Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/200389 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
ISER Working Paper Series No. 2017-10
Publisher: 
University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER), Colchester
Abstract: 
Each year the UK records 25,000 or more excess winter deaths, primarily among the elderly. A key policy response is the 'Winter Fuel Payment' (WFP), a labelled but unconditional cash transfer to older households. The WFP has been shown to raise fuel spending among eligible households. We examine the causal effect of the WFP on health outcomes, including self-reports of chest infection, measured hypertension and biomarkers of infection and inflammation. We find a robust and statistically significant six percentage point reduction in the incidence of high levels of serum fibrinogen. Reductions in other disease markers point to health benefits, but the estimated effects are not robustly statistically significant.
Subjects: 
benefits
health
biomarkers
heating
regression discontinuity
JEL: 
H51
I12
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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