Identifying the Relationship Between Health Expenditures and Life Expectancy at Birth

2020 ◽  
pp. 285-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Halim Baş ◽  
Muhammed Erkam Kocakaya
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Health Expenditures ◽  
Cointegration Test ◽  
Direct Impact ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Disadvantaged Groups ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
The Relationship

In this study, 16 countries in the MENA region (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Malta, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Yemen) were included to the sample and was analyzed, by using a panel data method Pedroni Cointegration test, that relationship between “health expenditures” and “life expectancy at birth” in 2000-2016 period these countries. As a result of the analysis, there was no relationship between health expenditures and life expectancy at birth. Although health expenditures do not have a direct impact on life expectancy at birth, If the MENA region countries take needed measures (such as; to attach importance to institutionalization and functionality in health, focusing on disadvantaged groups, and to encourage investments of hospital and personnel), the inequalities in health outcomes would be reduced.

Gulf to look beyond Pakistan as insecurity rises

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Prime Minister ◽  
Military Intervention ◽  
Gulf Cooperation Council ◽  
Nuclear Technology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Subject Outlook for Pakistan-Gulf relations. Significance Pakistan's parliament last month voted against joining the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen. Since then Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Raheel Sharif have visited Riyadh to clarify the decision, reassuring Saudi Arabia of Pakistan's support in case of any external aggression against the kingdom. The Yemen intervention has exposed some faultlines in the relationship between the two allies, as well as in Pakistan's ties with other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), some of whom -- most notably the United Arab Emirates (UAE) -- described Pakistan's decision as "dangerous and unexpected". Impacts Pakistan will lose leverage in GCC states as the latter opt to provide aid via multilateral, international mechanisms. Islamabad will be reluctant to share nuclear technology with GCC states -- primarily for fear of provoking Washington. China will increasingly become Pakistan's preferred diplomatic and economic partner, despite a degree of mutual suspicion.

Globalization and women’s and girls’ health in 192 UN-member countries

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 692-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deniz Gevrek ◽  
Karen Middleton
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Infant Mortality ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Adolescent Fertility ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the ratification of the United Nations’ (UN’s) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and women’s and girls’ health outcomes using a unique longitudinal data set of 192 UN-member countries that encompasses the years from 1980 to 2011. Design/methodology/approach – The authors focus on the impact of CEDAW ratification, number of reports submitted after ratification, years passed since ratification, and the dynamic impact of CEDAW ratification by utilizing ordinary least squares (OLS) and panel fixed effects methods. The study investigates the following women’s and girls’ health outcomes: total fertility rate, adolescent fertility rate, infant mortality rate, maternal mortality ratio, neonatal mortality rate, female life expectancy at birth (FLEB), and female to male life expectancy at birth. Findings – The OLS and panel country and year fixed effects models provide evidence that the impact of CEDAW ratification on women’s and girls’ health outcomes varies by global regions. While the authors find no significant gains in health outcomes in European and North-American countries, the countries in the Northern Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Africa, Caribbean and Central America, South America, Middle-East, Eastern Asia, and Oceania regions experienced the biggest gains from CEDAW ratification, exhibiting reductions in total fertility, adolescent fertility, infant mortality, maternal mortality, and neonatal mortality while also showing improvements in FLEB. The results provide evidence that both early commitment to CEDAW as measured by the total number of years of engagement after the UN’s 1980 ratification and the timely submission of mandatory CEDAW reports have positive impacts on women’ and girls’ health outcomes. Several sensitivity tests confirm the robustness of main findings. Originality/value – This study is the first comprehensive attempt to explore the multifaceted relationships between CEDAW ratification and female health outcomes. The study significantly expands on the methods of earlier research and presents novel methods and findings on the relationship between CEDAW ratification and women’s health outcomes. The findings suggest that the impact of CEDAW ratification significantly depends on the country’s region. Furthermore, stronger engagement with CEDAW (as indicated by the total number of years following country ratification) and the submission of the required CEDAW reports (as outlined in the Convention’s guidelines) have positive impacts on women’s and girls’ health outcomes.

scholarly journals Impact of Healthcare Expenditures on Healthcare Outcomes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region: A Cross-Country Comparison, 1995–2015

