|
|
The Impact of Family Policies on Fertility in the Visegrád Group
Gajdušková, Karolína ; Pleticha, Petr (advisor) ; Votápková, Jana (referee)
This thesis examines the effectiveness of family policies implemented in the Visegrad Group (V4) countries after the fall of communism in 1989 and their impact on the total fertility rate. While previous studies on this topic usually focused on one country or a larger group of countries, this thesis provides a comparative approach that enables a more interpretable comparison of policy effects. We analyzed the effects of seven family policies on fertility in the given countries. We chose the synthetic control method that simulated the evolution of the total fertility rate if the given policy had not been introduced. As a control group, we chose countries that are members of both the EU and the OECD. The findings highlight the diverse outcomes of family policies within the V4 Group. While the Czech Republic was successful in boosting fertility through effective allocation of public finances, Hungary's generous investment in family policies provided relatively limited results. For a long period, Poland did not invest in families much, which has changed in recent years and affected fertility positively, yet only a short-term impact is present. Despite allocating fewer resources, Slovakia has managed to maintain a stable total fertility rate. In summary, the impacts of family policies on fertility vary across...
|
|
|
Efficiency change in inpatient care provision under the DRG-based reimbursement mechanism in the Czech Republic
Jakubová, Barbora ; Bryndová, Lucie (advisor) ; Votápková, Jana (referee)
Expenses on inpatient care form the largest share of Czech health expendi- ture, which raises concerns about its efficiency. Efficiency improvement belonged to one of the motivations for the implementation of reimbursement mechanism based on diagnosis-related groups, under which hospitals are paid a fixed amount per hospital case. This thesis contributes to the existing literature on DRG by assessing the changes in efficiency of inpatient care under DRG in the Czech Republic, focusing on the length of stay as a measure of resource utilization as well as an indicator of hospital efficiency. Furthermore, it contributes to this topic by using a unique and relatively large dataset containing patient-level information from 15 Czech hospitals over 2015-2019. Employing models for count data, we observe the downward trend in length of stay over the examined period. This finding is in line with the intended effect of DRG. Moreover, the estimated result is robust when considering dif- ferent subsamples - based on hospital size (large and medium-sized) or severity level of a patient. The only group where the decline in length of stay was not estimated were the most severely ill patients with major complications and co- morbidities. Measured by the standard deviation of length of stay, the process of...
|
|
|
Environmental catalysers of economic distress-induced self-harm
Lauko, Adam ; Šlegerová, Lenka (advisor) ; Votápková, Jana (referee)
This thesis examines the relationship between the unemployment rates and suicide rates in Czech and Slovak districts from 2002 to 2020 by fixed effects model. The thesis found a positive link between the male suicide rate and the unemployment rate. For the female suicide rate, the link was insignificant. It was found that the moderating effect of built-up areas was estimated as negative, while the effect of population density was positive. These findings were only partially according to the literature, as we expected that both effects will be negative. The moderating effects of greenery and divorce rate were estimated as insignificant. However, the validity of these findings is questionable, as the goodness of fit measures are poor and were increased only after increasing the level of aggregation from NUTS4 to NUTS3
|
|
|
The Effect of Financial Incentives on Vaccination Rates: Quasi-experimental Evidence from Slovakia
Kravec, Peter ; Havránek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Votápková, Jana (referee)
This study examines the impact of financial incentives on vaccination against COVID-19. The researched intervention was provided to Slovak citizens who turned 60 by the end of 2021 at the latest. Depending on the order of the dose, they were paid a reward of €200 to €300. Using a regression discon- tinuity analysis with a control group of people who had been just below the bonus entitlement threshold, the result indicates a positive effect of incentives on vaccination rate in the group on the first, second and booster doses uptake. This incentive was paid to approximately 847,000 senior citizens at a total cost of €245 million. The number of people convinced can be estimated from 52,000 to 113,000. The number of saved lives may be estimated to range from 211 to 461. A comparison of benefits and the costs of the incentive indicates that the benefits did not exceed the costs. 1
|
|
|
Diet after retirement: Does working after retirement matter?
Hrušková, Barbora ; Votápková, Jana (advisor) ; Bertoli, Paola (referee)
Barbora Hrušková Abstract A balanced and healthy diet can prevent chronic and cardiovascular diseases, can- cer deaths, and other serious health problems. Following a healthy diet is therefore essential during all stages of life and old age is no exception. This thesis examines the impact of working after retirement on the diet of retirees using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). The propensity score matching and the logit methods are performed and robust standard errors are ap- plied. Our analysis reveals that retirees who start working anew after being already retired and unemployed for some time, have by 9 pp higher probability to increase their consumption of meat, fruits & vegetables, compared to their counterparts who do not start working. No significant differences are found regarding the impact of starting to work on the change of consumption of dairy products, legumes & eggs. However, we further conclude that the probability of eating meat every day is lower by 4 pp for retirees who are working after retirement, compared to retirees who are not working after retirement. Therefore, we point out that to get a complete picture of how the diet changes based on post-retirement work, it is ideal to also observe the data regarding diet prior to retirement.
|
|
|
Does growing up surrounded by books improve our cognitive skills as seniors?
