153) - Centre de Recherche Épidémiologie et Statistique Sorbonne Paris Cité - CNAM - Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers [CNAM] - HESAM - HESAM Université - USPC - Université Sorbonne Paris Cité - INSERM - Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale - UPC - Université Paris Cité - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, CRESS - U1153 - Equipe 3: EREN- Equipe de Recherche en Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle - Université Sorbonne Paris Nord - CRESS (U1153 / UMR_A_1125 / UMR_S_1153) - Centre de Recherche Épidémiologie et Statistique Sorbonne Paris Cité - CNAM - Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers [CNAM] - HESAM - HESAM Université - USPC - Université Sorbonne Paris Cité - INSERM - Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale - UPC - Université Paris Cité - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Marine Friant-Perrot (DCS - Droit et changement social - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Nantes Univ - UFR DSP - Nantes Université - UFR Droit et Sciences Politiques - Nantes Université - pôle Sociétés - Nantes Univ - Nantes Université); Eric Breton (ARENES - Centre de Recherches sur l'Action Politique en Europe - UR1 - Université de Rennes 1 - UNIV-RENNES - Université de Rennes - Institut d'Études Politiques [IEP] - Rennes - EHESP - École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique [EHESP] - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, EHESP - École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique [EHESP], SHS - Département des sciences humaines et sociales - EHESP - École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique [EHESP]); Sébastien Lecocq (UMR PSAE - Paris-Saclay Applied Economics - AgroParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Christine Boizot-Szantai (UMR PSAE - Paris-Saclay Applied Economics - AgroParisTech - Université Paris-Saclay - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Céline Bergeran (EHESP - École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique [EHESP]); Françoise Jabot (ARENES - Centre de Recherches sur l'Action Politique en Europe - UR1 - Université de Rennes 1 - UNIV-RENNES - Université de Rennes - Institut d'Études Politiques [IEP] - Rennes - EHESP - École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique [EHESP] - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, EHESP - École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique [EHESP], SHS - Département des sciences humaines et sociales - EHESP - École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique [EHESP]) |
| Abstract: | In 2016, the World Health Organization officially recommended sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation as a strategy to reduce purchases, stimulate product reformulation and generate revenues for health-related programmes. Four years before, France had been one of the first countries to tax SSBs. However, the design of this tax was not considered optimal: its rate was flat, low, identical for SSBs and artificially-sweetened drinks containing no added sugars, and its initial public health justification was set aside in favour of budgetary concerns. In 2018, a new taxation scheme was enacted. Integrated in the Social Security Finance Bill, the tax on SSBs is now linearly indexed to the quantity of added sugars in the drink. In this article, we summarize the lessons learnt from the 2012 soda tax and offer insights on the potential public health benefits of the new tax enacted in 2018. A multidimensional framework aimed at gathering evidence about SSB taxation for public health drove our rational so that we address: (1) the soda tax policy-change process; (2) its impact on price and purchases; (3) the consumer receptiveness to the tax and; (4) its legal framework. We also discuss the potential application of the tax to other foods/nutrients. |
| Keywords: | Sugar-sweetened beverages,Nutrition,Tax,Policy,Public health,Prevention |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:pseptp:halshs-03673111&r= |
| By: | Messono O. Omang (University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon); Simplice A. Asongu (Yaoundé, Cameroon); Vanessa S. Tchamyou (Yaoundé, Cameroon) |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the effects of historical prevalence of infectious diseases on contemporary sustainable development. Previous studies reveal numerous proximate causes of sustainable development, but little is known about the fundamental determinants of this widespread economic concern. The novelty of this paper lies in the adoption of a historical approach that sheds light on the deep historical roots of cross-country differences in sustainable development. The central hypothesis is that historical pathogens exert persistent impacts on present-day sustainable development. Using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS) in cross-section with data from 122 countries between 2000 and 2021, we provide support for the underlying hypothesis. Past diseases reduce sustainable development both directly and indirectly. The strongest indirect effects occur through property rights, innovation, globalization and government effectiveness. This result is robust to many sensitivity tests. Policy makers may take these findings into account and incorporate disease pathogens into the design of international sustainable development. |
| Keywords: | infectious diseases; sustainable development, economic development |
| JEL: | B15 B40 I31 J24 Q01 |
| Date: | 2022–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:agd:wpaper:22/036&r= |
| By: | Karolos Arapakis (University College London); Eric French (University of Cambridge, University College London and Institute for Fiscal Studies); John Bailey Jones (Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond); Jeremy McCauley (University of Bristol) |
| Abstract: | Using data from the Health and Retirement Study linked to administrative Medicare and Medicaid records along with the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we estimate the stochastic process for total and out-of-pocket medical spending. By focusing on dynamics, we consider not only the risk of catastrophic expenses in a single year, but also the risk of moderate but persistent expenses that accumulate into a catastrophic lifetime cost. We assess the reduction in out-of-pocket medical spending risk provided by public insurance schemes such as Medicare or Medicaid. We find that although Medicare and Medicaid pay the majority of medical expenses, households at age 65 will incur, on average, $59,000 in out-of-pocket costs with 10% of households incurring more than $121,000 in out-of-pocket expenses over their remaining lives. |
