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Social and economic consequences of chronic diseases: What are the social and economic consequences of chronic diseases? What are the social and economic consequences of chronic diseases? Who suffers from the costs of these diseases? Who suffers from the costs of these diseases? Is there a case for governments to act to reduce the social harms caused by chronic diseases?

David Stuckler and Marc Suhrcke

in Sick Societies: Responding to the global challenge of chronic disease

This chapter details how economic perspectives can enlighten us on how best to respond to chronic diseases. It shows that such economic tools are powerful, but they have ethical, policy, and ... More

This chapter details how economic perspectives can enlighten us on how best to respond to chronic diseases. It shows that such economic tools are powerful, but they have ethical, policy, and technical limitations. The chapter begins by setting out the meaning of ‘economic perspective’ and addressing its important drawbacks. It then discusses four key questions: What are the social and economic costs of chronic disease? Who carries the burden of these costs? How do we measure them? Can these social harms caused by chronic diseases be avoided at low cost? In considering the final question, it assesses whether in a ‘no-change’ scenario the harm caused by chronic diseases can be expected to ‘take care of itself’ through market forces, evaluating the economic case for government support of broader public health interventions.Less

Internal Wars In Developing Countries: An Empirical Overview of Economic and Social Consequences

Frances Stewart, Cindy Huang, and Michael Wang

in War and Underdevelopment: Volume 1: The Economic and Social Consequences of Conflict

This chapter presents an empirical overview of some of the economic costs and social costs of civil conflict in the last 25 years. Attention is focused on internal conflict because it has been much ... More

This chapter presents an empirical overview of some of the economic costs and social costs of civil conflict in the last 25 years. Attention is focused on internal conflict because it has been much more prevalent among poor countries in recent years. The chapter defines as ‘internal’ any conflict where there are major groups on different sides within a nation, even though other nations may also be active participants. In addition, the chapter identifies the incidence, regional location, and severity of internal conflict, focusing on the recent past, but putting this into the context of the history of the last 200 years. It briefly points to expectations about the nature, direction, and magnitude of the effects of civil war, and reviews some empirical evidence of how major economic and social variables changed in the countries worst affected by conflict in the 1970s and 1980s.Less

Communities and Development: Autarkic Social Groups and the Economy

Russell Hardin

in A Not-so-dismal Science: A Broader View of Economies and Societies

Issues of social group autarky are addressed, with particular reference to their economic costs. The different sections of the chapter address the social interests of such groups, give some American ... More

Issues of social group autarky are addressed, with particular reference to their economic costs. The different sections of the chapter address the social interests of such groups, give some American examples (the Lubavitch Jewish community of Brooklyn, and American farmers—the need for which has declined as agricultural productivity has risen dramatically), individual versus group economic benefits, special status for social groups, conflict between special‐status social groups (exemplified by professional, religious, status, linguistic, and ethnic groups), and conflict within special‐status groups.Less

Understanding the Economic Costs of Incarceration for African American Males

Mark L. Joseph

in Social Work With African American Males: Health, Mental Health, and Social Policy

This chapter explores the economic implications of the staggering incarceration rate in the United States for African American men, for their families and communities, and for society as a whole. ... More

This chapter explores the economic implications of the staggering incarceration rate in the United States for African American men, for their families and communities, and for society as a whole. First, it provides a theoretical framework for examining the relationship between incarceration and earnings. Next, it summarizes the data and methodology used for the analysis of the earnings gap. It examines the size and causes of the earnings gap as suggested by empirical analysis. It then considers the individual and societal economic costs of the earnings gap. The final section considers potential ways to reduce the earnings gap.Less

The Cost of War: Mortality and Population Loss

John Landers

in The Field and the Forge: Population, Production, and Power in the Pre-industrial West

War imposed economic costs through the destruction of resources and their diversion to non-productive ends, and demographic costs in the form of relative or absolute population losses due to forced ... More