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bander Balkhi ◽  
Dhfer Alshayban ◽  
Nawaf M. Alotaibi
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Health Expenditures ◽  
Healthcare Spending ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Healthcare Expenditures ◽  
The Impact

The association between healthcare expenditures and outcomes, mainly mortality and life expectancy, is complex. The real explanation for this association is not clear, especially in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This study assesses the impact of health expenditures on improving healthcare systems and health status and finds a relationship between health expenditures and health outcomes across different region. Annual time series data on healthcare spending and outcomes from 1995 to 2015 were used for MENA region in comparison to developed and developing countries. Health expenditure was adjusted by the consumer price index equation to the 2015 US dollar eliminate the impact of inflation on our results. For many countries, spending on healthcare continues to rise, Among MENA countries, we found that the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait spent more per capita on health, $1,711 and $1,420, respectively, than any other countries in the region. Although this study demonstrated a relationship between total healthcare expenditure and outcomes, some countries spend more on healthcare but have shorter life expectancy. In most countries, efficient and effective utilization of healthcare resources is the key strategy for improving health outcomes in any country. The lack of a positive correlation between healthcare spending and life expectancy may indicate that health resources are not allocated effectively. In those cases, increasing health spending does not guarantee that there is any kind of improvement in healthcare.

scholarly journals Agency Problems and the Choice of Auditors: Evidence from the MENA Region

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Farooq ◽  
Sonia Tabine
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Agency Problem ◽  
Agency Problems ◽  
Ownership Concentration ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Dividend Payout ◽  
Big Four

AbstractWhat determines the choice of auditors in the MENA region? This paper uses the data from Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain and shows that the extent of agency problems in a firm dictates what sort of auditors are chosen by a firm. Our results show that high dividend payout ratios are negatively related to the appointment of one of the big-four auditors. High payout ratios are synonymous to low agency problems and thus firms feel lesser need for having one of the big-four auditors. We also show that high ownership concentration – a proxy for high agency problem – is positively related to firm’s decision of having one of the big-four auditors. High ownership concentration exacerbates agency problems between insiders and outsiders and thus induces firms to appoint one of the big-four auditors to mitigate agency problems. We also document that increased operational complexity and transactional complexity leads to hiring of one of the big-four auditors by a firm. We argue that complexity hinders investor’s ability to understand firm’s information and thus introduces agency problems. Being aware of agency problems, firms hire one of the big-four auditors to alleviate some of these problems.

Effect of ownership concentration on capital structure: evidence from the MENA region

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Farooq
Keyword(s):  
Capital Structure ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Ownership Concentration ◽  
Agency Conflicts ◽  
Information Asymmetries ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Growth Firms ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – This paper aims to document how does ownership concentration, a proxy for agency conflicts, affect capital structure of firms in emerging markets. Agency relationship between insiders and outsiders has the potential to influence corporate decision-making which, in turn, impacts firm characteristics such as leverage. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses pooled regression analysis to document the effect of ownership concentration on capital structure in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region (Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain), during the period between 2005 and 2009. Findings – The authors show that ownership concentration negatively affects capital structure. The results also show that for a given level of ownership concentration, the proportion of debt in capital structure goes up as information asymmetries decrease. Finally, the results show that for a given ownership concentration, it is the growth firms with low information asymmetries that have a higher proportion of debt in capital structure. Research limitations/implications – The authors argue that information asymmetries associated with ownership concentration minimize the ability of firms to raise debt, thereby resulting in a negative relationship between ownership concentration and capital structure. Furthermore, reluctance on the part of controlling shareholders to accumulate excess leverage to minimize non-diversifiable risk also negatively influences capital structure. Originality/value – Most of the prior studies on the relationship between ownership concentration and capital structure have been conducted in relatively more developed markets. An important market that has failed to attract attention regarding this issue is the MENA. This paper is an attempt to fill this gap by documenting the relationship between the two in the MENA region.

scholarly journals Modelling the Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Effects of Global Oil Prices on Local Food Prices: A MENA Region Application

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hadj Cherif Houda ◽  
Zhenling Chen ◽  
Guohua Ni
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Oil Prices ◽  
Food Prices ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Asymmetric Effect ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Mena Region

