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The Economics of HIV/AIDS: A Survey
Author(s) -
Gaffeo Edoardo
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
development policy review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.671
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1467-7679
pISSN - 0950-6764
DOI - 10.1111/1467-7679.00197
Subject(s) - appeal , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , perspective (graphical) , economics , coping (psychology) , economic growth , development economics , public economics , political science , positive economics , medicine , virology , psychiatry , law , artificial intelligence , computer science
This article surveys the main economic issues associated with the HIV/AIDS epidemic, paying special attention to sub–Saharan Africa. It explores the economic and behavioural determinants of HIV transmission, the microeconomics of market failures associated with high HIV prevalence, the prospects for regional development from a macroeconomic perspective and the efficient design of policies for coping with the epidemic. In line with the recent appeal by the UN Secretary General, the article argues that, without a decisive effort to halt HIV/AIDS, people living in the region are bound to experience a further fall in their standard of living in both relative and absolute terms. However, to be effective, anti–AIDS programmes must be rooted in sound economic principles.