This paper examines the relationship between labor productivity and alcohol consumption based on research conducted with a limited sample of workers who drink alcohol. Estimation results show that in the case of males, the amount of alcohol consumed significantly raises labor productivity, with...

This article examines the choice of health care in Japan by patients suffering from the common cold. Original data were obtained from a survey conducted by the authors. Empirical results show that the price elasticity of demand for medical services is between 0.23 and 0.36. This estimated price...

It is a widely shared view in the population health field that the future of the analysis of population health lies in the assessment both of the length of life and health-adjusted quality of life, and the parallel examination of the average health and health distribution within a population....

Based on a panel data set of Japanese manufacturing firms in research-intensive industries, we investigate quantitatively the extent to which debt outstandings in the 90s affected the firm’s R&D activities. We find that massive debt outstandings had significantly negative effect on R&D...

Classified broadly, two motives for intra-family transfers exist: altruism and selfishness. This paper examines two selfish hypotheses − the exchange motive (strategic bequest motive)and the demonstration effect − using a new Japanese micro data set. My analysis of the determinants of...

This paper tries to calculate quality of life (QOL) from subjective health evaluations in Japan following Cutler and Richardson (1997) and Groot (2000). It then extends the model in several ways. Firstly, while previous studies define the domain of QOL in an ad hoc manner, i.e. excluding...

Despite the objection of the Bush administration to the U.S.’s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, its entry into force has come to be realistic due to the Bonn Agreement in July. The purpose of this paper is first to survey the framework of the Protocol, and then to analyze the strategic...