War imposed economic costs through the destruction of resources and their diversion to non-productive ends, and demographic costs in the form of relative or absolute population losses due to forced emigration, increased mortality, and lower fertility. A table of total wartime troop losses shows an overall decline in mortality from the earlier to later parts of the period, and the long-term importance of disease as a cause of wartime death and the dramatic decline in its toll after 1900. Warfare could trigger civilian mortality crises among civilians, but these could also result from the presence or movement of troops through a region without any actual fighting. Substantial mortality, even under conditions of major food shortage, required the outbreak of epidemic disease. The effects of war on mortality can be a series of concentric circles spreading outward from the battlefield itself to civilian society in regions beyond the war zone.Less

Habitats for vectors of disease

D. Dudley Williams

in The Biology of Temporary Waters

This chapter considers the many disease-causing and disease-carrying organisms, chiefly invertebrates that live in temporary water habitats. Important examples include blood flukes (schistomiasis), ... More

This chapter considers the many disease-causing and disease-carrying organisms, chiefly invertebrates that live in temporary water habitats. Important examples include blood flukes (schistomiasis), nematodes (Guinea worm), and mosquitoes (malaria, yellow fever, elephantiasis). The biology of these species is presented alongside a discussion of their economic and humanitarian costs, and the eradication/control methods aimed both at these organisms and their habitats.Less

What Price is Just?

Mark R. Reiff

in Exploitation and Economic Justice in the Liberal Capitalist State

This chapter discusses the critical element of price, rejects the idea that the market price is necessarily just, and develops a new, objective cost-of-production-based conception of what makes the ... More

This chapter discusses the critical element of price, rejects the idea that the market price is necessarily just, and develops a new, objective cost-of-production-based conception of what makes the price term in an exchange transaction unjust. Particular attention is paid to whether the idea of the cost of production should be cashed out as marginal or average total cost, private or social cost, or economic or accounting cost. The chapter also discusses how to calculate the cost of labor, examines the relationship between subsistence and contextual basic needs, and explains how the theory of exploitation presented in the book can be used to determine when executive compensation is excessive. The chapter ends by discussing how one should account for time when calculating cost.Less

Economic Burden

Liang Youxin

in Global Occupational Health

Poor occupational health and safety conditions lead to 250 million injuries, 335,000 fatalities and 60 to 150 million occupational diseases, resulting in 1.2 million work-related deaths per year. ... More

Poor occupational health and safety conditions lead to 250 million injuries, 335,000 fatalities and 60 to 150 million occupational diseases, resulting in 1.2 million work-related deaths per year. Such conditions cost approximately 4 to 5% of the total GDP of countries. These figures, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) or the World Health Organization (WHO), constitute an enormous and unnecessary economic cost and loss in health and suffering. Despite substantial advances in occupational health and safety, working conditions for most people in the world do not meet the minimum standards of the ILO and WHO. The health of the worker has a profound influence on productivity. China provides a concrete example: the estimated economic loss due to silicosis alone has been calculated for 1986. It has been estimated that the 310,000 cases resulted in yearly economic losses of Y 5 billion, which, when using the market value of Chinese currency, the yuan, would represent approximately 0.4% of China’s GDP at the time. Most of the cost comes from indirect economic losses due to reduced productivity, reduced profit of the enterprise and reduced earnings. This represents a very large drag on the economy. The cost of providing universal occupational health services has been estimated at approximately 0.4% of the world’s total GDP, one tenth of the amount lost every year to occupational injury and illness. Therefore, the economics of occupational health and safety strongly favor good practices and protecting the health of workers.Less

The Cumulative Costs of the Opportunity Gap

Clive Belfield and Henry M. Levin

in Closing the Opportunity Gap: What America Must Do to Give Every Child an Even Chance

Economists Clive Belfield and Hank Levin explore the overall costs of the cumulative opportunity gap. They examine the opportunity gap in terms of diminished lifetime opportunities for employment and ... More

