I10 - Health: GeneralNávrat zpět

The first aim of the study is to compare the intensity of participation in cultural activities among natives, first- and second-generation immigrants in Czech Republic. The second aim is to examine whether the participation in those activities improves the emotional and psychological well-being of first-generation immigrants compared to the natives. The empirical analysis relies on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe in 2017. We perform a system of simultaneous ordered probit models. To further improve our estimates, we apply an instrumental variables (IV) approach to reduce the endogeneity issue. The results show that natives report higher levels of psychological well-being, but there is no difference in cultural participation between the second-generation immigrants and natives. First-generation immigrants participate less frequent-ly, except attending a sports match, where we find no difference in the frequency. However, in the majority of the cases, we conclude that immigrants participating in those activities are more likely to improve their well-being. Furthermore, there is no difference in cultural participation between immigrants and natives in areas characterized by high net migration rates. On the other hand, a lower frequency of participation is found in the areas with low net migration rates, indicating that migration and diversity in an area may encourage participation in the cultural activities explored in this study. Finally, the length of residence and mixed marriages are related with a higher frequency of cultural participation. The findings suggest that fostering accessibility of cultural activities and migration policies should be regarded.

This study investigates the relationship between wages and risks of work-related fatalities in the Czech labour market. To prove this relationship, we followed the theory of compensating wage differentials and the theory of hedonic prices. Using data from 2007 Czech labour survey, we econometrically derived three hedonic wage functions. To estimate mortality risks premiums, two of hedonic wage functions used objective measures of fatality risk, one subjectively perceived risk. We found a positive and statistically significant correlation between wages and occupational fatality risks in all three models. The estimated effect was lower for hedonic function with worker's perception of mortality risks. This result implies the workers themselves underestimate the fatality risks that they are exposed. Based on estimated hedonic wage functions, we computed the value of a statistical life (VSL) which indicates the marginal rate of substitution between compensation and mortality risk. The implied value of VSL is 60 million CZK for the model with subjectively perceived risks and 266 million CZK for the models with objective risks in 2009 Czech crowns.

Efficiency of hospitals belongs among frequently discussed topics of public policy. This paper deals with a nonparametric model for efficiency evaluation of hospitals - data envelopment analysis (DEA). DEA evaluates efficiency of production units with the help of mathematical programming. DEA specifies the production frontier as the most pessimistic piecewise linear envelopment of the data. In case that a hospital is inefficient DEA determines the sources of inefficiency and defines corresponding target values. In this study, authors analyze the sample of 22 Czech acute-care hospitals with the constant-returns-to-scale model (the CCR model) and the variable-returns-to-scale model (the BCC model). The data comes from regional yearbooks of the Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic (ÚZIS ČR). A fundamental problem of evaluation in health care is a definition of inputs and outputs, especially a measurement of case-mix of patients. Interpretation of the results is described on one selected hospital (Hospital of Prachatice). One hospital was identified as efficient by the CCR model and six hospitals were efficient according to the BCC model.

This paper provides an institutional analysis concerning the current problems of the health care systems based on obligatory health insurance. In the beginning there are correctly defined and further described some particular principles creating the essence of the continental health care systems. Consequently, there are described two major consequences of asymmetric information: the principal-agency problem and the problem of adverse selection. Further to the definitions there are drawn conclusions for appropriate system reforms.