Articles

Charting the Evolution of Sin Tax Research: A Comprehensive Bibliometric Review

Sin taxes—selektif excise levies on goods like alcohol, tobacco and sugar‑sweetened beverages—are used to internalize negative externalities and self‑control problems. This bibliometric review analyzes 55 Scopus‑indexed publications from 1997–2024 identified through a systematic search for “sin tax” and “sin taxes” up to 26 December 2025 and filtered for scholarly, English‑language economics and finance works. Publication output grew from sporadic early contributions to a surge starting in 2013 and peaking at eleven papers in 2022. Authorship is dispersed (138 unique authors, only four with multiple papers), and output is geographically concentrated, with the United States producing nearly half of publications and Finland, Italy and the United Kingdom contributing smaller shares. Keyword clustering highlights themes around optimal tax design, consumption behaviour, obesity, pass‑through and paternalism, reflecting intersections between public finance, behavioural economics and health policy. The field is expanding but remains geographically skewed, signalling the need for more research in developing countries, greater interdisciplinary collaboration and deeper exploration of new sin goods and long‑term health and fiscal effects.

Bibliometric Analysis of Research on the Implementation of Stunting Prevention Programs in Indonesia through ProQuest

This study conducted a bibliometric analysis and visualization using VOSviewer to examine the implementation of stunting prevention programs in Indonesia. Over the past five years, there has been a significant increase in publications related to this topic, totaling 447 documents. The analysis revealed fluctuating publication trends annually, reflecting evolving research interests and methodologies. Visual network mapping identified four main clusters: (1) policy focus on stunting prevention, program effectiveness, and risks; (2) database review, coverage assessment, and risk factors; (3) infant health, risk factors, and assessments; and (4) sanitation, meta-analysis, and policy implications. These clusters highlight diverse research focuses, including policy management, data analysis, risk factors, and sanitation impacts on stunting prevalence. Integration of various datasets through overlay visualization provided insights into complex interactions influencing stunting prevalence across Indonesian districts. This research offers deep insights into the dynamics of stunting prevention program research and development in Indonesia, serving as a foundation for evidence-based policymaking and guiding future research strategies. Based on the findings and discussions, this study suggests the need for further research focusing on the district-level effectiveness of interventions against child stunting by enhancing community engagement in intervention and policy implementation. Community engagement can significantly reduce stunting prevalence by enabling better adoption of local nutrition and sanitation practices, strengthening program sustainability through active participation in planning and implementation, and building community capacity to promote sustainable behavior change at the individual and family levels.

Health Technology Assessment: The context, Practices and Challenges- A Mini Review

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is an important multidisciplinary process for health policymakers and decision-makers to evaluate a range of health technologies, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals to enable the efficiency with finite healthcare budgets. It aids the effectiveness and fairness in decision making. HTA is a mechanism to introduce a value for money in the healthcare system. HTA methods are evolving, and their applications are diverse.  This review introduces fundamental aspects and issues of dynamic concept of HTA.