Competition and Quality in Healthcare

Author(s):  
Peter Sivey ◽  
Yijuan Chen

Quality competition between alternative providers is an increasingly important topic in the health economics literature. This literature includes theoretical and empirical studies that have been developed in parallel to 21st-century policies to increase competition between doctors or hospitals. Theoretical studies have clarified how competitive markets can give healthcare providers the incentive to improve quality. Broadly speaking, if providers have an incentive to attract more patients and patients value quality, providers will raise quality until the costs of raising quality are equal to the additional revenue from patients attracted by the rise in quality. The theoretical literature has also investigated how institutional and policy parameters determine quality levels in equilibrium. Important parameters in models of quality competition include the degree of horizontal differentiation, the level of information about provider quality, the costs of switching between providers, and the time-horizon of quality investment decisions. Empirical studies have focused on the prerequisites of quality competition (e.g., do patients choose higher quality providers?) and the impact of pro-competition policies on quality levels. The most influential studies have used modern econometric approaches, including difference-in differences and instrumental variables, to identify plausibly causal effects. The evidence suggests that in most contexts, quality is a determinant of patient choice of provider, especially after greater patient choice is made available or information is published about provider quality. The evidence that increases in competition improve quality in healthcare is less clear cut. Perhaps reflecting the economic theory of quality competition, showing that different parameter combinations or assumptions can produce different outcomes, empirical results are also mixed. While a series of high-quality studies in the United Kingdom appear to show strong improvements in quality in more competitive areas following pro-competition reforms introducing more choice and competition, other studies showed that these quality improvements do not extend to all types of healthcare or alternative measures of quality. The most promising areas for future research include investigating the “black box” of quality improvement under competition, and behavioral studies investigating financial and nonfinancial motivations for quality improvements in competitive markets.

2021 ◽  
pp. 097491012110616
Author(s):  
Natalia I. Doré ◽  
Aurora A. C. Teixeira

The factors required to achieve sustainable economic growth in a country are debated for decades, and empirical research in this regard continues to grow. Given the relevance of the topic and the absence of a comprehensive, systematic literature review, we used bibliometric techniques to examine and document several aspects in the empirical literature related to growth, from 1991 to 2020. Five main results are worth highlighting: (a) the share of empirical articles on economic growth show a clear upward trend; (b) among all the groups of countries considered, the emerging economies (EEs) have received the most scientific attention; (c) the economic growth processes of the Latin American and Caribbean EEs have observed negligible scientific attention; (d) the very long-run studies comprise a residual share among the empirical literature on growth; (e) the extant empirical studies on economic growth have addressed mainly the impact of “macroeconomic conditions.” Our findings suggest there is a need to redirect the empirical growth agenda, so as to encourage more scientific attention devoted to the analysis of key determinants of economic growth in the very long run. There should also be increased scrutiny of the processes of economic growth in Latin American and Caribbean EEs


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uladzimir Kamovich ◽  
Lene Foss

This study uses the concept of alignment as a framework to examine empirical research on the impact of entrepreneurship education interventions on students. Alignment assumes that effective instruction requires congruence between three instructional components: intended outcomes, instructional processes, and assessment criteria. Given the extant diversity and complexity of entrepreneurship education impact, scholars have not been able to explain how teaching approaches and methods are being adjusted to the variety of expected outcomes. In order to address this gap, we critically reviewed the published empirical studies on entrepreneurship education impact in 20 journals over a 15-year period (2000–2015). We found 16 empirical studies that met our inclusion criteria. Our findings revealed that teaching objectives, teaching methods, and teaching content receive scant attention from researchers. This study will be of value to scholars researching the impact of heterogeneous entrepreneurship education practices and approaches on individuals. Our analytical framework could contribute to less contradictory findings of entrepreneurship education impact studies. We also identify research limitations and suggest avenues for future research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Mahdi Nasrollahi ◽  
Javaneh Ramezani ◽  
Mahmoud Sadraei

The notion of Industry 4.0 encompasses the adoption of new information technologies that enable an enormous amount of information to be digitally collected, analyzed, and exploited in organizations to make better decisions. Therefore, finding how organizations can adopt big data (BD) components to improve their performance becomes a relevant research area. This issue is becoming more pertinent for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), especially in developing countries that encounter limited resources and infrastructures. Due to the lack of empirical studies related to big data adoption (BDA) and BD’s business value, especially in SMEs, this study investigates the impact of BDA on SMEs’ performance by obtaining the required data from experts. The quantitative investigation followed a mixed approach, including survey data from 224 managers from Iranian SMEs, and a structural equation modeling (SEM) methodology for the data analysis. Results showed that 12 factors affected the BDA in SMEs. BDA can affect both operational performance and economic performance. There has been no support for the influence of BDA and economic performance on social performance. Finally, the study implications and findings are discussed alongside future research suggestions, as well as some limitations and unanswered questions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satish Kumar ◽  
Sisira Colombage ◽  
Purnima Rao

