This paper explores levels and trends in the prevalence of caesarean section delivery in Ireland between 1999 and 2006. Over this period the caesarean section rate in Ireland increased by almost one quarter. Using data from the Irish National Perinatal Reporting System we examine the...

Using hospital discharge data covering the period 1999-2004, the purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of avoidable hospitalisations in Ireland, with a particular focus on the role of eligibility for free primary health care. Avoidable hospitalisations are those that are...

Housing and health are critical issues for policymakers and the public. Secure and affordable housing, along with quick access to required health and social care, are considered essential services for the public and are key targets for planners. In Ireland, as in many countries, the need to...

This report analyses changes in public current and capital healthcare expenditure (HCE) (2004 to 2017), and its components, along with trends in HSE staffing and pay expenditure (2007 to 2017). This report adopts an inclusive approach to the measurement of HCE and HCE is defined in gross terms...

General practice is an integral part of the Irish healthcare system. Demand for general practice services is expected to increase in the coming years due to both (i) a growing and ageing population, and ii) policy proposals seeking to re-orientate healthcare delivery towards the community...

Housing and health are regarded as pressing concerns for the general public and policymakers in Ireland, but little information exists regarding their relationship. This study utilises data from the EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) to examine the correlations between housing...

Many economic applications involve the modeling of a binary variable as simultaneously determined with one of its dycotomous regressors. In this paper we deal with a prominent health economics case study, that of cesarean section delivery utilization across public and private hospitals....

With prospective payment of hospitals becoming more common, measuring their performance is gaining in importance. However, the standard cost frontier model yields biased efficiency scores because it ignores technological heterogeneity between hospitals. In this paper, efficiency scores are...

Several European countries have followed the United States in introducing prospective payment for hospitals with the expectation of achieving cost efficiency gains. This article examines whether theoretical expectations of cost efficiency gains can be empirically confirmed. In contrast to...