Can health public expenditure reduce the tragic consequences of road traffic accidents? The EU-27 experience

This study uses data for the EU-27 countries in the period 1999–2009 to estimate determinants of road traffic fatality rates. Controlling for country attributes and road safety policy variables, we examine the influence of variables related with the national health systems; the number of hospital be...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Castillo Manzano, José I., Castro Nuño, Mercedes, Fageda, Xavier
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión enviada para evaluación y publicación
Fecha de publicación:2014
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Sevilla (US)
Repositorio:idUS. Depósito de Investigación de la Universidad de Sevilla
OAI Identifier:oai:idus.us.es:11441/155030
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/11441/155030
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10198-013-0512-1
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Road safety
Health expenditures
Hospital beds density
Panel data
Descripción
Sumario:This study uses data for the EU-27 countries in the period 1999–2009 to estimate determinants of road traffic fatality rates. Controlling for country attributes and road safety policy variables, we examine the influence of variables related with the national health systems; the number of hospital beds per square kilometer, and the percentage of health expenditures over gross domestic product. We find evidence that the density of hospital beds contributes to the fall in traffic-related fatalities. Furthermore, the quality of general medical facilities and technology associated with increases in health expenditure may be also a relevant factor in reducing road traffic fatalities.