The relationship between pharmaceutical expenditure and life expectancy: evidence from 21 OECD countries

Caliskan Z.

APPLIED ECONOMICS LETTERS, vol.16, no.16, pp.1651-1655, 2009 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 16 Issue: 16
  • Publication Date: 2009
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/13504850701604136
  • Journal Name: APPLIED ECONOMICS LETTERS
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.1651-1655
  • Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine the effect of pharmaceutical expenditures on life expectancy for 21 OECD countries. An unbalanced panel data model is used to investigate the role of socio-economic, lifestyle and demographic factors as well as public and private pharmaceutical expenditures in determining life expectancy for six age-gender strata over the period 1985 to 2002. The empirical results show that pharmaceutical expenditure has a positive, but different effect on life expectancy for females and males with various ages.