Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Series: Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers
Creation-Date: 2023-03-24
Number: 23-017/V
Author-Name: Shaun Da Costa
Author-Workplace-Name: Paris School of Economics
Author-Name: Owen O'Donnell
Author-Workplace-Name: Erasmus University Rotterdam
Author-Name: Raf Van Gestel
Author-Workplace-Name: Erasmus University Rotterdam
Title: Distributionally Sensitive Measurement and Valuation of 
Population Health
Abstract: We introduce a measure of population health that is sensitive to dispersion in both age-specific health and lifespan. The measure generalises health-adjusted life expectancy
without requiring more data. A transformation of change in the measure gives a
distributionally sensitive monetary valuation of change in population health and disease
burden. Application to Sub-Saharan Africa between 1990 and 2019 reveals that the
change in population health is sensitive to allowing for lifespan dispersion but is less
sensitive to age-specific health dispersion. Distributional sensitivity changes relative
burdens of diseases, reduces convergence between the burdens of communicable and
non-communicable diseases, and so could influence disease prioritisation. It increases
the value of health improvements relative to GDP.

Classification-JEL: I14, I15, J11, J17, O15
Keywords: Health, Lifespan, Life Expectancy, Inequality, Global Burden of Disease, Sub-Saharan Africa
File-URL: https://papers.tinbergen.nl/23017.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 1.578.647 bytes
Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:20230017