Is the Obesity Epidemic a Public Health Problem? A Decade of Research on the Economics of Obesity

15 Pages Posted: 26 May 2008 Last revised: 14 Oct 2022

See all articles by Tomas Philipson

Tomas Philipson

University of Chicago; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Richard A. Posner

University of Chicago Law School; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: May 2008

Abstract

The world-wide and ongoing rise in obesity has generated enormous popular interest and policy concern in developing countries, where it is rapidly becoming the major public health problem facing such nations. As a consequence, there has been a rapidly growing field of economic analysis of the causes and consequences of this phenomenon. This paper discusses some of the central themes of this decade long research program, aiming at synthesizing the different strands of the literature, and to point to future research that seems particularly productive.

Suggested Citation

Philipson, Tomas J. and Posner, Richard A., Is the Obesity Epidemic a Public Health Problem? A Decade of Research on the Economics of Obesity (May 2008). NBER Working Paper No. w14010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1137103

Tomas J. Philipson (Contact Author)

University of Chicago ( email )

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Richard A. Posner

University of Chicago Law School ( email )

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