Theoretical Model and Foundations for Assessing Interactions of Health, Education, and Economic Outcomes

Abstract

The statistical technique of variance and covariance analysis is widely used in the physical sciences to identify and test inter-relations and interactions. While this technique is also used in the social sciences context, especially in behavioral and experimental economics, it cannot always be directly employed on aggregate economic and social data. This chapter shows how a theoretical framework can be used to guide the empirical analysis of interconnections. The authors introduce the main analytical tools, the key variables, and the datasets needed to assess health and education interdependencies. This chapter sets the grounds for a better understanding of how ICTs that also include analytical software can provide important support for this kind of analysis.