Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7363115 | Journal of Health Economics | 2016 | 11 Pages |
Abstract
Non-contractible quality dimensions are at risk of degradation when the provision of public services is privatized. However, privatization may increase quality by fostering performance-improving innovation, particularly if combined with increased competition. We assemble a large data set on elderly care services in Sweden between 1990 and 2009 and estimate how opening to private provision affected mortality rates - an important and not easily contractible quality dimension - using a difference-in-difference-in-difference approach. The results indicate that privatization and the associated increase in competition significantly improved non-contractible quality as measured by mortality rates.
Related Topics
Health Sciences
Medicine and Dentistry
Public Health and Health Policy
Authors
Mats A. Bergman, Per Johansson, Sofia Lundberg, Giancarlo Spagnolo,