Bio:

Martin Karlsson is Professor of Economics of the University of Duisburg-Essen since 2012. Before taking up his current position at the Chair of Health Economics in Essen, Martin has been working at the Technische Universität Darmstadt (2009-2012), at the University of Oslo (2009-2016) at the University of Oxford (2006-2009) and at Cass Business School in London (2005-2006). Martin received his doctoral degree from the European University Institute in 2007. Beside his work at the Chair of Health Economics, Martin is a Research Fellow of IZA, a Guest Professor at the University of Gothenburg and Director of CINCH, a national centre for research on health economics. Martin regularly organises international academic conferences on different current topics within health economics, and he participates in various international research collaborations. 

Curriculum Vitae as PDF

Fields of Research:

Professor Karlsson hat eine breit gefächerte Forschungsagenda in der Gesundheitsökonomik. Seine frühere Arbeit hat sich vor allem mit den ökonomischen Aspekten der Alterspflege, mit den Effekten des Krankengeldes auf Fehlzeiten, sowie mit den Auswirkungen ökonomischer Ungleichheiten auf die Gesundheit auseinandergesetzt. Seine aktuellen Forschungsinteressen umfassen zudem die Analyse von Informationsasymmetrien in der privaten Krankenversicherung, Alterung und Alterspflege sowie die Auswirkungen von Gesundheitsinterventionen im frühen Lebensalter auf sozioökonomische und gesundheitliche Entwicklungen im weiteren Lebensverlauf. Professor Karlsson hat in führenden Fachzeitschriften publiziert wie zum Beispiel das Journal of the European Economic Association, das Journal of Health Economics, The Economic Journal, the Journal of Public Economics und the Journal of Applied Econometrics.

Publications:

• Fischer, Martin; Karlsson, Martin; Nilsson, Therese; Schwarz, Nina: The long-term effects of long terms--Compulsory schooling reforms in Sweden. In: Journal of the European Economic Association, Vol 18 (2020), p. 2776-2823. CitationDetails
• Atal, Juan Pablo; Fang, Hanming; Karlsson, Martin; Ziebarth, Nicolas R: Exit, Voice, or Loyalty? An Investigation Into Mandated Portability of Front-Loaded Private Health Plans. In: Journal of Risk and Insurance, Vol 86 (2019), p. 697-727. CitationDetails
• Bannenberg, Norman; Karlsson, Martin; Schmitz, Hendrik: The Economics of Long-Term Care. In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Economics and Finance. 2019. CitationDetails
• Karlsson, Martin; Ziebarth, Nicolas R: Population health effects and health-related costs of extreme temperatures: Comprehensive evidence from Germany. In: Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Vol 91 (2018), p. 93-117. CitationDetails
• Karlsson, Martin; Klein, Tobias J; Ziebarth, Nicolas R: Skewed, persistent and high before death: Medical spending in Germany. In: Fiscal Studies, Vol 37 (2016), p. 527-559. CitationDetails
• Costa-Font, Joan; Karlsson, Martin; Øien, Henning: Careful in the Crisis? Determinants of Older People's Informal Care Receipt in Crisis-Struck European Countries. In: Health economics, Vol 25 (2016), p. 25-42. CitationDetails
• Karlsson, Martin; Pichler, Stefan: Demographic consequences of HIV. In: Journal of Population Economics, Vol 28 (2015), p. 1097-1135. CitationDetails
• Bhalotra, Sonia R; Karlsson, Martin; Nilsson, Therese: Infant health and longevity: evidence from a historical trial in Sweden. In: Available at SSRN 2598909 (2015). CitationDetails
• Karlsson, Martin; Klohn, Florian: Testing the red herring hypothesis on an aggregated level: ageing, time-to-death and care costs for older people in Sweden. In: The European Journal of Health Economics, Vol 15 (2014), p. 533-551. CitationDetails
• Ziebarth, Nicolas R; Karlsson, Martin: The effects of expanding the generosity of the statutory sickness insurance system. In: Journal of Applied Econometrics, Vol 29 (2014), p. 208-230. CitationDetails
• Karlsson, Martin; Nilsson, Therese; Pichler, Stefan: The impact of the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic on economic performance in Sweden: An investigation into the consequences of an extraordinary mortality shock. In: Journal of health economics, Vol 36 (2014), p. 1-19. CitationDetails
• Karlsson, Martin; Iversen, Tor; Øien, Henning: Scandinavian long-term care financing. In: Financing long-term care in Europe. Springer, 2012, p. 254-278. CitationDetails
• Øien, Henning; Karlsson, Martin; Iversen, Tor: The Impact of Financial Incentives on the Composition of Long-term Care in Norway. In: Applied economic perspectives and policy, Vol 34 (2012), p. 258-274. CitationDetails
• Karlsson, Martin; Klohn, Florian: Ageing, health and disability--An economic perspective. In: From Grey to Silver. Springer, 2011, p. 51-67. CitationDetails
• Bergh, Andreas; Karlsson, Martin: Government size and growth: Accounting for economic freedom and globalization. In: Public Choice, Vol 142 (2010), p. 195-213. CitationDetails
• Karlsson, Martin; Nilsson, Therese; Lyttkens, Carl Hampus; Leeson, George: Income inequality and health: Importance of a cross-country perspective. In: Social science & medicine, Vol 70 (2010), p. 875-885. CitationDetails
• Mayhew, Les; Karlsson, Martin; Rickayzen, Ben: The role of private finance in paying for long term care. In: The Economic Journal, Vol 120 (2010). CitationDetails
• Ziebarth, Nicolas R; Karlsson, Martin: A natural experiment on sick pay cuts, sickness absence, and labor costs. In: Journal of Public Economics, Vol 94 (2010), p. 1108-1122. CitationDetails
• Karlsson, Martin; Mayhew, Les; Rickayzen, Ben: In Sickness and in Health? Dynamics of Health and Cohabitation in the United Kingdom, Dawson, Sandra; Morris, Zoe Slote (Ed.), Palgrave Macmillan UK, London 2009. (ISBN 978-0-230-58254-5) doi:10.1057/9780230582545\\_8) Full textCitationAbstractDetails

