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on Health Economics |
| By: | Lund, Crick (King's College London); Orkin, Kate (University of Oxford); Witte, Marc J. (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam); Walker, John (University of Oxford); Davies, Thandi (University of Cape Town); Haushofer, Johannes (Stockholm University); Murray, Sarah (John Hopkins University, Baltimore); Bass, Judy (Johns Hopkins University); Murray, Laura (John Hopkins University, Baltimore); Tol, Wietse (University of Copenhagen); Patel, Vikram (Harvard University) |
| Abstract: | Mental health conditions are prevalent but rarely treated in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Little is known about how these conditions affect economic participation. This paper shows that treating mental health conditions substantially improves recipients' capacity to work in these contexts. First, we perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) ever conducted that evaluate treatments for mental ill-health and measure economic outcomes in LMICs. On average, treating common mental disorders like depression with psychotherapy improves an aggregate of labor market outcomes made up of employment, time spent working, capacity to work and job search by 0.16 standard deviations. Treating severe mental disorders, like schizophrenia, improves the aggregate by 0.30 standard deviations, but effects are noisily estimated. Second, we build a new dataset, pooling all available microdata from RCTs using the most common trial design: studies of psychotherapy in LMICs that treated depression and measured days participants were unable to work in the past month. We observe comparable treatment effects on mental health and work outcomes in this sub-sample of highly similar studies. We also show evidence consistent with mental health being the mechanism through which psychotherapy improves work outcomes. |
| Keywords: | labor, development, human capital, mental health, psychotherapy |
| JEL: | D9 I14 O1 J24 |
| Date: | 2024–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17071&r= |
| By: | Biro, Aniko (Centre for Economic and Regional Studies); Boza, István (Central European University, Budapest); Gyetvai, Attila (Banco de Portugal); Prinz, Daniel (World Bank) |
| Abstract: | We study the role that firms play in social insurance benefit uptake after their workers experience health shocks. Social insurance in our setting, Hungary, is universal and comprehensive, thus allowing us to quantify the heterogeneous impact of firms on benefit uptake and labor market outcomes on top of the social safety net. Using matched employer-employee administrative data linked to individual-level health records, we find that firm responses to worker health shocks are heterogeneous. Workers hit by a health shock at high-quality firms are less likely to take up disability insurance or exit the labor force than those at low-quality firms. These empirical patterns are consistent with worker-firm match quality increasing in firm quality in a setting where recovery from health shocks is uncertain. Our results imply that beyond higher wages, high-quality firms also offer more protection against the consequences of health shocks. This suggests that heterogeneous firm behavior should be taken into account when designing social insurance policies. |
| Keywords: | health shock, disability insurance, firm heterogeneity |
| JEL: | H55 I10 J22 J23 |
| Date: | 2024–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17069&r= |
| By: | Katja M. Kaufmann; Yasemin Özdemir; Han Ye |
| Abstract: | We study the impact of grandparental retirement decisions on family members’ labor supply and child outcomes by exploiting a Dutch pension reform and a fuzzy Regression Discontinuity design. We find that a one-hour increase in grandmothers’ hours worked causes their adult daughters with young children to work 40 minutes less. Daughters without children, with older children and sons/daughters-in-law are not affected. Examining the reform impacts on grandchildren’s test scores, we find positive effects on children aged 4-7, who experienced a substitution from grandparental to maternal care. We also show negative effects for children aged 8-12, for whom grandparental childcare was substituted for by formal or no care. |
| Keywords: | spillover effects, retirement, grandparental childcare, maternal labor supply, child development |
| JEL: | J13 J22 J26 I38 D64 |
| Date: | 2023–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bon:boncrc:crctr224_2023_403v2&r= |
| By: | Elaine Kelly (Health Foundation, Institute for Fiscal Studies); Carol Propper (Imperial College Business School, Monash University, Institute for Fiscal Studies); Ben Zaranko (Institute for Fiscal Studies) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the effect of nurse shortages on healthcare production. Employing novel high-frequency data we examine what effect the absence of nursing staff has on inpatient mortality and other outcomes associated with nursing care. We find significant adverse mortality impacts of shortages of nurses with degree-level qualifications but no effect of shortages of less qualified nursing assistants. Adverse mortality impacts of shortages are particularly concentrated among patients with sepsis, a condition where early detection is important for survival and where nurses have a central role in detection and subsequent control. |
| Keywords: | Nursing Shortages, Patient Outcomes, Mortality, Hospital Care |
