Das Sisyphus-Syndrom im Gesundheitswesen: Neue Evidenz / The Sisyphus Syndrome in Health: New Evidence

Health care may be similar to the work Sisyphus, a Greek hero who was condemned by the Gods to push a big rock up a hill only to see it slip out of his hands before making it to the top. To see why there my be a Sisyphus syndrome in health, consider an initial decision to devote more resources to health. The likely consequence is an increased number of survivors, who exert political pressure in favor of even more health care. If they succeed, the cycle goes into its next round and might even prove explosive. Earlier research failed to identify this political feedback in industrial countries. Using improved model formulation, data, and econometric methodology, this contribution does find evidence suggesting the existence of a Sisyphus syndrome. However, the good news is that the cycle seems to be dampened rather than explosive.