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Recessions, healthy no more?

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  • Ruhm, Christopher J.

Abstract

Over the 1976–2010 period, total mortality shifted from strongly procyclical to being weakly or unrelated to macroeconomic conditions. The association is likely to be poorly measured when using short (less than 15 year) analysis periods. Deaths from cardiovascular disease and transport accidents continue to be procyclical; however, countercyclical patterns have emerged for fatalities from cancer mortality and external causes. Among the latter, non-transport accidents, particularly accidental poisonings, play an important role.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruhm, Christopher J., 2015. "Recessions, healthy no more?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 17-28.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:42:y:2015:i:c:p:17-28
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2015.03.004
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mortality; Health; Recessions; Macroeconomic conditions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E3 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles
    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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