Using a vertical differentiation model, we investigate the product quality strategiesof two competing firms maximizing market shares. The rms are facing variable costs ofquality improvement and choose their prices under the constraint of nonnegative prots.We show that in equilibrium there is no...

In order to explain the growth of obesity in industrialized and transitioneconomies, a behavioral approach to food intake and overconsumption of caloriesis presented. It is argued that changes in food consumption patterns are one of themain drivers behind the imbalance of calories consumed and...

This paper uses a unique data set containing detailed micro-information on organisations, managers, workers and volunteers belonging to public, private forprofit and private nonprofit institutions delivering social services in Italy. The analysis aims to estimate the determinants of wages across...

Seit einigen Jahren wird in Deutschland über Veränderungen in der Finanzierungund im Leistungskatalog des Krankenversicherungssystems intensiv diskutiert. Dabeiwerden häufig problematische Anreizstrukturen im Hinblick auf das Verhaltender Versicherten genannt. Insbesondere haben Versicherte...

Between the years 1996 and 2003, a series of amendments were made to the Tax ReformAct of 1986 (TRA86) that gradually increased the tax credit for health insurance purchases bythe self-employed from 25 to 100 percent. We study how these changes in the tax code haveinfluenced the likelihood that...

Die sich verändernde Altersstruktur in Deutschland bedingt eine Veränderung der Finanzierungsmodalitätenim deutschen Gesundheitswesen. Ein Schritt dazu ist die Einführung derFallpauschalen (englisch DRG: Diagnosis Related Groups) zur Entlohnung von stationärenLeistungen. Allgemein wird...

ZUSAMMENFASSUNGDer Apothekenmarkt unterliegt in vielen europäischen Ländern nach wie vor einer starkenstaatlichen Regulierung. Sie besteht – je nach Land – in der Eigentümerregulierung, derRegulierung des Geschäftsbetriebes, der Öffnungszeiten, der Personalausstattung, derPreisbildung,...

Increasing costs of most healthcare systems result in (major) financing problemsand thus are the focus of many empirical inquiries. Researchers have found thatmismanagement is often a consequence of misplaced incentives. This paper tries tooutline some cases in which the demand side of...

The trend towards Internet self-regulation is driven both by gov-ernments that feel reluctant to invest in direct regulation (because offreedom of speech concerns or high cots of monitoring and enforce-ment) and by the industry that is under the threat of rising publicconcerns over content...

This paper analyses the process of knowledge growth in a branch of medical science. Our study of scientific advances in glaucoma research is organized in two parts. In the first we present a qualitative overview of the problem sequences that have characterized 150 years of medical research in...