This study was prepared by Sven Neelsen while he was working with the ifo Institute for Economic Research. It was completed in December 2011 and accepted as a doctoral thesis by the Department of Economics at the University of Munich in May 2012. The study investigates long-run effects of...

Financial incentives for health providers and households are increasingly used to improve reproductive, maternal, and child health service coverage in low- and middle-income countries. This study provides a quantitative synthesis of their effectiveness. A systematic review was conducted of the...

This Public Expenditure Review updates previous assessments of the levels and efficiency of health financing in Tajikistan and its consequences for healthcare access and health of the Tajik population. Funding for the public healthcare system which provides almost all healthcare remains far...

We examine economic vulnerability to illness when, as for informal sector workers in Thailand, there is universal coverage for health care but earnings losses are uninsured. Even with comprehensive health care entitlement, severe illness that strikes an initially healthy worker is found to raise...

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...

This paper examines the long run education and labor market effects from early-life exposure to the Greek 1941-42 famine. Given the short duration of the famine, we can separately identify the famine effects for cohorts exposed in utero, during infancy and at one year of age. We find that...

Like other countries seeking a progressive path to universalism, Peru has attempted to reduce inequalities in access to healthcare by granting the poor entitlement to tax-financed basic care without charge. We identify the impact of this policy by comparing the target population’s change in...

Der Umbau des US-amerikanischen Gesundheitssystems ist eines der Vorhaben der gegenwärtigen US-Regierung. Der folgende Beitrag stellt die Organisation und die Leistungsfähigkeit des derzeitigen Gesundheitswesens vor und diskutiert die aktuellen Reformvorschläge.