The health benefits of spas have been hypothesized for centuries. If this hypothesis is correct, spa therapy offers a low cost alternative to more expensive and potentially more invasive medical treatments for ailments such as back pain and arthritis. We use individual-level panel data to...

Advertising bans can increase or decrease alcohol consumption due to effects on beverage choice, price competition, and substitution by producers toward non-banned media. We study bans on broadcast advertising in seventeen OECD countries for the years 1977-95, in relation to per capita alcohol...

Aufgrund der demographischen Alterung wird die Zahl der Pflegebedürftigen in den nächsten Jahrzehnten deutlich ansteigen. Damit wird auch die gegenwärtig vorhandene Infrastruktur für die ambulante und stationäre Versorgung nicht ausreichen, um den notwendigen Pflegestandard zu erhalten oder...

HPV infections can cause substantial burden in females and males as it is associated with several genital cancers, in addition to genital warts. Traditional economic evaluations often focus on quantifying cost-effectiveness, however, it is increasingly recognized that vaccinations may generate...

Aufgrund der demographischen Alterung wird die Zahl der Pflegebedürftigen in den nächsten Jahrzehnten deutlich ansteigen. Damit wird auch die gegenwärtig vorhandene Infrastruktur für die ambulante und stationäre Versorgung nicht ausreichen, um den notwendigen Pflegestandard zu erhalten oder...

This paper examines the efficiency of the German hospital sector over time and the relative efficiency of public, welfare (both nonprofit) and private (for-profit) hospital sectors using data from the Federal Statistics Office of German hospitals. Efficiency scores were computed using Data...

This paper investigates the short-term effects of public smoking bans on individual smoking behavior. In 2007 and 2008, state-level smoking bans were gradually introduced in all of Germany's sixteen federal states. We exploit this variation in the timing of state bans to identify the effect that...

This paper investigates the short-term effects of public smoking bans on individual smoking behavior. In 2007 and 2008, state-level smoking bans were gradually introduced in all of Germany's sixteen federal states. We exploit this variation in the timing of state bans to identify the effect that...

This paper investigates the short-term effects of public smoking bans on individual smoking behavior. In 2007 and 2008, state-level smoking bans were gradually introduced in all of Germany's sixteen federal states. We exploit this variation in the timing of state bans to identify the effect that...

This paper investigates the short-term effects of public smoking bans on individual smoking behavior. In 2007 and 2008, state-level smoking bans were gradually introduced in all of Germany's federal states. We exploit this variation to identify the effect that smoke-free policies had on...