Economists Clive Belfield and Hank Levin explore the overall costs of the cumulative opportunity gap. They examine the opportunity gap in terms of diminished lifetime opportunities for employment and income, as well as the social costs of having an undereducated workforce when students do not complete high school or beyond. They estimate that the economic benefit of closing the opportunity gap by just one-third would result in $50 billion in fiscal savings and $200 billion in savings from a societal perspective—by, for example, lowering rates of crime and incarceration. By point of comparison, they note, total taxpayer spending on K-12 education, including national, state, and local expenditures, is approximately $570 billion. Closing the opportunity gap is not simply a matter of equity and of adhering to core American values, Belfield and Levin argue; it also implicates our economic health.Less

The High Cost of the Iraq War

Joseph E. Stiglitz

in The Economists' Voice: Top Economists Take On Today's Problems

Shortly before the current Iraq War, Bush administration economist Larry Lindsey suggested that the costs of war might range between $100 billion and $200 billion, other officials quickly demurred. ... More

Shortly before the current Iraq War, Bush administration economist Larry Lindsey suggested that the costs of war might range between $100 billion and $200 billion, other officials quickly demurred. But it is now clear that Lindsey's numbers were a gross underestimate. Concerned that the Bush administration might be misleading everyone about the Iraq War's costs, the author teamed up with Linda Bilmes, a budget expert at Harvard, to examine the issue. This chapter presents their findings. Among them is that the estimated costs of war range from slightly less than a trillion dollars (conservative estimate) to more than $2 trillion (moderate estimate). Their calculations incorporated the future burden on the government's budget of additional military pensions and the impact of higher oil prices on the economy as well as the opportunity cost of government spending diverted from other areas to fighting the war. Needless to say, all of the types of costs considered have continued to rise since the estimates here were prepared.Less

The Economic Cost of the Iraq War

Scott Wallsten

in The Economists' Voice: Top Economists Take On Today's Problems

This chapter considers the costs of the Iraq war. It is estimated that through the summer of 2005, the direct economic cost of the war in Iraq to the United States was about $300 billion. Including ... More

This chapter considers the costs of the Iraq war. It is estimated that through the summer of 2005, the direct economic cost of the war in Iraq to the United States was about $300 billion. Including costs to Iraq and coalition partners, the global cost comes closer to $500 billion. Looking forward, the total net present value of the costs could double before this war is done. The conflict, however, has also led to some savings. It is estimated that the avoided costs of no longer enforcing U.N. sanctions are about $120 billion to date, and they could total around $430 billion by 2015.Less

The economics of austerity

Stephen McBride

in Social Policy In Times of Austerity: Global economic crisis and the new politics of welfare

This chapter considers the various costs associated with the economic and financial crisis and the austerity policies which have become a standard response to that crisis; Direct and indirect ... More

This chapter considers the various costs associated with the economic and financial crisis and the austerity policies which have become a standard response to that crisis; Direct and indirect economic costs; social costs, including diminished opportunities for individuals and deleterious effects on their health; and less tangible but clearly linked effects such as a decline in democratic governance are noted. A complex picture emerges in which these factors are both interlinked and, whilst displaying new aspects, are also found to have a longer history that locates the ‘new austerity’ in a context of long-standing elite preferences. Similarly some of the costs of austerity are already apparent. Others, equally severe, are entirely and reliably predicable in the future as the consequences of today's cutbacks and restructuring have their impact on future generations.Less

Transportation Costs, Trade, and Global Value Chains

Sübidey Togan

in The Liberalization of Transportation Services in the EU and Turkey

This chapter sets out the purpose of the book, the importance of the subject, and the structure of the book. The chapter studies the relation between trade costs and volume of trade; the economic ... More

This chapter sets out the purpose of the book, the importance of the subject, and the structure of the book. The chapter studies the relation between trade costs and volume of trade; the economic history of trade and transportation costs emphasizing the role of providing security as a component of trade costs within the context of Silk Road trade during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries; analyses how transportation costs as a major component of trade costs affect trade and economic activity in general; concentrates on the determinants of transportation costs, emphasizing the roles of infrastructure and the regulatory framework; and discusses the importance of transport cost and transport infrastructure for participation in global value chains trade.Less