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the status of studies on capital structure determinants in the past 40 years. This paper highlights the major gaps in the literature on determinants of capital structure and also aims to raise specific questions for future research. Design/methodology/approach The prominence of research is assessed by studying the year of publication and region, level of economic development, firm size, data collection methods, data analysis techniques and theoretical models of capital structure from the selected papers. The review is based on 167 papers published from 1972 to 2013 in various peer-reviewed journals. The relationship of determinants of capital structure is analyzed with the help of meta-analysis. Findings Major findings show an increase of interest in research on determinants of capital structure of the firms located in emerging markets. However, it is observed that these regions are still under-examined which provides more scope for research both empirical and survey-based studies. Majority of research studies are conducted on large-sized firms by using secondary data and regression-based models for the analysis, whereas studies on small-sized firms are very meager. As majority of the research papers are written only at the organizational level, the impact of leverage on various industries is yet to be examined. The review highlights the major determinants of capital structure and their relationship with leverage. It also reveals the dominance of pecking order theory in explaining capital structure of firms theoretically as well as statistically. Originality/value The paper covers a considerable period of time (1972-2013). Among very few review papers on capital structure research, to the best of authors’ knowledge; this is the first review to identify what is missing in the literature on the determinants of capital structure while offering recommendations for future studies. It also synthesize the findings of empirical studies on determinants of capital structure statistically.


Author(s):  
Eva Sørensen

Chapter 11 aggregates the conceptual developments and theoretical argument and research findings presented in the previous chapters into a theoretical framework for studying the political leadership of elected politicians in the age of governance. The framework suggests that interactive political leadership holds the potential to promote robust political authorization in the age of governance through a promotion of interactive democracy, political learning accountability, interactive political entrepreneurship, and socio-political implementation. Conditioning factors are multi-level governance, an increased mediatization of political communication and access to interactive political platforms and arenas. Moreover, the chapter provides twenty propositions regarding the prospects for, and dilemmas and challenges related to the performance of interactive political leadership that can guide and inspire future research. Finally, the chapter proposes an agenda for future research and highlights the need for empirical studies on the scope for interactive political leadership in different contexts, discourse analyses of current understandings of political leadership and followership, process studies of the interplay between politicians and citizens, and studies of the impact of institutional design on political leadership styles.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 607-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junbin Wang ◽  
Xiaojun Fan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of manufacturers’ co-production strategy on market segmentation and channel performance under retail competition. Design/methodology/approach It differs from previous empirical studies by primarily focusing on the increment in consumer value accompanying co-production. The authors establish a game-theoretical model to analyze the impact of co-production on market segmentation and the profitability of channel members in a competitive retail environment. Findings The results reveal that manufacturers introducing co-production expand market coverage and benefit all channel members, when the intensity of competition is sufficiently high, especially for retailers with low-quality levels, who are out of the market without co-production. Furthermore, with the increase in customer valuation through co-production, employing a co-production strategy is always a dominant strategy for manufacturers. Research limitations/implications First, although the authors assume a monopoly manufacturer and two duopoly retailers, adding competition between manufacturers should enrich the model. Multiple products with vertical or horizontal differentiation could also be introduced into the model. Second, the authors use the multiplicative utility function to model the value co-creation effect on consumers; however, different utility functions may yield significantly different results and implications. Third, the authors model a one-shot game in a single product selling period; future studies may employ multi-period games to obtain further insight into co-production strategy. Finally, the model assumes that all consumers are homogenous in the extent of value creation and hassle cost. Future research may find it interesting to consider heterogeneity in these characteristics. Practical implications The business world today already sees the power of leadership in a supply chain to have shifted from manufacturers to retail giants such as Walmart, Home Depot and Best Buy. The findings also propose a new route to counteract the emergence and rise of dominant retailers. On the other hand, with the application of new technology in the retail industry such as 3D avatar, AR/VR, Internet of Things, consumers are more likely to participate in various forms of co-production activities, how to execute the co-production strategy has become more and more important for managers. Social implications The conclusion of this study points out the way to achieve a win–win outcome under which both channel members including manufacturer and retailers and consumers can be better off, that is, the channel can reach Pareto improvement, so the social welfare is increased accordingly. Originality/value The authors propose an analytical framework to examine the effects of co-production and competition on market segmentation and profitability, and prove that co-production is a powerful marketing tool that can attract consumers and increase profitability, which manufacturers can incorporate into their products even in a competitive environment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Samaha ◽  
Hichem Khlif

