Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/26994 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2007
Series/Report no.: 
Center Discussion Paper No. 955
Publisher: 
Yale University, Economic Growth Center, New Haven, CT
Abstract: 
Good health is a determinant of economic growth and a component of well-being. This paper discusses and synthesizes economic models of individual and household behavior, showing how they may be used to illuminate health policy making in low-income countries. The models could help address questions such as: How can the health of the poor be improved, and what are the economic consequences of better health? What policies would improve intra-household distribution of health outcomes? An extensive literature on health human capital and household models, and on related field experiments is reviewed in an attempt to answer these questions. It is found that there are large returns to health improvements in low-income countries. Moreover, health improvements in poor nations can be achieved through implementation of simple interventions such as dietary supplements, control of parasitic diseases, and pro-poor social expenditures. The paper concludes with a discussion of these policy options.
Subjects: 
Health production
health care markets
household production and intrahousehold allocation
health economics
low-income countries.
JEL: 
I12
I11
D13
O12
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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