Keeping the doctor away: Experimental evidence on investment in preventative health products.

Abstract: Household investment in preventative health products is low in developing countries even though benefits from these products are very high. What interventions most effectively stimulate demand? In this paper, we experimentally estimate demand curves for health products in Kenya, Guatemala,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Journal of Development Economics Vol. 105; pp. 196 - 211
Autores principales: Meredith, Jennifer, Robinson, Jonathan, Walker, Sarah, Wydick, Bruce
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Elsevier B.V. Nov2013
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Abstract: Household investment in preventative health products is low in developing countries even though benefits from these products are very high. What interventions most effectively stimulate demand? In this paper, we experimentally estimate demand curves for health products in Kenya, Guatemala, India, and Uganda and test whether (1) information about health risk, (2) cash liquidity, (3) peer effects, and (4) intra-household differences in preferences affect demand. We find households to be highly sensitive to price and that both liquidity and targeting women increase demand. We find no effect of providing information, although genuine learning occurred, and we find no evidence of peer effects, although subjects discussed the product purchase decision extensively.