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review a synthesis of theories and empirical studies dealing with the adoption of and compliance with IFRS in developing countries in an attempt to provide directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach – The review focusses on four main streams including: first, the motives for IFRS adoption; second, corporate characteristics and the degree of compliance with IFRS; third, the economic consequences of IFRS adoption and finally; fourth, the use of regulation as an enforcement mechanism to monitor compliance with IFRS. The authors review empirical studies specifically devoted to developing countries. Findings – Regarding the first stream relating to IFRS adoption, the macroeconomic decision of adopting IFRS in developing countries can be justified by two main theories which are: the economic theory of network (Katz and Shapiro, 1985) and isomorphism (DiMaggio and Powell, 1991), however, empirical evidence in developing countries to confirm these theories is limited. Regarding the second stream relating to corporate characteristics and the degree of compliance with IFRS, the authors find that the results are mixed. Regarding the third stream relating to the economic consequences of IFRS adoption, it seems that the evidence is still limited in developing countries especially with respect to the impact of IFRS adoption on foreign direct investment, cost of equity capital and earnings management. Regarding the fourth and final stream in relation to regulation, enforcement and compliance with IFRS, the authors find that research is very limited. It was evidenced in the very few research studies conducted, that global disclosure standards are optimal only if compliance is monitored and enforced by efficient institutions. Practical implications – The author’s study attempts to provide a foundational knowledge resource that will inform practitioners, researchers and regulators in developing countries about the relevance of the different theories that exist in the accounting literature to explain the adoption of and compliance with IFRS. Originality/value – Compared to developed countries, the four streams outlined remain under-researched in developing countries. Therefore, researchers should examine these topics in developing countries to inform practitioners, regulators and the capital market about the effects of adopting IFRS and their relevance to developing countries. In addition, researchers should embark on identifying new theories to explain the adoption of and compliance with IFRS in developing countries that take into consideration the socioeconomic culture of these settings.


2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Boström ◽  
Helene Hillborg ◽  
Johan Lilja

<p><strong>Purpose:</strong> The purpose of this study is to provide a review of the impact on culture (attitudes, values and assumptions) among both healthcare professionals, as well as users, when involving users for improving quality in healthcare.</p><p><strong>Methodology/Approach:</strong> The paper is based on an extensive, narrative literature review considering studies that included professional’s and users experiences of user involvement in quality improvement. The included articles were analyzed using an interpretive, along with a deductive, approach according to a theoretical framework.</p><p><strong>Findings:</strong> The results indicate that there is currently limited research focusing on the impact of user involvement in quality improvement processes regarding professionals’ and users’ attitudes, values and/or assumptions. The articles identified during the study provides situations and statements, during the process of development, which can be interpreted as change in the culture. Although few articles specifically draw conclusions on user involvement as a “tool” for cultural change, the authors interpret several findings which strengthens that theory.</p><p><strong>Research Limitation/implication:</strong> Research published in other databases could have been missed. The authors have tried to avoid this by using a snowball method reading references in identified articles.</p><strong>Originality/Value of paper:</strong> The review provides a platform for both future research and the development of current practice within the area. There have been literature reviews showing obstacles and enablers when using patients, users and relatives in quality improvement work, but few which investigates cultural change.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alba Viana-Lora ◽  
Antoni Domènech ◽  
Aaron Gutiérrez

PurposeThis paper aims to review conceptual and empirical studies that analyse the impact of the pandemic on mobility and tourism behaviour at destinations in order to identify proposals, forecasts and recommendations to guide the future research agenda on the subject.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a systematic literature review to synthesise information from scientific articles published in journals indexed in the Web of Science database related to tourism mobility at destinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsThis article found that, according to the existing literature, the COVID-19 pandemic is acting as a catalyst for the sustainable transition of tourism. Although the findings reveal a lack of empirical research on the impact of the pandemic on tourism mobility at destinations, the article synthesizes the short- and long-term impacts of the pandemic and sets out the future research agenda on tourist mobility at destinations.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first systematic review of the impact of the pandemic on mobility and tourism behaviour at destinations that attempts to describe the emerging challenges and the agenda for future research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 56-63
Author(s):  
Luca Piras

Academic literature on impact finance has not yet covered all aspects of the topic, nor has significantly contributed, so far, to solve several relevant problems arising from the field. Defining the metrics and measurement models suitable to assess impact is probably, among them, the most important one. Practitioners seem willing to exploit the potential value and, although useful heuristics and practical solutions have been found, no satisfactory and widely accepted valuation model is available. The present paper tries to summarize the state of the art, through the analysis of the available literature and tries to address some possible development in future research. The underlying idea is that the field is still very new, on one side, and extremely diverse in its manifestation, therefore no traditional theory fully applies to it. At the same time, the research on the topic still relays on practitioners’ effort, rather than on academia, a gap that ought to be filled. The paper concludes that Impact Finance and Investing are perhaps too narrow labels that limit the possibility to fully grasp the core of it and propose to widen up it by using “Positive Finance” as a more comprehensive one. Indeed, it has been found that academic empirical studies are so far very few and statistical findings far from being robust. The absence of accepted market models, prevent researchers from delivering a theoretical effective interpretation of the growing market.


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