| Date: | 2021–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mrr:papers:wp436&r= |
| By: | Ralph S. J. Koijen; Hae Kang Lee; Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh |
| Abstract: | We study aggregate lapsation risk in the life insurance sector. Using the regulatory reporting of historical lapse rates by life insurers, we empirically document the counter-cyclicality of lapsation behavior. We construct two lapsation risk factors that explain a large fraction of the common variation in lapse rates of the 30 largest life insurance companies. The first is a cyclical factor that correlates with credit spreads and employment, while the second factor is a trend factor that correlates with the level of interest rates. Using a novel policy-level database from a large life insurer, we examine the heterogeneity in risk factor exposures based on policy and policyholder characteristics. Young policyholders with higher health risk are more likely to lapse their policies during economic downturns. We explore the implications for hedging and valuation of life insurance contracts. Ignoring aggregate lapsation risk results in cross-subsidization across policyholders with different lapsation risk, and in a mispricing of life insurance policies. Our results have implications for the welfare costs of business cycles. |
| JEL: | E32 E44 G12 G22 G52 |
| Date: | 2022–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:30187&r= |
| By: | Marit Hinnosaar (University of Nottingham); Elaine Liu (University of Houston) |
| Abstract: | How malleable is alcohol consumption? Specifically, how much is alcohol consumption driven by the current environment versus individual characteristics? To answer this question, we analyze changes in alcohol purchases when consumers move from one state to another in the United States. We find that if a household moves to a state with a higher (lower) average alcohol purchases than the origin state, the household is likely to increase (decrease) its alcohol purchases right after the move. The current environment explains about two-thirds of the differences in alcohol purchases. The adjustment takes place both on the extensive and intensive margins. |
| Keywords: | alcohol, geographic variation, migration, taxes, regulation |
| JEL: | I12 L66 D12 |
| Date: | 2022–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hka:wpaper:2022-020&r= |
| By: | Joan Costa-i-Font; Martin Knapp; Cristina Vilaplana-Prieto |
| Abstract: | The COVID-19 pandemic and its mobility restrictions have been an external shock, influencing wellbeing. However, does risk exposure affect the welfare effect of lockdowns? This paper examines the ‘welcomed lockdown’ hypothesis, namely the extent to which there is a level of risk where mobility restrictions are not a hindrance to wellbeing. We exploit the differential timing of the effect of the pandemic across European countries, and the different stringency of lockdown to examine the effects on two mental health conditions, namely anxiety and depression. We examine whether differences in symptoms of anxiety and depression are explained by mortality and stringency of lockdown measures using ad event study that draws on Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM), Difference-in-Difference (DiD) and Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD). Our estimates suggest an average increase in depression (3.95%) and anxiety (10%) symptoms relative to the mean level on the day that the lockdown took effect. However, such effects are wiped out when a country exhibits high mortality (‘pandemic category 5’). Hence, we conclude that in an environment of high mortality, lockdowns no longer give rise to a reduction in well-being consistent with the ‘welcome lockdown’ hypothesis. |
| Keywords: | anxiety, depression, Covid-19, pandemic, lockdown |
| JEL: | I18 |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_9796&r= |
| By: | Constantin Bürgi; Klaus Wohlrabe |
| Abstract: | We compare Covid-related working papers in economics to non-Covid-related working papers in four dimensions. Based on five well-known working papers series and data from the RePEc website, we find that Covid papers are mainly cover topics in macroeconomics and health, they are written by larger teams than non-Covid papers, are more often downloaded and they receive more citations relative to non-Covid papers. |
| Keywords: | Covid, Corona, pandemic, citations |
| JEL: | A10 A12 I00 |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_9787&r= |
| By: | Sylvie Borau (TBS - Toulouse Business School); Hélène Couprie (LEST - Laboratoire d'économie et de sociologie du travail - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Astrid Hopfensitz (EM - emlyon business school, GATE - Groupe d'analyse et de théorie économique - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - ENS LSH - Ecole Normale Supérieure Lettres et Sciences Humaines - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) |
| Abstract: | Single people are more likely to die from COVID-19. Here, we study whether this higher death rate could be partly explained by differences in compliance with protective health measures against COVID-19 between single and married people, and the drivers of this marital compliance gap. Data collected from 46,450 respondents in 67 countries reveal that married people are more likely to comply with protective measures than single people. This marital gap in compliance is higher for men (approximately 5%) than for women (approximately 2%). These results are robust across a large range of countries and independent of country level differences with respect to culture, values or infection rates. Prosocial characteristics linked to morality and social belonging explain more than 38% of the marital gap, while individual risk perceptions play a minor role. These findings help explain single people's and particularly single men's greater vulnerability to COVID-19, which in turn can be leveraged to improve the effectiveness of international public policy campaigns aimed at promoting protective health measures. |
