Population aging and public health expenditure mainly dedicated to older dependent persons present major challenges for the European Union (EU) Member States, with profound implications for their economies and labor markets. Sustainable economic development relies on a well-balanced workforce of young and older people. As this balance shifts in favor of older people, productivity tends to suffer, on the one hand, and the older group demands more from health services, on the other hand. These requisites tend to manifest differently within developed and developing EU countries. This research aimed to assess population aging impacts on labor market coordinates (employment rate, labor productivity), in the framework of several health dimensions (namely, health government expenditure, hospital services, healthy life years, perceived health) and other economic and social factors. The analytical approach consisted of applying structural equation models, Gaussian graphical models, and macroeconometric models (robust regression and panel corrected standard errors) to EU panel data for the years 1995–2017. The results show significant dissimilarities between developed and developing EU countries, suggesting the need for specific policies and strategies for the labor market integration of older people, jointly with public health expenditure, with implications for EU labor market performance.
This paper investigates new insights into the effect taxation has on the welfare state, using Granger causality analysis, and focusing on both economic growth and human development as welfare components. Moreover, Granger causality allows us to determine whether or not there is a bidirectional causal relationship between taxes, growth, and human development. The analysis is based on a comparative study between part of the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries and the richest European Countries, over the period 1995–2015. Taxes are illustrated by different types of tax revenues to GDP ratio, economic growth is defined by gross domestic product and gross national income, while the human development index (HDI) included in the analysis is a composite measure used to rank countries based on their social and economic development level. Results confirm the fact that taxes support economic growth, but their impact on human development is rather limited. However, in countries with higher HDI, an increase in tax revenues is expected, but over long-term. This study confirms that taxes are an important instrument for governments, and should be used in economic growth. In addition, taxes are closely related to well-being, as citizens from countries with large HDI values are more likely to pay higher taxes over time. Therefore, practical tax reforms should imply an equilibrium between equity and a decent standard of living that supports life expectancy, increased tax revenues, and efficiency.
This paper examines the impact of the ageing dimensions and other economic and social variables on labour productivity and poverty risk within the European Union (EU). Taking into account the sizable dissimilarities among the EU Member States, our research is configured on four specific panels, according to the UNECE/European Commission mapping of EU countries, based on the Active Ageing Index data and methodology for 2018. We have compiled a complex dataset with official data to measure the ageing features, labour market dimensions and poverty, along with other economic and social representative variables, during 1995-2017. The methodological endeavour is critical and analytical, grounded on an extensive quantitative research. Two multifactorial macro-econometric models are applied in order to evaluate the direct implications of the ageing dimensions and other utter credentials on labour productivity, respectively on poverty levels. Structural equation modelling further entails an integrative examination of the total, indirect and bidirectional connections between the ageing phenomenon, several socio-economic indicators and the labour market performance, with a final impact on poverty. Results show different yet extremely significant labour market and poverty impacts for the ageing representative groups of EU countries, which require specific policy interventions and tailored strategies.
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