Description:

Health and happiness. Indicators, drivers and challenges in Italy and Europe Edited by Leonardo Becchetti e Lorenzo Semplici The research on the determinants of health is growing in importance in our ageing societies. The book surveys concepts and policies of active ageing in high income countries and tests empirically the relevance of different drivers on the insurgence of a wide range of chronic illnesses on a large cross-country (SHARE) European dataset. The focus is on four main variables: education, volunteering, government health expenditure and subjective health satisfaction. We further develop methodologies to build composite health indicators for cross-country European comparisons and regional comparisons within Italy. We conclude by formulating best practices to improve health based on book findings. Keywords: active ageing, health satisfaction, public health costs, voluntary work, life satisfaction. JEL numbers: I12 Health behavior; I31 General welfare, wellbeing, J17 Value of life.