Health Economics Commons^™

A Cross-Sectional Study Of Infant Mortality Rates Between Countries, Katelyn E. May

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The health status of nations has been and continues to be under debate. Although the variables that comprise such a status have not been solidified, one variable that is closely studied and is thought to have an effect on the idea of health status is infant mortality. A country’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) is treated as an indicator of its health status as well as socioeconomic status. This research attempts to study the variables which are hypothesized to be significant in relation to IMR, and to find which ones truly have an effect. Data on eight independent variables were collected …

Money And Its Effects On Life, Behaviour And Happiness, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Happiness cannot be bought, some people might argue. Yet, money certainly allows people to buy things and experiences that can ultimately bring joy and happiness. Results from this year's Gallup World Poll, for instance, ranked Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands – all wealthy countries – as the top five for happiest inhabitants. A recent SMU Social Sciences Capstone Seminar also pointed out that wealthier countries have cleaner water, better infrastructure, fewer diseases, and higher IQs. Could the old adage, that money is the root of all evil, be out of touch with the realities of our capitalist, consumerist …

Micro-Level Estimation Of Child Undernutrition Indicators In Cambodia, Tomoki Fujii

Research Collection School Of Economics

One major limitation to addressing child undernutrition is a lack of the information required to target resources. This article extends the small-area estimation technique of Elbers, Lanjouw, and Lanjouw (2002, 2003) to jointly estimate multiple equations while allowing for individual-specific random errors across equations (in addition to cluster- and household-specific random errors). Estimates of the prevalence of stunting and underweight for children under age 5 in Cambodia from 17 Demographic and Health Survey strata are disaggregated into 1,594 communes by combining the Demographic and Health Survey data. The estimates are consistent with the surveyonly estimates at the aggregate and primary …

Institutional Structure And Decision Making In Sudan, Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

The study here presented reviews the institutional structure of the Sudanese government. Truly, though it is stigmatized as totalitarian, the structure is phenotypically perfect. Ministry of Ministries council is supposed to cater for analyzing data concerning ministries performance, drawing strategic planning, executing them through ministries and conduct the follow-ups. Department of decision-making was created and packages for data collection and analyses were improvised. However, all these structures seem skeletal as the final decisions structurally seem to be lost between the Presidency Institution and the executive institutions. An introduced flowing chart indicates that the cycle of all decisions end up at …

The International Society And The Sudanese National Disintegration, Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

The political crisis of Sudan is amplified everyday with the expansion of civil conflict from Darfur to Southern Kordofan state. The inevitable secession of Southern Sudan is threatened by the chronic crisis of Abyei pocket between the north and the south that saw open war between the two opponents; the Sudanese army and Popular Liberation of Sudan. Nevertheless, the Attorney General of the International Criminal Court, Ocambo vocalizes more concerns of humanitarian sufferings and war crimes that he claims to be continuing despite of peaceful negotiations. Such situation seems irrational with the de facto state of war that currently prevails …

The Impact Of Tribal Structure On The Economic Parameters And Conflicts Between North And South Sudan, Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

The crisis of Greater Darfur Region of Sudan extends to other regions as the South Sudan prepares for secession next July 2011. In the past eight years Sudan's crisis in Darfur was amplified by global news media all over the world. Civil conflict erupted, developed into armed rebellions and open uncontrolled war that enveloped the whole region. The current inflamed undecided and unmarked future borders between the south and north are also facing growing tensions. In this current paper we present some information on what we see as the seeds of conflicts with complicated tribal structures in both sides and …

Fend For Sudan Unity, Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Sudan is unified as a country by many bonds that are also reasons for it disintegration. From the year 2005 where Nivasha Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and South parts, to 2011 the efforts of dividing the country were evident. From 2005, many analysts, tried to warn of the coming consequences of the Southern part secession. There were calls for improvements of the current regime's totalitarianism, open the doors for democracy, sharing people in power and decision making and amending human standards and freedom. However, all calls fell on deaf ears. The Darfur crisis accelerated and the regime clutch …

International Trade, Structural Deformations And Hegemony In Islamic And Arabic Countries, Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed, Dr. Mohamed A. Osman

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Contemporary world economic situation seems gloomy with the shadows of recession in many big economies. There attempts to rectify that situation with domestic restructuring and improvements in social parameters. However, it is imperative that holistic approaches should be reviewed whereas part of them are helping developing economies to improve productivity and expand their exports and imports. The books reviews issues of international trade as presented in theories and de facto applications. Historical backgrounds are analyzed to emphasize their impacts on the present situations. Within the parameters discussed are crusades and ensuing colonization. All these foot prints are still engraved in …

