This article examines the extent to which differences in life-expectancy are associated with shifts in average hospital costs for different age groups. The size of the shift is important because it makes a large difference to the importance of demographic factors when projecting future health...

This paper investigates the extent to which conclusions from international comparison of health spending depend on different adjustment methods. The analysis shows, first, that health spending figures differ significantly because of different accounting standards. More specifically, spending on...

This paper reports briefly on some of the results from a survey of academics who have written about the theory of rational addiction. The topic is important in itself because if the literature is viewed by its participants as an intellectual game, then policy makers should be aware of this so as...

Dette notatet presenterer en enkel modell som viser hvordan kortere arbeidsdag i sektorer med overlappende arbeidstid medfører at en økende andel av arbeidstiden vil gå med til rapportering og en mindre andel vil være effektiv arbeidstid. Denne mekanismen gjør en liten endring i...

According to the OECD Norway spends 47% more on health care per capita compared to Finland and about 30% more than the other Nordic countries. At the same time indicators of health status show that Norway is not better on important indicators of health. This raises the question of why there is...

After 16 years of exemptions from the ban on indoor smoking in other places of work, Norway became the second country after Ireland to implement a smoke-free regime in pubs and restaurants. This paper evaluates the economic impact on the hospitality sector in a northern region with a cold...

Several empirical papers have indicated that the health inequalities in the Nordic welfare states seem to be at least as high as health inequalities in other European countries even if the Nordic states have a more egalitarian income structure. This is in contrast to standard economic theory...

A central theme in the international debate on genetic testing concerns the extent to which insurance companies should be allowed to use genetic information in their design of insurance contracts. This issue is analysed within a model with the following important feature: A person's well-being...

Rapporten gir en oversikt over hvordan norske sykehus er organisert i årene 1999 og 2001. Materialet baserer seg på besvarelser fra 59 av 62 spurte somatiske sykehus. Utvalgte hovedfunn er: <p> - Økende ansvarliggjøring av avdelingene i form av tilsettingsmyndighet, avdelingsvise budjetter og...</p>

Aggregated medical spending differs widely across countries and large variations exist in the frequency and the mix of medical services provided, as well as the type of technology applied. The outcomes (mostly measured as survival rates) do not, however vary to the same extent as the spending....