Evaluating and Measuring Exactly the Distances between Aggregate Health Performances: A Global Health Data and Welfare Regime Analysis

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a global data analysis that for the first time ever looks at the exact performance distances when combining groups of quantitative health and health care indicators that stand for performance differences between the health care system performances of different countries in every corner of the world. Thus, by using Aspalter’s new Standardized Relative Performance Index, we can now not just rank all health care systems and health policy outcomes (as before) but can also, which is entirely new, measure them exactly and compare them exactly with one to another and/or different groups of indicators (dimensions) thereof. The World Health Organization, the Organization of Economic Corporation and Development, and the World Bank have yet to use such an indicator (Aspalter’s Index) that is able to add up and directly compare different variables, groups of variables among each other, and, of course, for example, different groups of countries among each other, while adding to the quality and quantity of overall information and knowledge gathered on the research subject(s) in the case of quantitative data analysis. For a more in-depth analytical purpose, the “Ten Worlds of Welfare Regime Theory” (or “ten worlds theory” in short) has been used to arrive at further conclusions and extra valuable information and knowledge on top of the rich comparative data analysis conducted in this study.