Health Care Expenditure and Income in the OECD Reconsidered: Evidence from Panel Data

Badi Baltagi and Francesco Moscone ()
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Francesco Moscone: Brunel University

No 4851, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper reconsiders the long-run economic relationship between health care expenditure and income using a panel of 20 OECD countries observed over the period 1971-2004. In particular, the paper studies the non-stationarity and cointegration properties between health care spending and income. This is done in a panel data context controlling for both cross-section dependence and unobserved heterogeneity. Cross-section dependence is modelled through a common factor model and through spatial dependence. Heterogeneity is handled through fixed effects in a panel homogeneous model and through a panel heterogeneous model. Our findings suggest that health care is a necessity rather than a luxury, with an elasticity much smaller than that estimated in previous studies.

Keywords: heterogeneous panels; cross section dependence; income elasticity; health expenditure; factor models (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C31 C33 H51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 24 pages
Date: 2010-03
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (191)

Published - published in: Economic Modelling, 2010, 27 (4), 804-811

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Related works:
Journal Article: Health care expenditure and income in the OECD reconsidered: Evidence from panel data (2010)
Working Paper: Health Care Expenditure and Income in the OECD Reconsidered: Evidence from Panel Data (2010)
Working Paper: Health Care Expenditure and Income in the OECD Reconsidered: Evidence from Panel Data (2009)
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