The Settlement of the State Lawsuits

in Smoke-Filled Rooms: A Postmortem on the Tobacco Deal

The settlement of the suits brought by the state attorneys general against the cigarette industry for $206 billion in 1998 resolved the impasse over the Proposed Resolution. The settlement led to an ... More

The settlement of the suits brought by the state attorneys general against the cigarette industry for $206 billion in 1998 resolved the impasse over the Proposed Resolution. The settlement led to an enormous payoff to the states. The unprecedented size and scope of the settlement alone make it of considerable interest. The settlement also raises other intriguing issues regarding the structure of the payments and their disposition. The lawsuits filed by the state attorneys general have economic underpinnings. The fundamental concern is with the financial cost smoking imposes on the states. The chief economic cost is that cigarettes have an adverse effect on individual health, boosting health-care costs and the associated financial burden on the states. The settlement of the state suits established a new reference point and potential anchor for runaway juries.Less

The Trade and Investment Effects of Preferential Trading Arrangements

Philippa Dee and Jyothi Gali

in International Trade in East Asia

This chapter examines the effects of the trade and nontrade provisions of preferential trading arrangements (PTAs) on international trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) flows of member and ... More

This chapter examines the effects of the trade and nontrade provisions of preferential trading arrangements (PTAs) on international trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) flows of member and nonmember countries. The analysis reveals that there may be economic gains from the nontrade provisions of third-wave PTAs but there are still economic costs associated with the preferential nature of the trade provisions. This chapter suggests that there could be real benefits if countries could use regional negotiations to persuade trading partners to make progress in reforming such things as investment, services, competition policy, and government procurement, especially if this is done on a nonpreferential basis.Less

Quantifying the economic consequences of multiple stressors on the marine environment

Nick Hanley

in Stressors in the Marine Environment: Physiological and ecological responses; societal implications

This chapter explains the principles behind estimating economic values for changes in the quality of marine ecosystems and in the ecosystem services they provide. These principles are also relevant ... More

This chapter explains the principles behind estimating economic values for changes in the quality of marine ecosystems and in the ecosystem services they provide. These principles are also relevant if one is thinking about the economic benefits of protecting marine or coastal biodiversity. The chapter considers three case studies where economists have combined with ecologists to actually estimate such values, for both marine and coastal systems. It concludes by considering the question of whether changes in the resilience of marine ecosystems also come at an economic cost or benefit. A number of cross-cutting themes are also contained within the chapter, including (i) the kinds of data and information which economists need from scientists in order to come up with valuation estimates, and (ii) how economic values can vary between different ecosystem services, across beneficiaries, and over space.Less

The Full Costs of Terrorism

John Mueller and Mark G. Stewart

in Terror, Security, and Money: Balancing the Risks, Benefits, and Costs of Homeland Security

This chapter tallies the full costs that terrorism characteristically inflicts, not only those attending the loss of life but also the direct and indirect economic costs and the costs of reaction, ... More

This chapter tallies the full costs that terrorism characteristically inflicts, not only those attending the loss of life but also the direct and indirect economic costs and the costs of reaction, including opportunity costs. To do so, it puts all the losses—including the loss of life—into economic terms. It concludes that losses due to terrorism are likely to remain rather limited except under the unlikely prospect that terrorists acquire nuclear weapons or under the more probable one which is that the terrorists’ victims self-destructively overreact.Less

Does College Still Pay?

Lisa Barrow and Cecilia Elena Rouse

in The Economists' Voice: Top Economists Take On Today's Problems

This chapter asks whether attending college still worth the costs. The answer to the question is yes. College is definitely still worth the investment. In fact, there are no signs that the value of a ... More

This chapter asks whether attending college still worth the costs. The answer to the question is yes. College is definitely still worth the investment. In fact, there are no signs that the value of a college education has peaked or is on a downward trend. Also, the rapid annual percentage rise in the cost of tuition has had little effect on the value of a college education, largely because tuition is a relatively small part of the true total economic cost of attending college. Most of the true economic cost of college is the wages students forego while they attend—and those have not risen by very much at all.Less