The Spatial Dimension of Health Systems
The Spatial Dimension of Health Systems
- Elisa Tosetti, Elisa TosettiBrunel Business School, Brunel University London
- Rita Santos, Rita SantosCentre for Health Economics, University of York
- Francesco MosconeFrancesco MosconeBrunel Business School, Brunel University London
- , and Giuseppe ArbiaGiuseppe ArbiaDepartment of Business, Statistical, Technological and Environmental Sciences, D'Annunzio University of Chieti–Pescara
Summary
The spatial dimension of supply and demand factors is a very important feature of healthcare systems. Differences in health and behavior across individuals are due not only to personal characteristics but also to external forces, such as contextual factors, social interaction processes, and global health shocks. These factors are responsible for various forms of spatial patterns and correlation often observed in the data, which are desirable to include in health econometrics models.
This article describes a set of exploratory techniques and econometric methods to visualize, summarize, test, and model spatial patterns of health economics phenomena, showing their scientific and policy power when addressing health economics issues characterized by a strong spatial dimension. Exploring and modeling the spatial dimension of the two-sided healthcare provision may help reduce inequalities in access to healthcare services and support policymakers in the design of financially sustainable healthcare systems.
Keywords
Subjects
- Econometrics, Experimental and Quantitative Methods
- Health, Education, and Welfare Economics
- Public Economics and Policy