This paper provides an exposition of the concepts relevant to measuring the economic effect of suicide and the conception of how the social loss from suicide can be incorporated into social welfare measurement. Suicide may perform a “warning” function of immanent societal problems. If so,...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that, although there are some unique features associated with mental illness, such special features do not preclude economic analysis. Design/methodology/approach – As a mechanism for understanding how individual economic studies fit into...

The production of specialist psychiatric services in Australia reflects the “mixed” system of public and private production of health services generally. This paper, an exercise in descriptive or positive economics, is concerned only with private production, i.e. those services provided by...

Purpose – Multiple connotations and conceptions of health need are currently in use. The purpose of this paper is to specify some important distinctions regarding this confusing multiplicity in a taxonomic fashion relevant to the economic problems that arise in addressing health need....

Purpose – Government policy can alleviate inequities in living standards. Disabled people often qualify for government assistance which is one way that their living standard can improve, although arbitrary systems for distributing assistance are not likely to serve equity objectives. The...

This paper analyses current government expenditure in Fiji using annual time series data for the period 1969-1999. Alternative theories of government expenditure are reviewed and a distinction is made between economic/apolitical determinants and institutional/political determinants. Categorising...

In the standard repeat-sales method, the maintained assumption is that the quality does not change between a house?s two sale dates. This assumption has been called into question. In particular quality changes from renovations carried out between a house?s two sales are not accounted for in the...

The effect of credit constraints on the dropout, graduate and slow finishing decisions of university students in Australia is studied. The Australian university system has institutions in place to resolve credit constraint issues, including an income contingent loan scheme and means tested...