Kovácsová, Julie ; Votápková, Jana (advisor) ; Zeynalova, Olesia (referee)
This thesis examines whether growing up surrounded by books has an impact on cognitive skills later in life. Data from SHARE - Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe are used. The variable 'books when ten' is used to determine its effect on variable 'numeracy'. We used also other variables regarding the respondent's age, gender, mental health or family situation. The results of this study show that those who were surrounded by a higher number of books as children perform better at a specific task designed to test cognitive ability when presented with it at an age of over 50 years. The results were obtained using logit model. The finding that access to books can slow down cognitive decline later in life can be used to argue for greater focus on reading and availability of books in schools as well as greater access to books through public libraries, or act as a hint for parents aiming to give their children the greatest possible introduction to life. Keywords books, education, congnitive skills, SHARE Title Does growing up surrounded by books improve our cognitive skills as seniors? Author's e-mail julie.kovacsova@gmail.com Supervisor's e-mail jana.votapkova@fsv.cuni.cz
|
|
|
Socioeconomic predictors of alcohol consumption patterns in the Czech adult population
Hanzal, Jan ; Havránková, Zuzana (advisor) ; Votápková, Jana (referee)
This empirical study focuses on the relation between individual social and economic variables and patterns of alcohol consumption in the Czech Republic. The work is divided into two parts. The first one concentrates on an exploratory analysis of a cross-sectional dataset. The results of this part reveal that several variables are significantly correlated with alcohol consumption, namely education, marital status and household income. The second part attempts to get closer to the actual causal effects of unemployment and household income on alcohol consumption by employing the Arellano- Bond estimator on a separate panel dataset. The results somewhat differ from the first part, with household income having a noticeably higher point estimate. The aim of this thesis is to bring more current and, most importantly, more robust results to the research on the topic.
|
|
|
The pay-off of increased physical activity in the Czech Republic: A cost-benefit analysis of offering people financial incentives to alter their exercise behavior
Schnabl, Valentin ; Votápková, Jana (advisor) ; Turdaliev, Salim (referee)
The main objective of this thesis is to determine whether financial incentive to increase exercise behavior are economically feasible in the Czech Republic. We therefore construct a cost-savings model that compares current physical activity levels in the Czech Republic with two hypothetical physical activity improvement scenarios to assess the potential healthcare savings of a more fit population. The model follows an epidemiological approach and estimates potential healthcare savings based on the association of physical inactivity with five major non-communicable diseases. We conclude that neither improvement scenario justifies the implementation of financial incentive, as their costs are likely to exceed their benefits. Nonetheless our estimates show that healthcare expenditures due to physical inactivity are substantial. In particular, those associated with diabetes. Keywords physical activity, public budget, healthcare ex- penditures Title The pay-o of increased physical activity in the Czech Republic: A cost-benefit analysis of of- fering people financial incentives to alter their exercise behavior Author's e-mail 39878800@fsv.cuni.cz Supervisor's e-mail jana.votapkova@fsv.cuni.cz
|
|
|
Does childbirth change the gender gap in well-being within family?
Plachá, Veronika ; Pertold-Gebicka, Barbara (advisor) ; Votápková, Jana (referee)
All high-income nations have experienced a sharp decline in fertility rates dur- ing the past century. With birth rates in many developed countries currently below the replacement level, the population is ageing quickly, raising concerns about how this may affect public finances and living standards. Higher-income nations are not the only ones experiencing a fall in fertility; the majority of low- and middle-income nations are getting closer to fertility levels at replacement levels. To better understand fertility behaviour and the presence of low-fertility regimes, many recent studies examined the impact of parenthood on subjective well-being (SWB). Even though having a child is usually the joint decision of partners, each parent might experience parenthood differently, and the so-called well-being gap can arise. The aim of this thesis is to analyze how children af- fect the between partners' gap in subjective well-being and how this gap varies between families while using EU-SILC data conducted in 2013 and 2018. The results suggest that there is a trend only in the year 2018 where the effect is the largest for parents with small children and that it disappears (becomes in- distinguishable from the effect observed for parents with 15-year-old children) more-less when children reach school age. In...
|
|
|
Are elderly internet users healthier?
Hozová, Karolína ; Votápková, Jana (advisor) ; Švarcová, Natálie (referee)
This thesis examines how internet usage impacts health outcomes of elderly aged 50 and above living in European countries using data from Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) Wave 8. Since bi-directional relationship between health and internet usage is expected, a two-stage least square model (2SLS) is used. Self-assessed health condition as the response variable is tested. Internet usage proved to be endogenous with respect to the health among seniors aged 65 and older by employing Wu-Hausman test. Robustness check, in the form of respondent's self-rated limitations in activities because of health, confirms the endogeneity, direction and significance of the relationship. Results show that internet usage positively affects health outcomes of seniors in the retirement age and decreases odds of poor health condition among the pre-retirement population (adults 50 to 64 years old). When accounted for socioeconomic factors in the pre-retirement age, significance of IT literacy diminishes. Other characteristics which affected health outcomes of elderly in our model are age, behavioral risks, life satisfaction, satisfaction with health care system and health literacy. Keywords: elderly, internet usage, health status, SHARE Title: Are elderly internet users healthier? Author's email:...
|
guest ::
