|
|
Czech Allergology and Clinical Immunology: Utilization and Provision in Space
Blechová, Lucie ; Paulus, Michal (advisor) ; Votápková, Jana (referee)
The present thesis focuses on Czech allergology and clinical immunology by studying this branch of health care in a geographic variation framework while using methods of spatial econometrics. This has been the first work with such focus. District-level data on care provision and utilization in 2012 are used. It is found that there exist geographical differences between provision and utilization and that the geographical distribution of allergists and clinical immunologists does not correspond to population's needs. Care utilization is modeled using a spatial autoregressive model specification. Based on this model, it is concluded that a shortage of physicians in the majority of districts actually limits care utilization. Also based on the utilization model, there is a discussion about the potential need for policy coordination. Care provision cannot be modeled using explanatory variables that are available, therefore, future data collection is necessary. However, it was found that variables influencing the need for care by patients do not influence care provision per physician. JEL Classification I11, I14, I19 Keywords geographic variation, Czech, allergology, clinical immunology, ACI, spatial model Author's e-mail 18702440@fsv.cuni.cz Supervisor's e-mail michal.paulus@fsv.cuni.cz
|
|
|
Internationalization of Higher Education in Kyrgyzstan
Dogochieva, Tolgonay ; Kohoutek, Jan (advisor) ; Paulus, Michal (referee)
The aim of this research is to find general trends and rationales for internationalization of higher education in Kyrgyzstan. The conceptual framework for this work is based on concepts developed by Knight and de Wit, Knight (2004). It used qualitative research, including secondary data and interviews. Although not very widely but internationalization became part of Kyrgyzstan higher education. There are student and staff mobility programs; the country hosts branches of foreign universities. Kyrgyzstan universities are creating extensive networks with world universities. Bologna process played major role in incorporating Kyrgyzstan education system to the world educational community. Kyrgyzstan has acquired international standards in terms of two-level cycle and credit hours. Along with that higher education is still facing problems and challenges. Corruption and low quality are among them. The study found that the most important rationale for internationalization is educational rationale. It is believed that internationalization improves academic quality. Economic, political and cultural/social rationales are also important.
|
|
|
Observing Globalization using the Gravity Model of Trade
Dobiáš, Adam ; Paulus, Michal (advisor) ; Benáček, Vladimír (referee)
This thesis investigates application of the gravity model of international trade on measuring a distance coefficient, which is known to be a proxy to globalization. This estimation is performed on a dataset containing information on EU 27 countries through the years 1996 to 2014. The presence of 10 post- communist countries enabled the author to perform the estimation on transformative economies, which had been isolated from their western trade partners for over 40 years. The division of the dataset into the Western and Eastern Blocs enabled measurement of convergence of the intra-blocs trade - the second goal of this thesis. This measurement was done through newly introduced intra-blocs trade variables that enabled measurements of both directions of trade. Through the application of this model on 10 sections, these measurements could be performed on single trade components. The analysis shows a substantial heterogeneity between single sections both in distance coefficient and inter-blocs trade. An increase in the level of globalization was observed in 9 out of 10 sections and convergence of some sections between the blocs was also found. Finally, globalization was found to progress with varying speed within single SITC sections during periods of economic crises. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
|
|
|
Cost Analysis of Health Care of Outpatient Providers Employing Risk-adjustment
Jandová, Pavlína ; Tulejová, Henrieta (advisor) ; Paulus, Michal (referee)
The aim of this thesis is to investigate ways of assessing economic efficiency of outpatient health care providers. It analyzes feasibility of employment of risk-adjustment and profiling in the Czech Republic using administrative data reported to health insurance company in the field of otorhinolaryngology. First, the thesis provides an overview of economic profiling methods. Out of these, indirect standardization of costs with risk-adjustment on patient level was used in the empirical part. Next, methods addressing specific problems of health care data (in particular, skewness, excess of zero values and non-negativity) are explored. Using OLS on logarithms on positive part of the distribution, three representations of costs were estimated, based on selected risk-factors. Several patient factors proved significant in final models (specifically, age, gender, number of hospitalizations, region of residence and chronic conditions asthma, COPD and depression), however, the quality of the model is extremely poor. Reasons for dissatisfactory fit of models are various. We conclude that data-selection process is not appropriate to perform economic comparison. And care of outpatient otorhinolaryngology is extremely specific to be captured by information provided. Still, profiling of providers is performed...
|
|
|
Economic Well-Being Beyond GDP: Implementing the Recommendations of the Commission on the Measure of Economic Performance and Social Progress
Burton, Liam ; Paulus, Michal (advisor) ; Baxa, Jaromír (referee)
Gross Domestic Product has historically been the dominant, often sole, yardstick regarding a nation's economic development, growth, and well-being. This paper acknowledges GDP's shortcomings and aims development more rounded metrics to better measure well-being. The aim of this thesis is to advance the work done by 2009 Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress by reassessing the twelve recommendations made by Stiglitz, Sen, and Fitoussi and attempting to apply them to a new dashboard of metrics. JEL Classification I31 E01 E21 Keywords well-being, economic performance, GDP, Stiglitz Commission, quality-of-life, social progress Abstrakt Hrubý domácí produkt je historicky dominantní metrika v souvislosti s národním hospodářským rozvojem, růstem a blahobytem. Tato práce potvrzuje nedostatky HDP a jejím cílem je vývoj více vyvážené metriky k lepšímu měření blahobytu. Zaměřuje se na prohloubení práce Stiglitze, Sena a Fitoussiho z roku 2009 (Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress), přehodnocuje jejich dvanáct doporučení a pokouší se je aplikovat na kolekci možných měření společenského rozvoje.
