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Eliciting the level of health inequality aversion in England

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  • Robson, Matthew
  • Asaria, Miqdad
  • Cookson, Richard
  • Tsuchiya, Aki
  • Ali, Shehzad

Abstract

Health inequality aversion parameters can be used to represent alternative value judgements about policy concern for reducing health inequality versus improving total health. In this study, we use data from an online survey of the general public in England (n?=?244) to elicit health inequality aversion parameters for both Atkinson and Kolm social welfare functions. We find median inequality aversion parameters of 10.95 for Atkinson and 0.15 for Kolm. These values suggest substantial concern for health inequality among the English general public which, at current levels of quality adjusted life expectancy, implies weighting health gains to the poorest fifth of people in society six to seven times as highly as health gains to the richest fifth. ? 2016 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Robson, Matthew & Asaria, Miqdad & Cookson, Richard & Tsuchiya, Aki & Ali, Shehzad, 2017. "Eliciting the level of health inequality aversion in England," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 101254, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:101254
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kolm, Serge-Christophe, 1976. "Unequal inequalities. II," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 82-111, August.
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    4. Ignacio Abásolo & Aki Tsuchiya, 2013. "Is more health always better for society? Exploring public preferences that violate monotonicity," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 74(4), pages 539-563, April.
    5. Abasolo, Ignacio & Tsuchiya, Aki, 2004. "Exploring social welfare functions and violation of monotonicity: an example from inequalities in health--a reply to Jan Abel Olsen," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 333-334, March.
    6. Miqdad Asaria & Susan Griffin & Richard Cookson & Sophie Whyte & Paul Tappenden, 2015. "Distributional Cost‐Effectiveness Analysis of Health Care Programmes – A Methodological Case Study of the UK Bowel Cancer Screening Programme," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(6), pages 742-754, June.
    7. Miqdad Asaria & Susan Griffin & Richard Cookson, 2013. "Distributional cost-effectiveness analysis: a tutorial," Working Papers 092cherp, Centre for Health Economics, University of York.
    8. Dolan, Paul & Tsuchiya, Aki, 2009. "The social welfare function and individual responsibility: Some theoretical issues and empirical evidence," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 210-220, January.
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    10. Kolm, Serge-Christophe, 1976. "Unequal inequalities. I," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 416-442, June.
    11. Abasolo, Ignacio & Tsuchiya, Aki, 2004. "Exploring social welfare functions and violation of monotonicity: an example from inequalities in health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 313-329, March.
    12. Richard Edlin & Aki Tsuchiya & Paul Dolan, 2012. "Public Preferences For Responsibility Versus Public Preferences For Reducing Inequalities," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(12), pages 1416-1426, December.
    13. Ignacio Abasolo & Aki Tsuchiya, 2008. "Understanding preference for egalitarian policies in health: are age and sex determinants?," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(19), pages 2451-2461.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    health inequality; inequality aversion; social preferences; survey; welfare function;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N0 - Economic History - - General

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