Abstract This paper explores the complex nexus between the global oil prices and the food prices of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region during the period 2000–2020. Both linear and nonlinear models of the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach are adapted into panel data form to investigate the symmetrical and asymmetrical influence of oil prices on food prices. The key results are summarized: i) The effect of oil prices on food prices is significantly positive including both oil-exporting and oil-importing nations are verified in the long-term. The positive impact on oil-exporters—due to higher oil revenues—is greater than importing nations, leading to an increased demand for food. Additionally, the effect on oil-exporters is negative and significant in the short-term but not significant for importers. ii) The panel analysis for the MENA sample confirms the presence of negative short-term asymmetric behaviour, while in the long-term, the asymmetric effect is positive, indicating that food prices increase regardless of fluctuations in oil prices. iii) Wald test results support asymmetric co-integration for the whole sample of the MENA due to the heterogeneous response within the oil-importing and exporting samples. Specifically, the non-linear ARDL test results affirm the absence of an asymmetric nexus among oil and food prices for oil-exporting group (including Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) and Tunisia within the oil-importing group. Although there are differences in the direction and degree, the food prices of other countries are asymmetric to the oil price. This study provides recommendations that are useful to MENA countries to establish a stable mechanism for oil and food prices to ensure food security in the region.

The internal and external determinants of the intermediation margin of banks across MENA countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorra Talbi ◽  
Khemaies Bougatef
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Macroeconomic Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mena Countries ◽  
Current State ◽  
Interest Margins ◽  
Specific Factors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct a comparative analysis of internal and external determinants of bank’s performance in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a static unbalanced annual panel data of banks operating in eight countries pertaining to the MENA region (Tunisia, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Lebanon, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates) over the period from 1999 to 2014. Findings The findings reveal that the determinants of intermediation margins in the MENA region differ across countries. Overall, banks interest margins are explained by both bank-specific variables and macroeconomic factors except for Saudi Arabia in which interest margins exclusively depend on bank-specific factors. Originality/value These findings contribute to the clarification and critical analysis of the current state of bank’s performance in some countries located in MENA region, which would have several crucial policy implications.

scholarly journals eHealth Adoption and its Impact on Life Expectancy : A Comparative Study of Selected BRICS Countries plus TWO

2020 ◽  
pp. 470-481
Author(s):  
Ebenezer Larnyo ◽  
Baozhen Dai ◽  
Abigail Larnyo ◽  
Christabel Seyram Ankah
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Brics Countries ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Bivariate Correlation ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between eHealth adoption and life expectancy is complex. Research outcomes show different and contradictory results on this relationship. How and why eHealth adoption affect life expectancy is still to a large extent not clear. A causal link between the two is yet to be proven. Without such knowledge, effects of increase or decrease in eHealth adoption on life expectancy may be overestimated or underestimated. This study analyzes the relationship between life expectancy at birth and eHealth adoption in healthcare amongst five selected countries; 3 BRICS countries (China, Russia and South Africa), USA and Ghana, taking into account eHealth foundations, electronic health records, use of health eLearning in health sciences, social media and big data.</p> <p>This cross-sectional study analyzed WHO Global Survey on eHealth data of five selected countries collected between April and August 2015 by calculating and describing the bivariate correlation between the dependent variable and independent variables. A forward linear regression analysis is also applied to determine the predictive capability of the model.</p> <p>A significant negative correlation was observed between total health expenditure and eLearning overview, ICT development index rank and internet users and between life expectancy at birth and social media with coefficients of<em> rs = -0.95, p = .014, rs = -1.00, p < .001 and rs = -0.96, p < .001</em> respectively. Apart from social media indicator of eHealth’s eLearning overview that was significantly correlated with life expectancy at birth, no other correlation was observed between life expectancy at birth and any of the indicators of eHealth. The regression analysis of the predictors show a near perfect result of 100% predictive ability of the model. The study observed that countries that incorporated social media into their eHealth action, through the promotion of health messages on social media as a part of health promotion campaigns, managing patient appointments, sought feedback on services, made general health announcements on social media turn to have citizens that have a significant longer life expectancy. In order to realize high life expectancy of citizens, policy measures have to be directed towards investment in social media incorporation into eHealth strategies.

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