| JEL: | I11 J24 J45 M50 |
| Date: | 2024–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mhe:chemon:2024-02&r= |
| By: | Muñoz, Ercio A. (Inter-American Development Bank); Saavedra, Melanie (Universidad de Chile); Sansone, Dario (University of Exeter) |
| Abstract: | This paper reports socio-economic and health outcomes for intersex people in Mexico using data collected between 2021 and 2022. This is the first study relying on a large nationally representative survey including information on sex variations to document substantial negative outcomes for intersex individuals. Around 1.6% of individuals aged 15-64 are intersex. There are significant disparities in mental, physical, and sexual health when comparing intersex individuals to the general population, including higher rates of bullying, stigmatization, harassment, and violence throughout the life cycle, as well as higher rates of suicidal intention. Additionally, intersex individuals have lower education levels and face substantial barriers in the workplace and healthcare environments. |
| Keywords: | intersex, stigma, suicide, Mexico, LGBTQ+ |
| JEL: | I14 J15 J16 J71 |
| Date: | 2024–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17067&r= |
| By: | Bolyard, Atticus (Harvard University); Savelyev, Peter A. (Virginia Commonwealth University) |
| Abstract: | Based on the sample of The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we investigate the formation of health capital and the role played by genetic endowments, parental SES, and education. To measure genetic endowments we take advantage of the new availability of quality polygenic indexes (PGIs), which are optimally-weighted summaries of individual molecular genetic data. Our main focus is on the Educational Attainment Polygenic Index (EA PGI), which is designed to predict the highest level of education achieved in life. We find that the EA PGI demonstrates stronger effects on health and health behaviors for subjects with high parental socioeconomic status (SES). These effects are only partially explained by education as a mechanism. We provide suggestive evidence for the mechanisms behind estimated relationships, including early health, skills, and the parents' and child's own attitudes towards education, as well as outcomes related to occupation and wealth. We also show that a strong association between education and health survives controlling for a large set of PGIs that proxy health, skills, and home environment, with only a modest reduction in regression coefficients despite controlling for major expected confounders. This result informs the ongoing debate about the causal relationship between education and health and the confounders behind the education-health gradient. |
| Keywords: | health, health behaviors, Polygenic Index (PGI), Polygenic Score (PGS), Educational Attainment, parental socioeconomic status (SES), child development, education, mediators, Add Health data |
| JEL: | I12 I14 I24 J24 |
| Date: | 2024–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17056&r= |
| By: | Mehrzad B. Baktash; John S. Heywood; Uwe Jirjahn |
| Abstract: | Using German survey data, we show that performance pay is associated with a substantially lower gender hours gap. While performance pay increases the work hours of both men and women, the increase is much larger for women than for men. This finding persists in worker fixed effects estimates. We argue our finding likely reflects differences in household production and specialization by gender. Thus, we show that performance pay is not associated with hours increasing for men with children in the household. Yet, performance pay is associated with a very large increase in hours for women with children in the household. |
| Keywords: | Performance Pay, Contracted Hours, Actual Hours, Gender |
| JEL: | D10 J22 J33 M52 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:trr:wpaper:202408&r= |
| By: | de Linde, Astrid (Department of Health Management and Health Economics); Grytten, Jostein (Department of Community Dentistry, University of Oslo, Norway); Skau, Irene (Department of Community Dentistry, University of Oslo, Norway); Kinge, Jonas Minet (Centre for Disease Burden, Norwegian Institute of Public Health) |
| Abstract: | We analyze the short- and long-term impacts of maternity ward closures on health and education outcomes, hospital procedures, and fertility. Our study makes use of registry data that covers every delivery in Norway from 1981 through 2019. Among those directly experiencing a closure, we find in the short-term a small decline 5-minute Apgar score and increased probability of birth outside institution. This slight drop in Apgar is not reflected in the other available health indicators and we therefore hypothesize it reflects different institutional scoring standards as opposed to a health effect. For long-term outcomes, we find that experiencing a closure as an infant results in a 1 percentage point increase in beginning high school by 16, but does not lead to a change in the likelihood of graduating by age 22. Furthermore, for those infants assigned female at birth, experiencing closures as an infant does not change the likelihood of giving birth as an adult or experiencing negative health conditions during pregnancy. Given that these conditions are themselves potential risk factors for newborn health, our results do not point to evidence for an intergenerational effect of closures. We hypothesize that an effective prenatal screening process and robust health and social services may mitigate the effect of closures and thus account for a limited treatment effect. Our paper is among the first to look at both the short and long-term implications of closures and suggests further avenues to study among labor, education, and health outcomes. |
