Convergence of European healthcare systems: a cluster analysis

Paolo Liberati ()
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Paolo Liberati: University Roma Tre, Department of Economics, Rome, Italy; Research Centre in Economics and Public Finance (CEFIP), Rome, Italy

Public Sector Economics, 2026, vol. 50, issue 2, 167-213

Abstract: This paper examines whether European healthcare systems can be meaningfully grouped into distinct clusters based on institutional characteristics and health outcomes. To address this question, we conduct a cluster analysis of 26 European countries over the period 2001-2021. The findings provide limited empirical support for the conventional classification into Nordic, Continental, and Liberal models within the healthcare domain, both in terms of institutional features and health outcomes. Rather, most Western European countries cluster together, while a distinct and robust cluster of Eastern European countries clearly emerges.

Keywords: health; welfare state; cluster; Europe; Esping-Andersen (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H11 H51 I1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ipf:psejou:v:50:y:2026:i:2:p:167-213

DOI: 10.3326/pse.50.2.1

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