Most doctors in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) match with one of their most preferred internship programs. However, surveys indicate doctors’ preferences are similar, suggesting a puzzle: how can so many top choices when positions scarce? We provide possible explanation. show that patterns NRMP data may be an artifact interview process precedes match. Our study highlights importa...

This paper reports on a re-evaluation of the German health care reform of 1997. A previous evaluation found a limited effect of a 4.4 percent reduction of the number of doctor visits in a sample of pharmacy customers. The re-evaluation based on a representative household survey, the German Socio-Economic Panel, yields a much larger effect. The paper uses this case study to discuss the methods a...

We use an OLG model with heterogenous agents who choose how much to spend on their health under health uncertainty in order to study the effect of transitioning from a system with private health insurance for young agents and Medicare for old agents to a system with health savings accounds (HSAs) for young agents and Medicare for the old. We focus on possible cost savings, the effects on output...

In the present paper we describe the structure of the Chinese health care system and sketch its future development. We analyse issues of provider incentives and the actual burden sharing between government, enterprises and people. We further aim to identify a number of current problems and link these to a discussion of future challenges in the form of an aging population, increased privatizatio...

This paper offers projections of future transmission dynamics for SARS-CoV-2 in an SEIRS model with demographics and waning immunity. In a stylized optimal control setting calibrated to the United States, we show that disease is endemic steady state its are characterized by damped oscillations. The magnitude oscillations depends on how fast immunity wanes. social distancing policy both curbs pe...

We present a new estimator for causal effects with panel data that builds on insights behind the widely used difference-in-differences and synthetic control methods. Relative to these methods we find, both theoretically empirically, this “synthetic difference-in-differences” has desirable robustness properties, it performs well in settings where conventional estimators are commonly practice. st...

Historically, improvements in municipal water quality led to substantial mortality decline today’s wealthy countries. However, disinfection has not consistently produced large benefits lower-income We study this issue by analyzing a large-scale program Mexico that increased chlorination coverage urban areas from 58 percent over 90 within 18 months. estimate the reduced childhood diarrheal disea...

Housing is mostly exempted from Medicaid and Supplemental Social Insurance means tests. Reforms of this special treatment have been debated, but little known about its costs, benefits, redistributive implications. I estimate a life cycle model single retirees accounting for exemption. It shows that the homestead exemption explains important patterns recipiency it highly valued. also estate reco...