| Keywords: | maternity care; closures; centralization; registry data |
| JEL: | I11 I14 I18 J13 |
| Date: | 2024–06–12 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:oslohe:2024_002&r= |
| By: | Alina Imping; Andreas Landmann; Lisa Rogge |
| Abstract: | Uncertainty about medical outcomes as well as about costs to seek care might play an important role in the health care decision-making process, potentially deterring sensible health care choices. There is little theoretical and no rigorous empirical evidence on this relationship, though, also owing to the lack of established tools to measure uncertainties around medical benefits and costs of health care seeking. In this paper, we develop such a measurement tool, field a first version of it in a low-income population in Pakistan, and present the initial evidence from this pilot data collection. We conduct a qualitative and quantitative validation process and identify potential for improvement in future applications. Nevertheless, the data collected through the tool appears meaningful and the analysis shows that on top of many biases, both medical as well as cost uncertainty is present to a substantial degree in our target population. Our empirical results also suggest that uncertainty in both dimensions deters health investments. |
| Date: | 2024–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bav:wpaper:236_imping_landmann_rogge&r= |
| By: | Gehrsitz, Markus (University of Strathclyde); Williams, Jr., Morgan C. (Barnard College) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the effects of education on health and hospitalization over the life cycle. Using administrative data, we leverage a 1972 compulsory schooling reform within the United Kingdom which produced a large increase in educational attainment among affected cohorts. Our regression discontinuity design estimates suggest that the reform led to substantial reductions in hospitalization among men admitted for lifestyle-related conditions. We also report novel estimates showing that these effects vary heterogeneously over the life-cycle – with the largest health improvements occurring among men in their middle-aged years. However, we find no evidence that the reform impacted mortality during working-age years. |
| Keywords: | health, education, compulsory schooling, life cycle, gender differences |
| JEL: | I10 I12 I14 I20 |
| Date: | 2024–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17050&r= |
| By: | Anna Kurowska (University of Warsaw, Faculty of Political Studies and International Relations); Agnieszka Kasperska (University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences) |
| Abstract: | This study explores how various work and family-related contexts moderated the link between work-from-home (WFH) and self-perceived changes to the career prospects among employees with children after over a year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We argue that the link between WFH and the perception of changes to one’s career prospects is likely to differ depending on gender, occupation, whether the employee has worked from home before the pandemic, how much time their children spent at home due to pandemic restrictions and the cohabiting status of the parent. We conducted fixed effects multinomial regression models using a unique multi-country dataset, including representative samples of parents with dependent children from Canada, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the US. Employees with children who had prior experience with WFH before the pandemic were more likely to report improved career prospects than those who worked solely in the office. The positive effect of WFH for newcomers to the world of remote work was less unequivocal and varied based on occupation and gender. We also find that the presence of children at home and the cohabitation status substantially moderate the link between WFH and perceived changes to one’s career prospects, with different implications based on the employee's gender. We fill the research gap by showing how fluid workers' perceptions of career prospects depend on varying professional (prior experience with WFH and occupation) and personal (increased family demands) situations. This study also indicates the need for context-sensitive career management in organisations. |
| Keywords: | career prospects, family, gender, work from home, remote work |
| JEL: | J12 J13 J16 J21 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:war:wpaper:2024-08&r= |
| By: | Hoskins, Stephen (Singapore Management University); Johnston, David W. (Monash University); Kunz, Johannes S. (Monash University); Shields, Michael A. (Monash University); Staub, Kevin E. (University of Melbourne) |
| Abstract: | Despite being widely used in health economics, dynamic models of health and healthcare typically assume that the persistence in these outcomes is the same for every individual. Understanding the extent and drivers of heterogeneity in persistence is essential for the design and evaluation of health interventions because persistence determines the dynamics and overall long-run effects of such interventions. This paper explores individual-level heterogeneity in the persistence of health outcomes. Using simple regression methods that do not place any restriction on the distribution of the heterogeneity in persistence, the paper documents substantial heterogeneity in health, medical expenditures, and healthcare use. We show that neglecting this heterogeneity leads to estimates that overstate the average persistence and can bias the coefficients of covariates. We find that between 75% and 87% of individuals display persistence and that this persistence is related to the individuals' personality and socio-economic characteristics. |
