In Switzerland, there are substantial cantonal differences in per capita cost of the mandatory health care system. The present paper breaks these differences down into price and quantity effects revealing both, a large quantity and a somewhat smaller price variance across cantons. As a statistical fact, a positive correlation of price and quantity index results. Dividing the inferred quantity output index by a corresponding input index yields a measure of total factor productivity. While the canton of Zurich exhibits the highest productivity, the measures in Geneva, Neuchâtel, Berne and Vaud are far below average. Finally, a data envelopment analysis of hospital services shows little evidence for variable returns to scale implying that low productivities are, for the most part, due to pure technological slacks.
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Volume (Year): 144 (2008) Issue (Month): III (September) Pages: 459-476 Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML
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Find related papers by JEL classification: D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Capital and Total Factor Productivity; Capacity I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Production
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