Socio-economic Convergence

This book describes progressive methods to analyse
socio-economic convergence and then applies them to
EU health care systems. Membership of the EU is
hypothesised to encourage convergence due to factors
such as the free movement of citizens, open markets,
EU legislation, and wealth re-distribution. The
variables analysed are health care expenditure,
life expectancy and infant mortality, health care
resources, and utilisation rates. The results show
that convergence occurred in many variables and
reveal the countries that have contributed most. Of
particular interest is that countries joining the EU
relatively late, such as Spain and Portugal,
exhibited upward convergence while countries such as
Sweden experienced some downward convergence.
Convergence in a control group of non-EU countries
was found to be present, but to a lesser degree.
Influences according to the way health care is
financed and organised, and the factors affecting
health outcomes, are also examined. As socio-
economic convergence may lead to greater stability
and equity in the EU and beyond, this book will be
of interest to policy makers and analysts alike.

Autorentext

John Nixon, PhD, Department of Economics and Related Studies, University of York, UK. John Nixon teaches the economics of health care systems and his other areas of interest include the relationship between health care expenditure and health outcomes, evidence dissemination, and health care systems analysis.

Klappentext

This book describes progressive methods to analyse socio-economic convergence and then applies them to EU health care systems. Membership of the EU is hypothesised to encourage convergence due to factors such as the free movement of citizens, open markets, EU legislation, and wealth re-distribution. The variables analysed are health care expenditure, life expectancy and infant mortality, health care resources, and utilisation rates. The results show that convergence occurred in many variables and reveal the countries that have contributed most. Of particular interest is that countries joining the EU relatively late, such as Spain and Portugal, exhibited upward convergence while countries such as Sweden experienced some downward convergence. Convergence in a control group of non-EU countries was found to be present, but to a lesser degree. Influences according to the way health care is financed and organised, and the factors affecting health outcomes, are also examined. As socio-economic convergence may lead to greater stability and equity in the EU and beyond, this book will be of interest to policy makers and analysts alike.