In economic theory, alcohol consumption is considered as an addictive and sometimes irrational behaviour. Such behaviour often leads to undesirable external effects: increasing crime rates, traffic and occupational accidents, fires, and domestic violence. That is why most countries facing high...

This paper analyzes which characteristics are correlated with mobility reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic, using Census Division level mobility data for Canada from Facebook. I find that there is significant variation in the extent to which social distancing was applied in April, relative...

The study of social development in China is yet to emerge from the backwaters of international development studies. While China as a whole is highly integrated and understood in the body of international research, the differences between rural, semi-urban, urban areas, and importantly the...

Social distancing, a non-pharmaceutical tactic aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19, can arise because individuals voluntarily distance from others to avoid contracting the disease. Alternatively, it can arise because of jurisdictional restrictions imposed by local authorities. We run...

An American specialist on Russia's health care system examines dramatic regional variation in that country's efforts at health care system reform. This paper assesses these differences, seeks to determine why they exist, and most importantly, measures the impact of this differentiated reform on...

Geographic disparities in mortality rates in the US are pronounced and growing. The Black-White mortality gap is volatile but persistent, while the Rich-Poor mortality gap is increasing dramatically. While the causes of these inequalities are not understood, recent attention has focused on the...

Dieser Aufsatz bietet einen einführenden Überblick zur globalen Gesundheitsökonomie – unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Allokation von Ressourcen, der Messung medizinischer Ergebnisse und der Bestimmungsgründe internationaler Variation. Daran anschließend werden gesundheitspolitische...

Does medical insurance affect health care demand and in the end contribute to improvements in the health status? Evidence for China for the year 2004, by means of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), shows that health insurance does not affect health care demand in a significant manner....

We examine the effect of publicly provided health care on welfare by combining local level data on public health care, and individual level data on life satisfaction. It is shown that relatively high expenditures in health care have a positive effect on individuals' life satisfaction in our...

We estimate the impact on health care utilization and out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures of a major reform in Thailand that extended health insurance to one-quarter of the population to achieve universal coverage while keeping health spending below 4% of GDP. Identification is through comparison...