Health, growth and welfare: a theoritical appraisal of the long run impact of medical R&D

Bosi, Stefano and Laurent, Thierry (2011): Health, growth and welfare: a theoritical appraisal of the long run impact of medical R&D. Forthcoming in:

Abstract

This paper aims at providing a simple economic framework to address the question of the optimal share of investments in medical R&D in total public spending. In order to capture the long-run impact of tax-financed medical R&D on the growth rate, we develop an endogenous growth model in the spirit of Barro [1990]. The model focuses on the optimal sharing of public resources between consumption and (non-health) investment, medical R&D and other health expenditures. It emphasizes the key role played by the public health-related R&D in enhancing economic growth and welfare in the long run.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Public health ; Medical R&D; Public spending; Endogenous growth
• Subjects: H - Public Economics > H5 - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies > H51 - Government Expenditures and Health; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I18 - Government Policy ; Regulation ; Public Health; H - Public Economics > H2 - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue > H23 - Externalities ; Redistributive Effects ; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights > O31 - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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