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The Economics of Risky Health Behaviors

Author

Listed:
  • Cawley, John

    (Cornell University)

  • Ruhm, Christopher J.

    (University of Virginia)

Abstract

Risky health behaviors such as smoking, drinking alcohol, drug use, unprotected sex, and poor diets and sedentary lifestyles (leading to obesity) are a major source of preventable deaths. This chapter overviews the theoretical frameworks for, and empirical evidence on, the economics of risky health behaviors. It describes traditional economic approaches emphasizing utility maximization that, under certain assumptions, result in Pareto-optimal outcomes and a limited role for policy interventions. It also details nontraditional models (e.g. involving hyperbolic time discounting or bounded rationality) that even without market imperfections can result in suboptimal outcomes for which government intervention has greater potential to increase social welfare. The chapter summarizes the literature on the consequences of risky health behaviors for economic outcomes such as medical care costs, educational attainment, employment, wages, and crime. It also reviews the research on policies and strategies with the potential to modify risky health behaviors, such as taxes or subsidies, cash incentives, restrictions on purchase and use, providing information and restricting advertising. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Cawley, John & Ruhm, Christopher J., 2011. "The Economics of Risky Health Behaviors," IZA Discussion Papers 5728, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp5728
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    Keywords

    income; health behaviors; alcohol; tobacco; smoking; drugs; obesity; diet; food; physical activity; public health; public policy; taxation; subsidies; addiction; externalities; advertising; information; behavioral economics; neuroeconomics; human capital; education; prices; sex; time preference; peers; bounded rationality; medical costs; employment; wages; crime; hyperbolic discounting;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
    • H2 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • D6 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics
    • D03 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Behavioral Microeconomics: Underlying Principles
    • D87 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Neuroeconomics
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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