State Institutionalization, Governance And Decision Making In Sudan, Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

The study here presented reviews the institutional structure of the Sudanese government. Truly, though it is stigmatized as totalitarian, the structure is phenotypically perfect. Ministry of Ministries council is supposed to cater for analyzing data concerning ministries performance, drawing strategic planning, executing them through ministries and conduct the follow-ups. Department of decision-making was created and packages for data collection and analyses were improvised. However, all these structures seem skeletal as the final decisions structurally seem to be lost between the Presidency Institution and the executive institutions. An introduced flowing chart indicates that the cycle of all decisions end up at …

Accidental Leaders No More: Challenges Facing Healthcare Leaders Of Today And Tomorrow, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Singapore’s ageing population means healthcare costs are going up at faster than ever. The heavier workload and growing business opportunities within this essential industry also means that on-going tensions between the public and private sectors are unlikely to go away anytime soon. Yet, at the same time, the industry faces multi-dimensional challenges, like rapidly-changing technology and fierce competition for talent. How can healthcare organisations prepare themselves for the challenges ahead? For a start, they could use a pipeline of formally-trained leaders.

Banks' Reserves Restrictions And Macroeconomic Parameters Of Sudanese Economy (2007-2009), Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

The paper analyzes the impacts of Islamic and conventional Banks reserves' restrictions in Sudan. Comprehensively, those restrictions are necessary for health banks, performance and the viability of the macroeconomic performance in any country. The selected period of the analysis (2007-2009) is vital to study impacts of the Global Financial Crisis on the Sudanese economy. The paper introduces available data on banks institutions, macroeconomic policies and the central Bank of Sudan considering its part on controlling money supply and demand besides drawing policies for banks behaviors. It is conceivable from my conclusions here that there are conflicts between conventional and Islamic …

Put Your Money Where Your Butt Is: A Commitment Contract For Smoking Cessation, Xavier Giné, Dean Karlan, Jonathan Zinman

Dartmouth Scholarship

We designed and tested a voluntary commitment product to help smokers quit smoking. The product (CARES) offered smokers a savings account in which they deposit funds for six months, after which they take a urine test for nicotine and cotinine. If they pass, their money is returned; otherwise, their money is forfeited to charity. Of smokers offered CARES, 11 percent took up, and smokers randomly offered CARES were 3 percentage points more likely to pass the 6-month test than the control group. More importantly, this effect persisted in surprise tests at 12 months, indicating that CARES produced lasting smoking cessation. …

Reducing Healthcare Costs Requires Good Market Design, Peter Cramton, Brett E. Katzman

Faculty and Research Publications

Healthcare costs are no doubt too high, and Congress has been pushing for 13 years to harness market forces in Medicare procurement. But despite all this time, we are on the precipice of adopting a very poor market design, according to Peter Cramton of University of Maryland and Brett Katzman of Kennesaw State University.

Economic Crisis And External Trade In Sudan, Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Nowadays, Sudan suffers severe financial crisis with the eminent demise of 75% of its oil revenues that represented over 90% of its foreign currency after the secession of its Southern part after a constitutional referendum. The compensatory revenues generating economic sectors are not able in the short, medium or runs to function due to the lack/diminished infrastructures. Hard currency exchange rates have soured against the domestic one and inflation sky-rocketed with severe recession grasping the economic cycle in the country which assess logic assumptions of stagflation. Reforming Sudan's foreign trade sector is essential though it will not replace oil revenues …

Multivariate Fractional Regression Estimation Of Econometric Share Models, John Mullahy

John Mullahy

This paper describes and applies econometric strategies for estimating regression models of economic share data outcomes where the shares may take boundary values (zero and one) with nontrivial probability. The main focus of the paper is on the conditional mean structures of such data. The paper proposes an extension of the fractional regression methodology proposed by Papke and Wooldridge, 1996, 2008, in univariate cross-sectional and panel contexts. The paper discusses the stochastic aspects of share definition and measurement, and summarizes important features of the existing literature on econometric strategies for share model estimation. The paper then goes on to discuss …

Concurrent Sexual Partnerships Do Not Explain The Hiv Epidemics In Africa: A Systematic Review Of The Evidence, Larry Sawers, Eileen Stillwaggon

Economics Faculty Publications

The notion that concurrent sexual partnerships are especially common in sub-Saharan Africa and explain the region’s high HIV prevalence is accepted by many as conventional wisdom. In this paper, we evaluate the quantitative and qualitative evidence offered by the principal proponents of the concurrency hypothesis and analyze the mathematical model they use to establish the plausibility of the hypothesis.

