Political institutions and suicide: A regional analysis of Switzerland

Justina A. V. Fischer and Antonio Rodriguez-Andr�s
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Antonio Rodriguez Andres

No 33, TWI Research Paper Series from Thurgauer Wirtschaftsinstitut, Universität Konstanz

Abstract: The question to what extent governance structure affects people�s well-being, here reflected in the decision to commit suicide, remains still largely unknown. This paper examines the effects of political institutions and governance structure on suicide using a balanced panel for 26 Swiss states (cantons) over the period 1980�1998. Our results indicate that stronger popular rights and more fiscal decentralization reduce suicide, while more local autonomy increases it. The effects are not strongly gender-specific. However, we find evidence that the effect of direct legislation is partly transmitted through sub-federal budgets, but not through health sector spending exclusively.

Keywords: Suicide; Direct democracy; Decentralization; Happiness; Well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm, nep-geo, nep-hap, nep-pbe and nep-pol
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:twi:respas:0033

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