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Health and Wealth: Understanding Regional Variations in Health, Income, Healthcare Costs, and Productivity

Mellberg, Tilda LU (2025) NEKH01 20242
Department of Economics
Abstract
While studies on the relationship between health, income, healthcare spending and productivity is generally consistent, little attention has been brought to the regional contexts. Meanwhile, a country like Sweden who is generally known for a well-established healthcare system and welfare state, experiences increasing regional disparities. This thesis investigates the relationship between health, income, healthcare spending and productivity in Swedish regions across 26 years. Utilizing panel data, the analysis employs several regression models and compares the results. The study finds notable differences between models who include and exclude control variables, where the results found rather counterintuitive relationships such as higher... (More)
While studies on the relationship between health, income, healthcare spending and productivity is generally consistent, little attention has been brought to the regional contexts. Meanwhile, a country like Sweden who is generally known for a well-established healthcare system and welfare state, experiences increasing regional disparities. This thesis investigates the relationship between health, income, healthcare spending and productivity in Swedish regions across 26 years. Utilizing panel data, the analysis employs several regression models and compares the results. The study finds notable differences between models who include and exclude control variables, where the results found rather counterintuitive relationships such as higher income is associated with higher mortality rates, and vice versa. One reason for this might be due to lifestyle factors in higher income regions, such as stress, which affect the mortality rates. The thesis concludes that it is fundamental to consider contextual factors when evaluating health, income, healthcare spending and productivity, in particular for policymakers and future research. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Mellberg, Tilda LU
supervisor
organization
course
NEKH01 20242
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
health, income, healthcare spending, productivity, Sweden, regions
language
English
id
9184664
date added to LUP
2025-05-08 09:15:54
date last changed
2025-05-08 09:15:54
@misc{9184664,
  abstract     = {{While studies on the relationship between health, income, healthcare spending and productivity is generally consistent, little attention has been brought to the regional contexts. Meanwhile, a country like Sweden who is generally known for a well-established healthcare system and welfare state, experiences increasing regional disparities. This thesis investigates the relationship between health, income, healthcare spending and productivity in Swedish regions across 26 years. Utilizing panel data, the analysis employs several regression models and compares the results. The study finds notable differences between models who include and exclude control variables, where the results found rather counterintuitive relationships such as higher income is associated with higher mortality rates, and vice versa. One reason for this might be due to lifestyle factors in higher income regions, such as stress, which affect the mortality rates. The thesis concludes that it is fundamental to consider contextual factors when evaluating health, income, healthcare spending and productivity, in particular for policymakers and future research.}},
  author       = {{Mellberg, Tilda}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Health and Wealth: Understanding Regional Variations in Health, Income, Healthcare Costs, and Productivity}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}