  Most developed countries' populations are ageing rapidly with consequent implications for public spending on long-term care (LTC), pensions and health care. The UK dependency ratio (the number of retired people per 100 people of working age) is projected to increase from 24 today to 38 in 2040. Although substantial, the increase is lower than in many other countries. In Japan, for instance, the ratio is projected to increase from 30 today to 65 in 2040 (United Nations, 2002).

• Spreeuw, Jaap; Karlsson, Martin: Time deductibles as screening devices: Competitive markets. In: Journal of Risk and Insurance, Vol 76 (2009), p. 261-278. CitationDetails
• Karlsson, Martin; Mayhew, Les; Rickayzen, Ben: Individualised life tables. In: Journal of Population Ageing, Vol 1 (2008), p. 153-191. Full textCitationDetails
• Karlsson, Martin: Quality incentives for GPs in a regulated market. In: Journal of Health Economics, Vol 26 (2007). doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2006.12.001Full textCitationAbstractDetails

  This paper analyses whether GPs in a capitation system have incentives to provide quality even though health is a credence good. A model is developed where the quality of the service varies due to inherent differences between the GPs and rational patients make choices based on the outcome of treamtent. We find that it is difficult to provide appropriate incentives since the search activity of patients offsets direct effects of a change in reimbursement. Variation in the inherent ability of the GPs is good since it increases the search activity of the patients and the optimal reimbursement scheme is inversely proportional to the dispersion in types. Finally, we find that offering a menu of contracts can potentially increase social welfare above the level of a simple capitation regime, but it tends to lead to a higher variation in quality levels.

• Karlsson, Martin; Mayhew, Les; Rickayzen, Ben: Long term care financing in four OECD countries: Fiscal burden and distributive effects. In: Health Policy, Vol 80 (2007). doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2006.02.002Full textCitationAbstractDetails

  This paper compares long term care (LTC) systems in four OECD countries (UK, Japan, Sweden and Germany). In the UK, provision is means tested, so that out of pocket payments depend on levels of income, savings and assets. In Sweden, where the system is wholly tax-financed, provision is essentially free at the point of use. In Germany and Japan, provision is financed from recently introduced compulsory insurance schemes, although the details of how each scheme operates and the distributive consequences differ somewhat. The paper analyses the effects of importing the other three countries’ systems for financing LTC into the UK, focussing on both the distributive consequences and the tax burden. It finds that the German system would not be an improvement on the current UK system, because it uses a regressive method of financing. Therefore, the discussion of possible alternatives to the present UK system could be restricted to a general tax-based system as used in Sweden or the compulsory insurance system as used in Japan. The results suggest that all three systems would imply increased taxes in the UK.

• Karlsson, Martin; Mayhew, Les; Plumb, Robert; Rickayzen, Ben: Future costs for long-term care: Cost projections for long-term care for older people in the United Kingdom. In: Health Policy, Vol 75 (2006). doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2005.03.006Full textCitationAbstractDetails

  The purpose of this paper is to analyse the future sustainability of the UK system for provision of long-term care (LTC) due to changes in demography and health status among the older people. It considers how demand for LTC will evolve and to what extent there will be sufficient supply to meet demand. For formal care, this requires an estimate of how much the public purses, and hence taxpayers, will be burdened with LTC costs. For informal care, it involves estimating whether there will be enough carers if current patterns of provision were to continue. The results show that demand for long-term care will start to take off 10 years from now, and reach a peak somewhere after 2040. The research finds that the most significant increase will be in demand for informal care, where the number of recipients are projected to increase from 2.2 million today to 3.0 million in 2050. Relative increases will be similar in all care settings, amounting to between 30 and 50% compared with the levels today; however, the most noticeable increase will be in demand for formal home care, which is projected to be 60% above current levels by 2040. Total expenditure on formal long-term care will increase from £ 11 billion per year today to approximately £ 15 billion per year by 2040 (in 2001 prices). Expressed in taxation terms the effective contribution rate will increase from around 1.0% of total wages today to 1.3% in 2050. Availability of informal carers is potentially a big problem, but the extent of the problem is very sensitive to the assumptions made concerning health improvements and care-giving patterns.