Miriam Wüst and Ida Lykke Kristiansen to present at CESifo Workshop on the Economics of Children in November
The workshop on the Economics of Children will be held in conjunction with the 2023 CESifo Munich Lectures in Economics. On 23 -24 November
Miriam Wüst will present her and her co-authors paper “Universal Investments in Toddler Health: Learning from a Large Government Trial”
Abstract
Exploiting a 1960s government trial in Copenhagen, we study the long-run and inter-generational effects of preventive care for toddlers. We combine administrative data with handwritten nurse records to document universal treatment take-up and positive health effects for treated children over the life course. Beneficial health impacts are largest for disadvantaged children and may even extend to their offspring. While initial trial cohorts experienced positive health and socioeconomic impacts, those are absent for the final cohorts. This heterogeneity across individuals' background and cohorts documents that universal toddler care can alleviate inequalities at low costs, and that the counterfactual policy environment matters.
Ida Lykke Kristiansen will present her and Sofie Yanying Shengs paper “Doctor Who? The Effect of Physician-Patient Match on the SES-Health Gradient”
Abstract
We investigate whether primary care physician and patient concordance in terms of socio-economic status (SES) reduces the SES inequality in health. We measure physicians' SES by their childhood SES and find that SES concordance decreases low-SES patients' mortality, while high-SES patients' mortality does not depend on their physicians' background. Together, they translate to a 24% reduction in the SES-mortality gradient. SES concordance changes the health behavior of the patient and increases treatment of chronic conditions: low-SES patients with low-SES physicians receive more care at the intensive margin, have a higher detection of chronic conditions, and have higher adherence to treatment.
You can also read more about the research here.