|
|
|
Value of Accounts at Free Social Networks and the Endowment Effect
Čepová, Martina ; Cingl, Lubomír (advisor) ; Paulus, Michal (referee)
In behavioral economics, the endowment effect explains the difference between the stated value of the good that consumer already owns and the value of the good what he would be willing to pay to obtain it. On the basis of neoclassical economics, the value of one's willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to accept to forgo it (WTA) should be equal. In practice the values differ and the difference has been demonstrated by many experimental studies on various types of goods. The core of this thesis is to verify the existence of the endowment effect for non-market goods, the account at free social network website Facebook, by the analysis of the relationship between WTA and WTP. Because of nonexistence of the market, the individual does not have any market experience with respect to economic valuation of the account. An economic evaluation study by the Contingent Valuation Method is designed. In the last part I analyze the variables which have impact on the stated values. Keywords endowment effect, willingness to pay, willingness to accept, Facebook, Contingent Valuation Method
|
|
|
Innovation Benefits from European Union Ascendancy: An Econometric Analysis.
Nguyen, Lisa ; Paulus, Michal (advisor) ; Figueira, Filipa (referee)
This paper investigates the benefits of joining the European Union (EU) and its impact on innovation for two indicators: patents and R&D expenditure. Based on a sample size of 27 countries within the EU observed over the time period 1996 to 2013 and utilising the GMM, FE and OLS models, I showed that, overall, entry into the EU has provided substantial benefits. Nevertheless, not all of the indicators of EU benefits are significant and sometimes did not provide positive impact on innovative activities. My evidence also suggests that with a further breakdown into two different regions, Western and Eastern Europe, there is a further rift in gains. Financial integration, for starters, has had a negative impact on innovation for both Western and Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, for the entire EU, financial integration has a positive impact on the number of patents filed. I also showed that another benefit of joining the EU, free movement of labour, has a negative and significant effect on both innovative indicators. This is consistent with the idea not all benefits of the EU provide a positive impact on innovation. Further research is warranted due to the insufficient time period.
|
|
|
The Pharmacy-based Cost Group Model: Application in the Czech Health Care System
Hajíčková, Tereza ; Votápková, Jana (advisor) ; Paulus, Michal (referee)
The risk adjustment model currently used does not adequately compensate insurers for predictable differences in individuals' health care expenditures in the Czech Republic. It then leads to financial inequality in the redistribution of funds to the insurance companies and causes their financial problems. This study introduces a PCG model as another method for risk adjustment and determines to what extent the predictive performance of the model can be improved when applied to Czech data. We analyze 10% of population sample in the Czech Republic in years 2011 and 2012. Our results confirm the appropriateness of the PCG model for the Czech environment. When the PCG variables are added to the demographic model, R2 value of the prediction model increases from 2.03% to 13.87%.
|
|
|
Costs and Usage of Medical Devices in the Czech Republic
Kaláb, František ; Paulus, Michal (advisor) ; Votápková, Jana (referee)
Geographic differences in healthcare costs, usage and practice are documented by research from the United States and Western Europe, yet, there is limited information on this topic in the Czech Republic. Spatial variation often seems unexplained by the demographic, health or economic characteristics of the population which points to inefficiencies in the healthcare system. We bring three main contributions: a first study dealing entirely with medical devices; we improve previously used models with a set of environmental indicators and; we work with an entirely new sample which has not been used before. Based on 2012 claims data on medical devices we present a geographic analysis of spending and further analyse spending and usage of three widely used and economically relevant devices. Further, we estimate regression model in order to assess the role of unwarranted variation in spending, which we subsequently expand on the three studied devices. We find significant variation in the per capita spending and usage of healthcare devices at the level of regions and districts, with more than a threefold difference in the relative spending between the regions in the lowest and the highest spending quintile. Moreover, only 38% of the district difference between the highest and lowest spending quintile was explained...
|
|
|
The VAT lottery as a charitable lottery
Horváthová, Veronika ; Gregor, Martin (advisor) ; Paulus, Michal (referee)
This thesis consists of two main parts. At first, VAT lotteries are modelled as charitable lotteries for a public good. For that purpose, an economy consisting of risk-neutral, utility maximizing consumers with quasi-linear preferences is assumed. It is shown that the Taiwanese and the Slovakian versions of the VAT lottery provide more of the public good than an economy with no such lottery. The second part analyzes the willingness of firms and consumers to cheat and keep part of the VAT revenue for themselves. This is done because the key difference between the VAT and the charitable lotteries is the existence of firms which have an incentive to cheat and collude with the customers at the expense of the tax office. So when a set of profit maximizing firms is added to the model and the presence of the VAT lottery is still assumed, it is shown that under certain circumstances it might be more profitable for firms and customers to cheat because higher levels of profit or utility, respectively, might be achieved. JEL Classification H25, H41, D62, H26 Keywords VAT, charitable lottery, public good, VAT eva- sion Author's e-mail 58516185@fsv.cuni.cz Supervisor's e-mail martin.gregor@fsv.cuni.cz
|
guest ::
