Health Economics - Economics Research

Background

The Health Economics Research Cluster brings together economists at the University of Reading who apply economic theory and empirical methods to questions of health, wellbeing and health care. Members draw on expertise in applied microeconomics and microeconometrics, labour and household economics, development economics, behavioural and experimental economics, regulation, and environmental economics.

Our current research spans child health and human capital in developing countries, including the intergenerational transmission of health and the effects of malaria, domestic violence and environmental hazards on child outcomes; women’s health, fertility and the workplace, including maternal wellbeing and infant feeding; health behaviours such as exercise, sleep and drug taking, and how they change over the life cycle; and health policy, regulation and the quality of health care, from evidence-based medicine to early disease screening. Growing areas of interest include the links between health and the environment, and behavioural approaches to health decisions and the design of health systems. We welcome collaboration with colleagues across the University and beyond.

Our Members

Academics at Reading:

Publications

Cherodian, R., Franklin, M., Gschwandtner, A., Hunter, R., Jewell, S. L. and Kambhampati, U. (2026) Could individual personality traits affect adherence to exercise as a public health intervention? A causal Mendelian randomization study using United Kingdom longitudinal survey data. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. ISSN 2662-9992 doi: 10.1057/s41599-026-08169-w
Chung, A. and Zhang, J. (2026) Sleeping investment: a life-cycle hypothesis. GLO Discussion Paper, No. 1802. Global Labor Organization (GLO).
Chung, A. and Zhang, J. (2025) Physical attractiveness, drug taking and gender differences. Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d’économique, 58 (4). pp. 1391-1416. ISSN 1540-5982 doi: 10.1111/caje.70027
Xu, F. and Carro, E. (2025) Early screening for Alzheimer’s disease: a scientific, ethical, and value-based framework for targeted screening in at-risk individuals. Med, 6 (11). 100919. ISSN 2666-6340 doi: 10.1016/j.medj.2025.100919
Jewell, S., Aftab, F., Della Giusta, M., James, G., Jaworska, S. and Rawlings, S., (2025) Maternal wellbeing, infant feeding and return to paid work. Report. University of Reading doi: 10.48683/1926.00123480
Lovo, S. and Rawlings, S. (2024) The health burden of e-waste: the impact of e-waste dumping sites on child mortality. The World Bank Economic Review. lhae053. ISSN 1564-698X doi: 10.1093/wber/lhae053
Chung, A., Xiong, Y. and Zhang, J. (2022) An economic analysis of tiger parenting: evidence from child developmental delay or learning disability. Labour Economics, 78. 102226. ISSN 0927-5371 doi: 10.1016/j.labeco.2022.102226
Gschwandtner, A., Jewell, S. and Kambhampati, U. S. (2022) Lifestyle and life satisfaction: the role of delayed gratification. Journal of Happiness Studies, 23. pp. 1043-1072. ISSN 1573-7780 doi: 10.1007/s10902-021-00440-y
Bhalotra, S., Kambhampati, U., Rawlings, S. and Siddique, Z. (2021) Intimate partner violence: the influence of job opportunities for men and women. The World Bank Economic Review, 35 (2). pp. 461-479. ISSN 0258-6770 doi: 10.1093/wber/lhz030
Zhu, M. (2021) Evidence-based medicine and healthcare quality in the context of information failure: the case of the UK fertility sector. PharmacoEconomics – Open, 5. pp. 561-576. ISSN 2509-4254 doi: 10.1007/s41669-021-00285-4
Rawlings, S. and Siddique, Z. (2020) Domestic violence and child mortality in the developing world. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 82 (4). pp. 723-750. ISSN 1468-0084 doi: 10.1111/obes.12357
Pieters, J. and Rawlings, S. (2020) Parental unemployment and child health in China. Review of Economics of the Household, 18 (1). pp. 207-237. ISSN 1573-7152 doi: 10.1007/s11150-019-09457-y
Della Giusta, M., Di Tommaso, M. L. and Jewell, S. (2017) Stigma and risky behaviors among male clients of sex workers in the UK in 2001. Feminist Economics, 23 (3). pp. 23-48. ISSN 1466-4372 doi: 10.1080/13545701.2016.1203453
Della Giusta, M., Di Tommaso, M. L. and Jewell, S. L. (2016) Stigma and risky behaviors among clients of prostitutes. In: Cunningham, S. and Shah, M. (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Prostitution. Oxford University Press.
Rawlings, S. B. (2016) Gender, race, and heterogeneous effects of epidemic malaria on human capital and income. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 64 (3). pp. 509-543. ISSN 1539-2988 doi: 10.1086/684965
Della Giusta, M. and Jewell, S. (2015) Unpaid work and conformity: why care? Cambridge Journal of Economics, 39 (3). pp. 689-710. ISSN 1464-3545 doi: 10.1093/cje/beu061
Bhalotra, S. and Rawlings, S. (2013) Gradients of the intergenerational transmission of health in developing countries. Review of Economics and Statistics, 95 (2). pp. 660-672. ISSN 1530-9142 doi: 10.1162/REST_a_00263
Bhalotra, S. and Rawlings, S. (2011) Intergenerational persistence in health in developing countries : the penalty of gender inequality? Journal of Public Economics, 95 (3-4). pp. 286-299. ISSN 0047-2727 doi: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2010.10.016
Chung, A. (2009) Gender difference in suicide, household production and unemployment. Applied Economics, 41 (19). pp. 2495-2504. ISSN 1466-4283 doi: 10.1080/00036840802599446

Events

CombiDiag Workshop
Date: 16–17 July 2026
Venue: University of Reading, United Kingdom
Organiser: Fangya Xu
Programme: Download the workshop programme (Word document)

The workshop brought together researchers from a wide range of disciplines to share findings and exchange ideas on neurodegenerative disease, with a particular focus on dementia. Discussions highlighted how interdisciplinary collaboration can help address some of the most complex challenges in dementia research.

Funded Projects

Peripheral Biomarker Based Combinatorial Early Diagnostics for Dementia (CombiDiag)
Funder: Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (funded by UKRI)
Duration: 2023–2027 (extended from 2026)
Project Lead (Economics): Fangya Xu
University of Reading allocation: £265,251

CombiDiag aims to develop an AI-based diagnostic protocol for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease using peripheral biomarkers. The Reading team leads the health economics strand of the network, evaluating the cost-effectiveness of biomarker-based diagnostic pathways, applying health technology assessment (HTA) methods, and modelling the budget impact of alternative delivery pathways for biomarker testing.

Research Led Teaching

To be added