Universal health coverage at the macro level: Synthetic control evidence from Thailand

Rieger, Matthias; Wagner, Natascha; Bedi, Arjun S.

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.11.022

Cited by 15 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The synthetic control method, developed by Abadie and colleagues, has been used extensively in analyses of social, political, and economic policies, including trade liberalization ( Abadie et al, 2010 ; Billmeier and Nannicini, 2013 ; Pieters et al, 2016 ; Rieger et al, 2017 ; Barlow et al 2017a , 2018 ). The synthetic control method is used to estimate the effect of an event or ‘treatment’, like trade liberalization, by approximating a counterfactual from a weighted combination of outcomes in similar countries.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A disadvantage of these data is that they are partially based on simulations. These mortality estimates are nevertheless widely used in cross-national analyses and policy evaluations because of their comparability ( Rieger et al, 2017 ; Moreno-Serra and Smith, 2015 ; Pieters et al, 2016 ; Wigley, 2017 ). In addition, Wigley noted that “child mortality often results from causes that are comparatively easier and less costly to prevent or treat (through access to clean water, oral rehydration, antibiotics, ante and post-natal care etc.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does trade liberalization reduce child mortality in low- and middle-income countries? A synthetic control analysis of 36 policy experiments, 1963-2005

Barlow

2018

Social Science & Medicine

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Scholars have long argued that trade liberalization leads to lower rates of child mortality in developing countries. Yet current scholarship precludes definitive conclusions about the magnitude and direction of this relationship. Here I analyze the impact of trade liberalization on child mortality in 36 low- and middle-income countries, 1963–2005, using the synthetic control method. I test the hypothesis that trade liberalization leads to lower rates of child mortality, examine whether this association varies between countries and over time, and explore the potentially modifying role of democratic politics, historical context, and geographic location on the magnitude and direction of this relationship. My analysis shows that, on average, trade liberalization had no impact on child mortality in low- and middle-income countries between 1963 and 2005 (Average effect (AE): −0.15%; 95% CI: −2.04%–2.18%). Yet the scale, direction and statistical significance of this association varied markedly, ranging from a ∼20% reduction in child mortality in Uruguay to a ∼20% increase in the Philippines compared with synthetic controls. Trade liberalization was also followed by the largest declines in child mortality in democracies (AE 10-years post reform (AE10): −3.28%), in Latin America (AE10: −4.15%) and in the 1970s (AE10: −6.85%). My findings show that trade liberalization can create an opportunity for reducing rates of child mortality, but its effects cannot be guaranteed. Inclusive and pro-growth contextual factors appear to influence whether trade liberalization actually yields beneficial consequences in developing societies.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does trade liberalization reduce child mortality in low- and middle-income countries? A synthetic control analysis of 36 policy experiments, 1963-2005

Barlow

2018

Social Science & Medicine

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“…This is not to downplay the importance of single-geographic-unit studies when health policies such as indoor tobacco bans are introduced nationally, as they were in Ireland and China (51,106), or when one US state or locality enacts a policy that is unique in its time [e.g., Massachusetts health reform, in Kolstad (27). Researchers are also able to use synthetic control methods to construct comparison groups using a weighted average of other countries, as done by Rieger and colleagues (89) in studying the effects of universal health insurance in Thailand.…”

Section: Policy Variation and Heterogeneitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing Difference in Difference Studies: Best Practices for Public Health Policy Research

Wing

Simon

Bello-Gómez

2024

Annual Review of Public Health

1,014

826

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The difference in difference (DID) design is a quasi-experimental research design that researchers often use to study causal relationships in public health settings where randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are infeasible or unethical. However, causal inference poses many challenges in DID designs. In this article, we review key features of DID designs with an emphasis on public health policy research. Contemporary researchers should take an active approach to the design of DID studies, seeking to construct comparison groups, sensitivity analyses, and robustness checks that help validate the method's assumptions. We explain the key assumptions of the design and discuss analytic tactics, supplementary analysis, and approaches to statistical inference that are often important in applied research. The DID design is not a perfect substitute for randomized experiments, but it often represents a feasible way to learn about casual relationships. We conclude by noting that combining elements from multiple quasi-experimental techniques may be important in the next wave of innovations to the DID approach.

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“…2 To make tangible progress toward UHC, countries should clearly define the essential health services that they can deliver to their population within the available budget and without financial risk whilst also clearly defining how they plan to scale up coverage, reduce direct costs and expand the range of health interventions in the future. [3][4][5][6][7] An interventions is defined as "an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to assess, improve, maintain, promote or modify health, functioning or health conditions." 8 The selection of high-impact, priority interventions is important but has never been easy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revision of the Ethiopian Essential Health Service Package: An Explication of the Process and Methods Used

Eregata

Hailu

Geletu

et al. 2020

Health Systems & Reform

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To make progress toward universal health coverage, countries should define the type and mix of health services that respond to their populations' needs. Ethiopia revised its essential health services package (EHSP) in 2019. This paper describes the process, methodology and key features of the new EHSP. A total of 35 consultative workshops were convened with experts and the public to define the scope of the revision, develop a list of health interventions, agree on the prioritization criteria, gather evidence and compare health interventions. Seven prioritization criteria were employed: disease burden, cost effectiveness, equity, financial risk protection, budget impact, public acceptability and political acceptability. In the first phase, 1,749 interventions were identified, including existing and new interventions, which were regrouped and reorganized to identify 1,442 interventions as relevant. The second phase removed interventions that did not match the burden of disease or were not relevant in the Ethiopian setting, reducing the number of interventions to 1,018. These were evaluated further and ranked by the other criteria. Finally, 594 interventions were classified as high priority (58%), 213 as medium priorities (21%) and 211 as low priority interventions (21%). The current policy is to provide 570 interventions (56%) free of charge while guaranteeing the availability of the remaining services with cost-sharing (38%) and cost-recovery (6%) mechanisms in place. In conclusion, the revision of Ethiopia's EHSP followed a participatory, inclusive and evidence-based prioritization process. The interventions included in the EHSP were comprehensive and were assigned to health care delivery platforms and linked to financing mechanisms.

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Universal health coverage at the macro level: Synthetic control evidence from Thailand

Cited by 15 publications

References 27 publications

Does trade liberalization reduce child mortality in low- and middle-income countries? A synthetic control analysis of 36 policy experiments, 1963-2005

Does trade liberalization reduce child mortality in low- and middle-income countries? A synthetic control analysis of 36 policy experiments, 1963-2005

Designing Difference in Difference Studies: Best Practices for Public Health Policy Research

Revision of the Ethiopian Essential Health Service Package: An Explication of the Process and Methods Used

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