We find that research seeking to establish a statistical correlation between concurrency and HIV prevalence either finds no correlation or has important limitations. Furthermore, in order to simulate rapid spread of HIV, mathematical models require unrealistic assumptions about frequency of sexual …

A New Cost-Benefit And Rate Of Return Analysis For The Perry Preschool Program: A Summary, James Heckman, Seong Moon, Rodrigo Pinto, Peter A. Savelyev

Arts & Sciences Book Chapters

Childhood Programs and Practices in the First Decade of Life presents research findings on the effects of early childhood programs and practices in the first decade of life and their implications for policy development and reform. Leading scholars in the multidisciplinary field of human development and in early childhood learning discuss the effects and cost-effectiveness of the most influential model, state, and federally funded programs, policies, and practices. These include Head Start, Early Head Start, the WIC nutrition program, Nurse Family Partnership, and Perry Preschool as well as school reform strategies. This volume provides a unique multidisciplinary approach to understanding …

Workforce In Indian Health Care Sector, Venkatanarayana Motkuri Mr., Suresh V. Naik Mr.

Venkatanarayana Motkuri Mr.

The paper estimates the total workforce in Indian Helath Care Sector based on NSSO 61st (2004-05) round employment and unemployment survey.

The Janjaweed, The Armed Movements And The Political Disintegration Of Sudan, Issam A.W. Mohamed Professor

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

The present paper is part of unpublished book divided into three interrelated manuscripts that analyze the collapse of the Sudan. The current paper concludes that the rebellion by certain in Darfur region has triggered a further a counteraction by other tribes of Arab descendants. The counter-actors were recruited by an unprecedented tyrannical regime to submit the rebels but succeeded only in genocide and the turning over the regime and started their own rebellion. That resulted in an intricate situation carrying all symptoms of chaos. Truly, the regime maintained its existence but with continuously deteriorating life condition in Darfur region. The …

Impacts Of Islamic And Commercial Banks' Reserves Restrictions On Macroeconomic Parameters Of Sudan (2007-2009), Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

The paper analyzes the impacts of Islamic and conventional Banks reserves' restrictions in Sudan. Comprehensively, those restrictions are necessary for health banks, performance and the viability of the macroeconomic performance in any country. The selected period of the analysis (2007-2009) is vital to study impacts of the Global Financial Crisis on the Sudanese economy. The paper introduces available data on banks institutions, macroeconomic policies and the central Bank of Sudan considering its part on controlling money supply and demand besides drawing policies for banks behaviors. It is conceivable from my conclusions here that there are conflicts between conventional and Islamic …

Mother Earth "Speaks": Change Yourself, Change The World, Use The Archetypal Energy "Harmony" As A Guide, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

In relation to the Cosmos, we all, as human beings, live on this tiny planet we call Earth, a planet that supports and sustains life, as we know it. There are many different kinds of people, plants, and animals functioning in harmony with soil, air, and water--all linked to one another in a complex web of life to form one Earth community. Unfortunately, we often take this miracle and ecosystem of life for granted. When, however, we take the ecosystem of life too much for granted, Mother Earth "speaks," reflecting imbalances and dis-harmonies. When Mother Earth "speaks," her message is …

Macroeconomic Effects Of Foreign Currency Exchange Rates On Savings Attitudes In Sudan, Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

The impacts of fluctuations of exchange rates of foreign hard currencies are well documented in economics literature. There are measures taken over by countries to absorb their impacts on income, employment and national economies ability to function and produce. However, distortions are observed in underdeveloped and developing countries. Sudan is among those where impacts of fluctuations in exchange rates versus national currencies are strongly observed and felt on its economy. In the past three decades they represented the highest effects on real money's value, had macroeconomic impacts, affect the prices of productive inputs, produced commodities and the economy's performance. The …

Impacts Of Southern Sudan Secession: Case Study Of Hawazma Nomads Of Kordofan, Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Professor Issam A.W. Mohamed

Tribal interactions between groups of Southern Kordofan and the Southern provinces of Bahr al Ghazal and Upper Nile are wide and old. The old coexistence habits that previously dominated a one country structure were torn down by a de facto status secession by the Southern region of Sudan. The South Kordofan represents a region where tribal groups live in. Now it represents a region of future candidate for war. The decision of secession of Southern Sudan for independence involved delayed drawing borders and arguments of conflicts on specific regions bordering the two parts of Sudan. In South Kordofan many tribes …

