Government Health Expenditure and Public Health Outcomes: A Comparative Study among EU Developing Countries.

The aim of this paper was to empirically analyze the relationship between public health expenditure and health outcomes among EU developing countries. Using regression analysis and factor analysis, we documented that public health expenditure and health outcomes are in a long-run equilibrium relationship and the status of health expenditure can improve life expectancy and reduce infant mortality. Secondarily, we studied how the status of good governance, health care system performance, and socioeconomic vulnerabilities affect the public health's outcomes in the selected countries. We found that the effectiveness of health and the way to reduce infant mortality or to improve life quality is directed conditioned by good governance status. Moreover, the consolidation of health care system performance directly improves the quality of life among EU developing countries, which indicates that public policymakers should intervene and provide political and financial support through policy mixes.

Exploring the link between environmental pollution and economic growth in EU-28 countries: Is there an environmental Kuznets curve?

This study examines the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis (EKC), considering the primary energy consumption among other country-specific variables, for a panel of the EU-28 countries during the period 1990-2014. By estimating pooled OLS regressions with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors in order to account for cross-sectional dependence, the results confirm the EKC hypothesis in the case of emissions of sulfur oxides and emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds. In addition to pooled estimations, the output of fixed-effects regressions with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors support the EKC hypothesis for greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gas emissions intensity of energy consumption, emissions of nitrogen oxides, emissions of non-methane volatile organic compounds and emissions of ammonia. Additionally, the empirical findings from panel vector error correction model reveal a short-run unidirectional causality from GDP per capita growth to greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a bidirectional causal link between primary energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, since there occurred no causal link between economic growth and primary energy consumption, the neo-classical view was confirmed, namely the neutrality hypothesis.