| Keywords: | self-reported health, healthcare utilisation, dynamic panel data, state dependence, heterogeneity |
| JEL: | I10 I12 C23 |
| Date: | 2024–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17023&r= |
| By: | C. M. Peixoto; D. Marcondes; M. P. Melo; A. C. Maia; L. A. Correia |
| Abstract: | The rise in healthcare costs has led to the adoption of cost-sharing devices in health plans. This article explores this discussion by simulating Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to cover medical and hospital expenses, supported by catastrophic insurance. Simulating 10 million lives, we evaluate the utilization of catastrophic insurance and the balances of HSAs at the end of working life. To estimate annual expenditures, a Markov Chains approach - distinct from the usual ones - was used based on recent past expenditures, age range, and gender. The results suggest that HSAs do not create inequalities, offering a viable method to sustain private healthcare financing for the elderly. |
| Date: | 2024–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2405.15781&r= |
| By: | Giorgio Fabbri (GAEL - Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée de Grenoble - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes - Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology - UGA - Université Grenoble Alpes); Marie-Louise Leroux (UQAM - Université du Québec à Montréal = University of Québec in Montréal); Paolo Melindi-Ghidi (EconomiX - EconomiX - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Willem Sas (University of Stirling) |
| Abstract: | This paper develops an overlapping generations model that links a public health system to a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pension system. It relies on two assumptions. First, the health system directly finances curative health spending on the elderly. Second, public pensions partially depend on health status by introducing a component indexed to society's average level of old-age disability. Reducing the average disability rate in the economy then lowers pension benefits as the need to finance long-term care services also drops. We study the effects of introducing such a ‘comprehensive' Social Security system on individual decisions, capital accumulation, and welfare. We first show that health investments can boost savings and capital accumulation under certain conditions. Second, if individuals are sufficiently concerned with their health when old, it is optimal to introduce a health-dependent pension system, as this will raise social welfare compared to a system where pensions are not tied to the society's average level of old-age disability. Our analysis thus highlights an important policy recommendation: making PAYG pension schemes partially health-dependent can be beneficial to society. |
| Keywords: | Curative Health Investments, PAYG Pension System, Disability, Overlapping Generations, Long-term Care |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04612468&r= |
| By: | Rodgers, Yana van der Meulen (Rutgers University); Zveglich, Jr., Joseph (Asian Development Bank); Ali , Khadija (Asian Development Bank); Xue , Hanna (Rutgers University) |
| Abstract: | Demographics in Malaysia and Viet Nam are evolving rapidly, potentially disrupting traditional family support to older people. We estimate a set of Poisson random effects models with panel data from the Malaysia Ageing and Retirement Survey and the Viet Nam Aging Survey to analyze how living arrangements, marital status, and support from children influence the mental and physical health of older people. In Malaysia, having living children plays an important protective role for both mental and physical health, while living with a son appears to have a protective effect for physical health. Results are similar for Viet Nam, except older women, who are at greater risk of mental and physical health problems, appear to enjoy a greater protective effect for their mental health from a child living nearby than do men. Our analysis underscores the importance of social safety nets for the health of senior citizens living alone. |
| Keywords: | mental health; well-being; physical health; depression; gender; women; aging |
| JEL: | I14 J16 O53 |
| Date: | 2024–06–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:adbewp:0730&r= |
| By: | Ha Trong Nguyen; Mitrou, Francis |
| Abstract: | The catastrophic effects of natural disasters on social and economic systems are well-documented; however, their impacts on individual life satisfaction remain insufficiently understood. This study pioneers a causal analysis of cyclones' impacts on Australians' life satisfaction, using local cyclones as natural experiments. Analysing over two decades of data, individual fixed-effects models reveal that cyclones, particularly category 5 (highest severity) cyclones in close proximity to residences, significantly reduce overall life satisfaction and specific domains like community, personal safety, and health satisfaction. Notably, these cyclones have a lasting impact on community and personal safety satisfaction. Our findings withstand rigorous sensitivity assessments, including a falsification test demonstrating no impact of future cyclones on current life satisfaction. Moreover, extensive heterogeneous analysis uncovers significant variations in cyclone impact based on life satisfaction domains and individual, household, and regional characteristics. Additionally, this study shows that cyclone-induced home damage, especially from the most severe cyclones, significantly diminishes the aforementioned life satisfaction outcomes, but to a much greater magnitude. |
