Health care decisions are sometimes a matter of life and death, but also their financial consequences can be disastrous for many households around the world. While it is easy to imagine how the fear of making an expensive mistake may deter particularly poor households from making otherwise sensible health care choices, there is almost no scientific evidence on the importance and joint role of medical and financial uncertainty. In this paper, we provide theoretical insights based on simulation exercises, develop a novel measurement instrument for medical and cost uncertainty related to health investment choices, present data collected using this instrument from low-income households in Pakistan, and test the theoretical predictions using this data. Our analysis reveals that on top of many biases, both medical as well as cost uncertainty in health care decisions exists to a substantial degree. The empirical results regarding the influence of beliefs are largely in line with theoretical predictions and suggest that uncertainty in both dimensions deters health investments. Our results indicate potentially large dividends to providing accurate information.
Nach der Ermordung der Oppositionsführerin Benazir Bhutto am 27. Dezember 2007 kam es in vielen Städten Pakistans zu gewalttätigen Auseinandersetzungen und Unruhen, die durch die Verschiebung der Wahlen zur Nationalversammlung auf den 18. Februar 2008 weiter geschürt werden. Am 28. November 2007 war…
Rising powers have attracted tremendous interest in international politics and theory. Yet the ways in which secondary powers strategically respond to regional changes in the distribution of power have been largely neglected. This article seeks to fill this gap by presenting a systematic comparative…
The fear of pandemics, the significance of health in the fight against poverty, and a proliferation of new actors have increasingly directed international attention towards global health. In this context, the financial resources available for global health as well as the flexibility in problem…
Im Oktober 2009 startete die Regierung eine militärische Offensive gegen die Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Diese Gruppe pakistanischer Taliban ist für eine Reihe schwerster Terroranschläge gegen zivile und militärische Einrichtungen verantwortlich, die den Staat seit 2009 erschüttern.Seit den…
Nach der Ermordung der Oppositionsführerin Benazir Bhutto am 27. Dezember 2007 kam es in vielen Städten Pakistans zu gewalttätigen Auseinandersetzungen und Unruhen, die durch die Verschiebung der Wahlen zur Nationalversammlung auf den 18. Februar 2008 weiter geschürt werden. Am 28. November 2007 war…
Rising powers have attracted tremendous interest in international politics and theory. Yet the ways in which secondary powers strategically respond to regional changes in the distribution of power have been largely neglected. This article seeks to fill this gap by presenting a systematic comparative…
The fear of pandemics, the significance of health in the fight against poverty, and a proliferation of new actors have increasingly directed international attention towards global health. In this context, the financial resources available for global health as well as the flexibility in problem…
Im Oktober 2009 startete die Regierung eine militärische Offensive gegen die Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Diese Gruppe pakistanischer Taliban ist für eine Reihe schwerster Terroranschläge gegen zivile und militärische Einrichtungen verantwortlich, die den Staat seit 2009 erschüttern.Seit den…
Nach der Ermordung der Oppositionsführerin Benazir Bhutto am 27. Dezember 2007 kam es in vielen Städten Pakistans zu gewalttätigen Auseinandersetzungen und Unruhen, die durch die Verschiebung der Wahlen zur Nationalversammlung auf den 18. Februar 2008 weiter geschürt werden. Am 28. November 2007 war…
Rising powers have attracted tremendous interest in international politics and theory. Yet the ways in which secondary powers strategically respond to regional changes in the distribution of power have been largely neglected. This article seeks to fill this gap by presenting a systematic comparative…
The fear of pandemics, the significance of health in the fight against poverty, and a proliferation of new actors have increasingly directed international attention towards global health. In this context, the financial resources available for global health as well as the flexibility in problem…
