Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2010
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Type
PhD
College
Chambers College of Business and Economics
Department
Economics
Committee Chair
Russell S. Sobel.
Abstract
This dissertation explores three important health issues, utilizing the tools provided by economics to provide new insight into areas of research typically the parlance of those in medical fields of study. The integration of economic theory into existing literature on health issues provides a more detail-rich explanation of health policy and corresponding health outcomes. This dissertation applies economic theory to the health topics of skin cancer, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and AIDS. There are five chapters included in this dissertation, beginning with an introduction in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 addresses the skin cancer paradox, specifically analyzing the relationship between National Cancer Institute spending and melanoma incidence. Chapter 3 provides the economics of FGM, addressing both the persistence of the practice over time and avenues for the change or elimination of the practice. Chapter 4 estimates the degree of publicness of AIDS prevention spending using an empirical median voter demand model. Finally, Chapter 5 summarizes the major findings and policy implications of the preceding chapters and offers concluding remarks.
Recommended Citation
Mathers, Rachel L., "Essays on the public economics of health" (2010). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 3091.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/3091