| Keywords: | Natural Disasters, Life Satisfaction, Happiness, Wellbeing, Australia |
| JEL: | I12 I31 R23 Q54 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1446&r= |
| By: | Ju, Heng; Tang, Yao; Zhang, Meilan |
| Abstract: | We quantify the economic costs of air pollution associated with drug expenditures. First, following a 1% increase in the annual average of PM2.5, the combined expenditures on respiratory, cardiovascular, and antitumor drugs are predicted to rise by an amount equivalent to 1.81% of the annual per capita drug expenditure. Second, we compare expenditures on Western Medicine (WM) and Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM), noting that research on the latter is significantly limited. After a rise in PM2.5 levels, the responsiveness and increase in expenditures for CHM drugs are similar to those for WM drugs, highlighting CHM's significance in understanding the economic impacts of air pollution. Third, cities with higher socioeconomic status—indicated by greater per capita fiscal revenue, higher disposable income, and a larger proportion of college graduates—exhibit a greater response in drug expenditures to air pollution. |
| Keywords: | outdoor air pollution, drug expenditure, Chinese herbal medicine, disparities in drug expenditure |
| JEL: | I10 I14 O53 |
| Date: | 2024–05–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:121154&r= |
| By: | Morris M. Kleiner; Yun Taek Oh |
| Abstract: | Ways of leaving the labor force has been an understudied aspect of labor market outcomes. Labor market institutions such as occupational licensing may influence how individuals transition to retirement. When and how workers transition from career jobs to full retirement may contribute to pre- and post-retirement well-being. Previous investigations of retirement pathways focused on the patterns and outcomes of retirement transitions, yet the influence of occupational licensing on retirement transition has not been analyzed. In this study, we use the Current Population Survey and Survey of Income and Program Participation to investigate how occupational licensing influences American later-career workers’ choice of retirement pathways. Our results show that licensed workers are less likely to choose to change careers but more likely to reduce work hours in transitioning out of the workforce. These results are consistent with the findings that licensed workers receive more benefits in the form of preferable retirement options, suggesting that these workers tend to have higher wages, benefits, and flexibility even toward the end of their careers. |
| Keywords: | Public policy; Retirement plans; Occupational licensing |
| JEL: | J44 J32 J48 |
| Date: | 2024–04–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedmsr:98382&r= |
| By: | Johannes S Kunz (Monash University); Carol Propper (Imperial College London, Monash University); Trong-Anh Trinh (Monash University) |
| Abstract: | Digital access may bring important health gains, particularly where physical infrastructure is limited. We examine the impact of internet access in Indonesia on health outcomes using the COVID-19 pandemic as a health shock. We utilize sub-national data on mobile broadband, COVID-19 spread, and an instrumental variable approach using lightning strikes as an exogenous shock to connectivity. Access to 3G internet significantly reduced the transmission of COVID-19. Areas with internet access had approximately 45% fewer cases. Regions with higher literacy and capacity for telework benefited significantly more. These findings offer novel insights into how digital infrastructure affects public health outcomes. |
| Keywords: | Health emergencies, Internet access, Information, COVID-19 Spread, Indonesia |
| JEL: | I12 I15 I31 O18 L96 H41 |
| Date: | 2024–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mhe:chemon:2024-07&r= |
| By: | Sofia Amaral-Garcia (European Commission - Joint Research Center, i3health/Universite libre de Bruxelles); Mattia Nardotto (ECARES - Universite libre de Bruxelles, CEPR and CESifo); Carol Propper (Imperial College London, Monash University, CEPR and IFS); Tommaso Valletti (Imperial College London, CEPR and CESifo) |
| Abstract: | We examine the effect of internet diffusion on the uptake of an important public health inter- vention: the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. We study England between 2000 and 2011 when internet diffusion spread rapidly and there was a high profile medical article (falsely) linking the MMR vaccine to autism. OLS estimates suggest internet diffusion led to an increase in vaccination rates. This result is reversed after allowing for endogeneity of internet access. The effect of internet diffusion is sizable. A one standard deviation increase in internet penetration led to around a 20% decrease in vaccination rates. Localities characterised by higher proportions of high skilled individuals and lower deprivation levels had a larger re- sponse to internet diffusion. These findings are consistent with higher skilled and less deprived parents responding faster to false information that the vaccine could lead to autism. |
