Author Question: Can health differences fully explain the large disparities in productivity and income per capita ... (Read 81 times)

Mr.Thesaxman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 514
Can health differences fully explain the large disparities in productivity and income per capita across countries?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What does it mean when a firm is earning positive economic profit?
 
  What will be an ideal response?



lcapri7

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 350
Answer to Question 1

Health is a form of human capital that affects learning capacity and worker productivity. However, the presence of diseases like malaria and hookworm infection in underdeveloped and developing countries is unlikely to explain the very large differences in per capita income and productivity that we observe today for several reasons:
 The impact of poor health on productivity, obtained in microeconomics studies, is too small to account for the enormous differences in income per capita we observe between rich and poor countries today.
 Causation can move in either direction; poor health conditions in parts of the world today are as much a consequence of poverty as a cause. Low life expectancy, infectious diseases, and poor health conditions in eighteenth-century England did not prevent English cities from becoming engines of economic growth.
 Studies that look at the macroeconomic effects of large health improvements do not find evidence for supporting the premise that even very successful health interventions will create much faster economic growth (even though they will save millions of lives and are thus extremely valuablesocially).
A-head: ECONOMICS OF HEALTH
Concept: Health and productivity

Answer to Question 2

If a firm is earning positive economic profit, it is earning more than a normal rate of return. This will attract new firms into the industry.



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
 

Did you know?

Today, nearly 8 out of 10 pregnant women living with HIV (about 1.1 million), receive antiretrovirals.

Did you know?

The most destructive flu epidemic of all times in recorded history occurred in 1918, with approximately 20 million deaths worldwide.

Did you know?

Once thought to have neurofibromatosis, Joseph Merrick (also known as "the elephant man") is now, in retrospect, thought by clinical experts to have had Proteus syndrome. This endocrine disease causes continued and abnormal growth of the bones, muscles, skin, and so on and can become completely debilitating with severe deformities occurring anywhere on the body.

Did you know?

Recent studies have shown that the number of medication errors increases in relation to the number of orders that are verified per pharmacist, per work shift.

Did you know?

Eating carrots will improve your eyesight. Carrots are high in vitamin A (retinol), which is essential for good vision. It can also be found in milk, cheese, egg yolks, and liver.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library