The Economics of Health System Payment

Summary Health care takes up 10 to 15 percent of GDP in most countries. In this lecture, I consider the efficiency of the medical system, focusing on the potential for payment reform to increase efficiency. Traditionally, medical care reimbursement has been based on the quantity and intensity of the services provided. While this system encouraged valuable innovation, it failed when high quality is not achieved by increased quantity. In theory, a more efficient system could be achieved by paying for medical care on the basis of quality of care provided, not just quantity. I discuss the design of such a payment system and review the literature on how pay-for-performance systems have worked in practice. Cautious optimism about the potential for efficiency gains from payment reform is warranted. This essay was presented as the 19th Tinbergen Lecture on October 21, 2005, in Amsterdam. I am grateful to session participants for comments.     

The Economics of Air Pollution Health Risks in Russia: A Case Study of Volgograd

A combined health risk assessment, cost-effectiveness analysis, and benefit-cost analysis is undertaken for direct particulate emissions from 29 stationary source polluters in the city of Volgograd, Russia. Annual particulate-related mortality risks from these stationary sources are estimated to be substantial, with an estimate in the range of 960–2,667 additional deaths per year in this city of one million. The majority of these risks are attributed to two major facilities in the northern part of the city. For several emission reduction projects, the cost-per-life saved was estimated to be quite low. The total net benefits to the city of implementing five of the six identified projects, leading to roughly a 25% reduction in mortality risk, are estimated to be at least $40 million in present value terms.     

On Austrian Economics and the Economics of Carl Menger

This paper gives an overview of the work of Carl Menger, the founding father of the Austrian School of Economics. Menger’s theoretical and methodological positions are compared and contrasted with those of contemporary Austrian Economics. The idea of the unintended consequences of individual purposive actions is seen as a key to Menger’s economics. Although many elements of contemporary Austrian Economics can be found already in the work of Menger, we argue that there are some differences with respect to economic theorizing and economic policy recommendations. We propose to bring Austrian Economics closer to mainstream economics, especially with respect to the analytical tools to be used.     

Economics of Agglomeration

We address the fundamental question arising in geographical economics: why do economic activities agglomerate in a small number of places? The main reasons for the formation of economic clusters involving firms and/or households are analyzed: (i) externalities under perfect competition; (ii) increasing returns under monopolistic competition; and (iii) spatial competition under strategic interaction. We review what has been accomplished in these three domains and identify a few general principles governing the organization of economic space. A few alternative, new approaches are also proposed.J. Japan. Int. Econ.,December 1996,10(4), pp. 339–378. Kyoto University and University of Pennsylvania; and CORE, Université Catholique de Louvain and CERAS–ENPC (URA 2036, CNRS).     

图解经济学

衣食住行、学习工作、运动休闲、旅行度假……日常生活中我们时时刻刻都在进行经济行为，思索经济问题，经济学就是这样一门与我们的生活息息相关的学问。     

Folk Economics

Folk economics is the intuitive economics of untrained people. It is concerned with distribution, and does not allow for or understand incentives. Folk economic notions evolved in our ancestors m circumstances where there was little in the way of specialization, division of labor, capital investment, or economic growth. It can explain the beliefs of naïve individuals regarding matters such as international trade, labor economics, law and economics, and industrial organization. It is important that voters understand economic principles. Economists would do a better job of persuading others and of teaching if we paid explicit attention to folk economics. Because untrained individuals do not fully understand gains from trade, training in economics is likely to improve welfare by increasing the number of trading opportunities. There is evidence that this is m fact true.     

现行经济学学科设置问题与法律经济学的兴起

通过比较国内外现行经济学学科设置,评述法律经济学的学科定位、学科特征与发展趋势,分析政治经济学、制度经济学与法律经济学的关系,发现在应用经济学一级学科目录下,增设法律经济学这一内容丰富、方兴未艾的金矿学科,已经水到渠成。     

超越新古典——新兴经济学理论创新概述

最近10多年来，随着一些非主流新兴经济学科的不断发展与成熟，一个新的、超越新古典传统的经济学理论体系正在逐步形成。本文对新兴经济学在研究方法和基本假设方面的创新进行了阐释，这种阐释有助于我们前瞻性地把握经济学未来的发展方向和趋势，有助于中国经济学家尽快融入这场正在不断向纵深发展的理论创新思潮，从而缩短中国经济学研究与国际学术前沿的差距。     

The Economics of Pensions

This paper sets out the economic analytics of pensions. Afterintroductory discussion, successive sections consider the effectsof different pension arrangements on labour markets, on nationalsavings and growth, and on the distribution of burdens and benefits.These areas are controversial and politically highly salient.While we are open about expressing our own views, the main purposeof the paper is to set out the analytical process by which wereach them, to enable readers to form their own conclusions. Footnotes ¹ E-mail addresses: n.barr{at}lse.ac.uk; pdiamond{at}mit.edu