Silvia Balia

A COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN? LONG-TERM HOME CARE UTILIZATION IN EUROPE

This paper investigates long-term home care utilization in Europe. Data from the first wave of the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement (SHARE) on formal (nursing care and paid domestic help) and informal care (support provided by relatives) are used to study the probability and the quantity of both types of care. The overall process is framed in a fully simultaneous equation system that takes the form of a bivariate two-part model where the reciprocal interaction between formal and informal care is estimated. Endogeneity and unobservable heterogeneity are addressed using a common latent factor approach. The analysis of the relative impact of age and disability on home care utilization is enriched by the use of a proximity to death (PtD) indicator built using the second wave of SHARE. All these indicators are important predictors of home care utilization. In particular, a strong significant effect of PtD is found in the paid domestic help and informal care models. The relationship between formal and informal care moves from substitutability to complementarity depending on the type of care considered, and the estimated effects are small in absolute size. This might call for a reconsideration of the effectiveness of incentives for informal care as instruments to reduce public expenditure for home care services.

Health and Wealth: Empirical Findings and Political Consequences

Abstract There is increasing concern that equity in health and health care in Europe may suffer as a result of the expansion of the European Union and the ageing of its populations. This article reviews the findings of the ‘‘ECuity III’’ project: a network of European health economists who have investigated socioeconomic inequalities in health and health care. In order to help inform the policy debate about how to secure health equity in our ageing European societies, the project pays particular attention to the key decisions about income, health and health care in age groups around the retirement age, as these prove to be crucial for a better understanding of cross-country differences in inequalities.

Interregional patient mobility in a decentralized healthcare system

ABSTRACT Interregional patient mobility in a decentralized healthcare system. Regional Studies. Interregional patient mobility, measured as origin–destination patient flows between any two regions, is analysed within a dynamic spatial panel data framework using 2001–10 data on Italian hospital discharges. The aim is to assess the effects of the main determinants of patient flows, distinguishing between the impacts of regional health policies and those exerted by exogenous factors (geography, size, neighbouring regions, national policies). Empirical results indicate that the main drivers of mobility are regional income, hospital capacity, organizational structure, performance and technology. Moreover, neighbouring regions’ supply factors, specialization and performance largely affect mobility by generating significant local externalities.

La valorizzazione dei beni di archeologia industriale: il caso del sito di Porto Flavia in Sardegna

La valorizzazione dei beni di archeologia industriale: il caso del sito di Porto Flavia in Sardegna (di Silvia Balia, Rinaldo Brau, Elisabetta Strazzera) - ABSTRACT: This paper presents a contingent valuation study set up to estimate the recreational value of an old mine, Porto Flavia, a site of the (UNESCO world heritage) Geo-mine Park in Sardinia. After discussing the role that appropriate policies and management of cultural goods can take for sustainable tourist development, we present the main features of the method, the survey design, and the data-set obtained. The econometric analysis focuses on the estimates of the demand curve, identifying possible targets for marketing actions, and a set of prices for different visit options.