| Keywords: | marriage,gender,prosocial behavior,risk-taking,protective health measures,Pandemic |
| Date: | 2022–06–17 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-03698131&r= |
| By: | Levelu, Anthonin; Sandkamp, Alexander-Nikolai |
| Abstract: | Countries have employed a variety of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in order to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the success of individual measures in reducing the number of infections remains controversial. This paper exploits a panel data set of 107 countries to estimate the effects of 14 NPIs on the spread of the disease. While almost all measures had a dampening effect on the reproduction rate of the virus, public information campaigns and school closings were most effective, followed by testing policies, contact tracing and international travel restrictions. Public event cancellation and school closings were less effective during the second wave of the pandemic, while public information campaigns and the obligation to wear masks worked better. Several NPIs had a stronger impact on infections in autocratic countries, while others were less effective. |
| Keywords: | COVID-19,non-pharmaceutical interventions,policy analysis,panel data |
| JEL: | C1 C5 I1 |
| Date: | 2022 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifwkwp:2221&r= |
| By: | Ruchir Agarwal; Ms. Gita Gopinath |
| Abstract: | Pandemics and epidemics pose risks to lives, societies, and economies, and their frequency is expected to increase as rising trade and increased human interaction with animals leads to the emergence of new diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic teaches us that we can and must be better prepared, with scope for much greater global coordination to address the financing, supply-chain, and trade barriers that amplified the pandemic’s economic costs and contributed to the emergence of new variants. This paper draws seven early lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic that could inform future policy priorities and help shape a better global response to future crises. |
| Keywords: | COVID-19; pandemic; Finance & Trade; trade lesson; financing framework; economic cost; timing of financing; IMF pandemic proposal; Health care; Trade finance; Global |
| Date: | 2022–05–20 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2022/097&r= |
| By: | Carmen Camacho (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 des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement); Chrysovalantis Vasilakis |
| Abstract: | We build a Susceptible-Infected-Vaccinated Economic growth model to measure and study the evolution of inequality in an economy with two groups of workers, who are differently exposed to an epidemic. In the context of the recent COVID-19 pandemic and using data on the United Kingdom and Canada, we describe how exposure to COVID-19 varies dramatically across occupational groups. Our regressions on 14 European countries show that the vaccination rate, the COVID-19 death rate and the number of hospitalisations do explain GDP per capita. Using our theoretical model, we prove that the economy can lead in the long run to various scenarios, which range from the disease-free economy to a scenario in which only the most exposed group suffers from the virus. We complete our theoretical analysis with some numerical exercises which show that long-run inequality increases with the share of vaccination, and it decreases with the exposure rate of the most exposed group since the economy becomes poorer. |
| Keywords: | Inequality,Epidemics,COVID-19,Vaccination JEL Codes: C6,I140 |
| Date: | 2022–06–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-03693126&r= |
| By: | Christoph Carnehl; Satoshi Fukuda; Nenad Kos |
| Abstract: | We study an SIR model with endogenous behavior and a time-varying cost of distancing. We show that a steep increase in distancing cost is necessary for a second wave of an epidemic to arise. As a special case of the model with changing cost, we study distancing fatigue -- the distancing cost increases in past distancing -- and show that it cannot generate a second wave. Moreover, we characterize the change in the distancing cost necessary for the slope of prevalence to change its sign. This characterization informs policymakers: (i) of the required strictness of mitigation policies to cease the increase of prevalence, (ii) when and how policies can be lifted to avoid a second wave, and (iii) whether public holidays are likely to generate another wave of the epidemic. Finally, we illustrate the implementation of desirable time-varying transmission rates through time-varying distancing cost with endogenous equilibrium distancing. |
| Date: | 2022–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2206.03847&r= |
| By: | Tom Kirchmaier; Carmen Villa-Llera |
| Abstract: | We document changing crime trends in England and Wales in the context of the current global pandemic. During the first lockdown that span from mid-March to mid-May 2020 there was a decrease in all crime categories except Anti-social Behaviour and Drug Offences. Since lockdown was lifted most crime categories remain at lower levels, although there are important differences across the country that correlate with economic performance. Using publicly available data, we study the spatial and temporal differences in the uptake of furlough and unemployment support schemes and their correlation to crime rates. We find that those parts of the country with traditionally higher number of claimants have higher levels of crime in some categories, including in violent crimes (controlling for month, year, and area characteristics). Areas which experienced a higher loss in employment (change) now show higher anti-social behaviour rates, much higher than the national average. We identify areas most at risk, which had high claimant rates pre-pandemic and which suffered a high increase. In these areas acquisitive crimes have decreased at a much slower rate than elsewhere. We show that the large increase in claimants was more likely to take place in LSOAs with lower educational attainment on average. The high risk areas are characterised by higher Black and Asian population, a higher proportion of lone parents and worse health. |
| Keywords: | covid-19, crime, employment |
| Date: | 2020–12–17 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepcvd:cepcovid-19-013&r= |