The height of the French male population of the Ancien Régime is estimated, on the basis of military records, to have been about 162 cm in the 17th century. This extremely short stature implies that "the crisis of the 17th century" had an immense impact on the human organism itself. The...

Much research in France or abroad has highlighted the medical practice variation (MPV) phenomenon. There is no consensus on the origin of MPV between preference-centered approaches versus opportunities and constraints approaches. This study's main purpose is to assess the relevance of hypotheses...

This study analyses income-related inequalities in health in France in 2004, using a decomposed concentration index and alternative refined measurements of health. Interval regression method is used to cardinalise self-assessed health. Results are offered at two levels. Firstly, this analysis...

Vaccination campaigns to prevent the spread of epidemics are successful only if the targeted populations subscribe to the recommendations of health authorities. However, because compulsory vaccination is hardly conceivable in modern democracies, governments need to convince their populations...

The epicentre of the global HIV epidemic is southern Africa. Previous explanations point to migration patterns and highly skewed income distribution, both thought to promote risky sexual behaviour. This study emphasizes the importance of common infectious and parasitic diseases that increase the...

This paper estimates the gender-specific effects of birthweight on a variety of schooling and labor market outcomes. A unique feature of the study is to use micro evidence on the relationship between birthweight - an early measure of nutritional advantage - and schooling outcomes to make...

This paper offers an integrated view of the relationships between health spending, medical innovation, health status, growth and welfare. Health spending triggers technological progress, which is a potential source of better outcomes in terms of longevity and quality of life, a direct source of...

This paper confirms earlier position that higher education is a sine-qua-non for human capital development and economic growth. However, the paper posits that the form of education that will translate to economic growth, especially, in Nigeria must place emphasis on the access to, content and...

Over a five-year period in the 1990s Vietnam experienced annual economic growth of more than 8% and a decrease of 15 points in the proportion of children chronically malnourished (stunted). We estimate the extent to which changes in the distribution of child nutritional status can be explained...