Determinants Of Child Nutritional Status In Zambia: An Analysis Of A National Survey, Felix Masiye, Chitalu Chama, Bona Chitah, Dick Jonsson

Zambia Social Science Journal

Malnutrition affects many children and is a leading cause of childhood mortality and non-fatal health loss. Zambia has one of the highest rates of malnutrition in the world. About half of the Zambian children are stunted while one in five is underweight. Prevalence of wasting is much lower. This article examines the determinants of nutritional status among children aged below five years in Zambia using data from a national cross-sectional survey conducted in 2006. Multivariate analysis is used to quantify the effects of several household and child-specific socioeconomic and demographic factors on nutritional status, as well as a geographic context …

Hospital Performance Evaluation In Uganda: A Super-Efficiency Data Envelope Analysis Model, Bruno Yawe

Zambia Social Science Journal

Standard Data Envelope Analysis models result in a large fraction of the observations becoming 100 percent efficient. The article measures the technical efficiency of 25 district referral hospitals from three regions of Uganda over the 1999-2003 period. It applies a super-efficiency Data Envelopment Analysis model. The application of a super-efficiency model was occasioned by the failure of standard data envelopment analysis models to rank the efficient set of hospitals which attain an efficiency score of unity. The results of the standard data envelopment analysis models indicate the existence of different degrees of technical and scale inefficiency in Uganda’s district referral …

The Economic Impact Of Medicaid Spending In Arkansas, Katherine A. Deck, Viktoria Riiman

Publications and Presentations

Arkansas Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides necessary medical services to needy and low-income persons that is administered through the Arkansas Division of Medical Services at the Arkansas Department of Human Services. The Medicaid program is designed to provide the baseline health outcomes that are necessary for the state’s economy to function. The expenditures that are made through the Arkansas Medicaid program significantly affect the Arkansas economy. This report details the economic impacts of the direct expenditures of the Medicaid program on the Arkansas economy.

Singhealth Ceo Says Leadership Is About Compassion And The 'Cha Cha Cha', Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

That a leader ought to choose compassion over profits is a position unlikely to be popular with shareholders. However, that may well be the only kind of leadership that will command a following – because people gravitate towards ethical leadership. Leaders can attempt to inspire with a show of record profits and shareholder value. Yet, such successes can still seem somewhat empty. According to Prof. Tan Ser Kiat, Group CEO of SingHealth, Singapore's largest healthcare group, leaders that possess and display compassion inspire at a different level. They tap right into the heart.

The Influence Of New Medications On Prescribing Behavior By Practice Type: A Regression Analysis, Rita M. Pattarini

Honors Capstone Projects - All

Objective: To determine whether the type of practice to which physicians belong influences the types of medications they prescribe

Methods: The study used data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) to conduct a series of regressions for two pairs of medications. The first pair was for the treatment of high cholesterol. Advicor was the new medication and Lovastatin was the competitor. The second pair was for the treatment of arthritis. Humira was the new medication and Remicade was the competitor. For each pair, there were two sets of regressions that consisted of an unrestricted regression with all patients …

Do Ct Scans Help Prevent Cancer-Related Deaths?, Auyon J. Ghosh

Honors Capstone Projects - All

This paper uses a region-level estimation approach associated with medical procedures to identify the effectiveness of X-ray Computed Axial Tomography (CT) scans as a diagnostic tool in preventing cancer-related deaths. In order to measure the effects of the CT scan on cancer-related deaths, I use data from both the National Health Interview Survey and the Vital Statistics of the United States. For all four regions, we observe an increase in CT scan use after 1979 or, as illustrated specifically in the figure, from 1975 to 1980. All four regions exhibit marked increases in lung cancer-related deaths, very little fluctuation in …

Left Behind By Design: Proficiency Counts And Test-Based Accountability, Derek Neal, Diane Schanzenbach

Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach

We show that within the Chicago Public Schools, both the introduction of NCLB in 2002 and the introduction of similar district-level reforms in 1996 generated noteworthy increases in reading and math scores among students in the middle of the achievement distribution but not among the least academically advantaged students. The stringency of proficiency requirements varied among the programs implemented for different grades in different years, and our results suggest that changes in proficiency requirements induce teachers to shift more attention to students who are near the current proficiency standard.