Excessive preoccupation for self-image has been pointed out as an essential factor explaining food disorders. This paper draws upon Akerlof and Kranton (2000) to model how ’self-image’ and others’ appearances influence health related behaviours. We estimate the influence of ’peers’...

The extent to which equality in the access to and the financing of health care reduces inequalities in health is a key question for health-care reform policy-making. Cross-country studies, when they exist suffer from marked comparability limitations due to data heterogeneity and differences...

Health care is one of the main public policy areas in which management has been decentralised at sub-state level in Europe. However, given the complexities of health care funding, economic research into the effects of such decentralisation, and particularly into vertical and horizontal...

Obesity is one of the main health policy concerns in western societies today. In spite of its strong policy implications, the research devoted to the issue has been somewhat limited. This paper empirically examines the existence of income-related inequalities in obesity in Spain, using the...

This study examines the sensitivity of future long-term-care demand and expenditure estimates to "official" demographic projections in four selected European countries: Germany, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom. It uses standardised methodology in the form of a macro-simulation exercise and...

Low voter turn-out questions the legitimacy of modern democracies in pursuing some desired goals of political inclusion and legitimacy. Yet, in examining the determinants of individuals' participation, rational voting models assume that participation in elections is an exogenous feature whereby...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the determinants of quality in obstetric care and particularly why caesarean sections (CS) are experiencing unprecedented increases in developed societies. Design/methodology/approach – The paper exploits a population-based database...