| Keywords: | Internet access, Vaccines, Child health |
| JEL: | I12 I18 |
| Date: | 2024–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mhe:chemon:2024-04&r= |
| By: | Ahmad Amro (Al-Quds University); Sarah Carol (University College Dublin); Birte Freer |
| Abstract: | The COVID-19 pandemic has exerted greater pressure on vulnerable minorities who are on average in a more disadvantaged socio-economic situation. Therefore, this project had the main aim to capture the transition to a post-COVID era for three groups: Bedouins, internally displaced Palestinian refugees and majority-group members (non-Bedouin, non-refugee). How did COVID-19 affect individuals’ well-being? As the rates of COVID-19 were very high in Palestine, what kind of long-term effects of COVID do we see? To answer these questions, we collected novel data among Palestinian refugees, Bedouins and majority- group members. Overall, respondents trusted public institutions and science, and felt that they have done a good job during the pandemic. Yet, subgroups of the population have lost trust into public institutions. Major challenges arose with regard to the physical and mental health during the pandemic. Not all groups were equally affected by this. For mental well-being, we see that a substantial share of respondents reports feeling more sad. Bedouins reported a perceived worsening of their mental health, as well as greater concerns about their access to food, medication and health care. This situation has not entirely improved since the return to “normal”. Overall, we see that the pandemic has affected outcomes differently, and varied by group: they were not all in the same boat. |
| Keywords: | West Bank; well-being; health; refugees; Bedouins |
| Date: | 2024–05–29 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ucd:wpaper:202402&r= |
| By: | Miguel Casares (Universidad Pública de Navarra and Barnard College); Paul Gomme (Concordia University, CIREQ and CIRANO); Hashmat Khan (Carleton University) |
| Abstract: | What are the socially optimal restrictions on private activity during a pandemic? How do these differ from private decisions? We address these questions by modeling the interactions between epidemiology and the macroeconomy. Unlike the private planner, the social planner accounts for two externalities: the increase in the cost of severe illness associated with more infected individuals, reflecting the capacity constraints of the health care system; and the socioeconomic transmission of the virus from asymptomatic to susceptible individuals. Owing to these externalities, the social planner imposes stricter constraints on socioeconomic activities. Applied to the COVID-19 pandemic, socially optimal restrictions reduce the welfare costs by roughly one percent of GDP. |
| Keywords: | epi-macro, socioeconomic contacts, externality |
| JEL: | I18 E61 E13 E11 |
| Date: | 2024–06–18 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:crd:wpaper:24002&r= |
| By: | OECD |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on women's economic empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), in the context of elevated gender-based discrimination in social institutions – formal and informal laws, social norms, and practices. The analysis focuses on Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. Using 2023 data from the fifth edition of the Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI), the paper analyses how discriminatory laws and social norms hamper women's economic empowerment. The paper also explores how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this discrimination. Finally, it provides policy recommendations to tackle discriminatory social institutions and address the specific needs of women and girls, both in the face of public health crises and beyond, aiming to foster more inclusive and resilient societies in the MENA region. |
| Keywords: | Covid-19, Gender, MENA, Women's empowerment |
| JEL: | J16 |
| Date: | 2024–06–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:dcdaab:54-en&r= |
| By: | Dang, Hai-Anh H.; Salehi-Isfahani, Djavad; Do, Minh N. N. |
| Abstract: | While female labor force participation (LFP) in Iran is among the lowest in the world, there is hardly any study on the COVID-19 pandemic effects on the country's female LFP. We find that female LFP decreased during the pandemic years by around 1 percentage point in 2021 and 2022. When controlling for excess mortality rates, the declines could increase to between 3.9 and 8.7 percentage points, with the larger impacts occurring in late 2021 and early 2022. Compared to modest, pre-pandemic female LFP rates, these figures translate into 5 percent and 18-40 percent decreases, respectively. Heterogeneity exists, with more educated individuals being more likely to work. Compared to married individuals, divorcees were more likely to work while those that were divorced or never married were less likely to work. Our results offer relevant inputs for labor policy, particularly those aimed at reducing gender inequalities. |
| Keywords: | COVID-19, employment, women's labor force participation, differences-in-differences, triple differences, labor force survey, Iran |
| JEL: | E24 I30 J21 O12 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1440&r= |