Examining Preference Heterogeneity in Best-Worst Scaling: Case of Preferences for Job Opportunities in Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) Communities in Indonesia

This research empirically examines the preferences for job-related attributes among rural villagers living close to artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Indonesia. Based on hypothetical scenarios in which a private company collaborates with the local government to establish a food processing industry in these villages, a questionnaire survey designed with best–worst scaling (BWS) was administered to households to determine their preferences. Additionally, the heterogeneity among the villagers was examined by applying a latent class logit (LCL) model. The main household survey was conducted in 2019 in Bone Bolango Regency, Gorontalo Province. The estimation results revealed that villagers are separated into four classes, and each class has different and unique preferences. Creating more job opportunities for society is a highly evaluated attribute; however, the preference for skill acquisition differs among groups. The results indicate that accounting for heterogeneous preferences regarding job opportunities is helpful to delink dependency on ASGM and health hazards and improve the livelihoods of rural villagers. The study yields key information to substantially reduce environmental and health hazards in the poverty-plagued ASGM community by facilitating job opportunities in Indonesia.

What Is Valued Most by Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus When Selecting Second-Line Antihyperglycemic Medications in China

Objective: To estimate patient preferences for second-line antihyperglycemic medications in China.Methods: A face to face survey with the best-worst scaling (BWS) choices was administered in patients with diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Study participants were asked to indicate which attribute they valued most and which attribute they valued least in 11 choice sets, each of which consisted of five alternatives out of 11 antihyperglycemic medication-specific attributes (treatment efficacy, weight change, hypoglycemic events, gastrointestinal side effects, cardiovascular health, urinary tract infection and genital infection side effects, edema, mode of administration, bone fracture, dosing frequency and out-of-pocket cost). A counting approach, a conditional logit model, and K-means clustering were used to estimate the relative importance of items and preference heterogeneity.Results: A total of 362 participants were included with a mean age of 63.6 (standard deviation: 11.8) years. There were 56.4% of participants were women, and 56.3% being diagnosed with diabetes for at least 5 years. Efficacy, cardiovascular health and hypoglycemic events were valued most, while dosing frequency, mode of administration and bone fracture were valued least. The K-means clustering further showed preference heterogeneity in out-of-pocket cost across the participants.Conclusion: Our study suggests that treatment efficacy, cardiovascular health and hypoglycemic events are valued most by Chinese patients with T2DM when selecting second-line antihyperglycemic medications. The study improves the understanding of patients’ preferences for second-line antihyperglycemic medications in China.

Corporate social responsibility and biotechnological foods: an experimental study on consumer’s behaviour

Purpose New food technologies based on biotechnological organisms are increasingly becoming a cause for debate and conflicting discussions. This paper aims to investigate hypothetical consumer behaviour, and the willingness to pay (WtP), towards a specific type of genetically modified food in relation to particular indications on the label about the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives by manufacturing companies. Design/methodology/approach For this purpose a choice experiment was used on a representative sample of more 1,300 Italian families, interviewing the component in charge of the buying choices within the selected household. A random parameter logit-error component model allows for heterogeneity in consumer preferences and potential correlation across utilities and across taste parameters. Beyond investigating consumers’ preferences regarding that product through a choice experiment, the aim was to detect the drivers of that purchase and preference heterogeneity across consumers’ choice, and the WtP, for the products with those features. Findings Results also offer a topic for further discussion and are useful for companies’ strategies to understand how to address such concerns through appropriate CSR policies. The main results are: CSR initiatives always have a strong effect on consumer choice; the price is consistently important, exerting a negative influence in the decision-making process for individuals; consumers may also know possible effects of genetically modified foods, but that does not always translate into purchase behaviour. Originality/value The research considers a particular link between genetically modified food and CSR not addressed in details; moreover, it is also based on the author’s own previous research and is its natural continuation and development, but also important for future researches.

Influence of Vaccination Characteristics on COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Among Working-Age People in Hong Kong, China: A Discrete Choice Experiment

Background: Along with individual-level factors, vaccination-related characteristics are important in understanding COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. This study aimed to determine the influence of these characteristics on vaccine acceptance to formulate promotion strategies after considering differences among respondents with different characteristics.Methods: An online discrete choice experiment was conducted among people aged 18–64 years in Hong Kong, China, from 26 to 28 February 2021. Respondents were asked to make choices regarding hypothetical vaccination programmes described by vaccination-related characteristics—the attributes derived from a prior individual interview. Subgroup analysis was performed to identify the differences in vaccination-related characteristics among respondents with different personal characteristics.Results: A total of 1,773 respondents provided valid responses. The vaccine efficacy and brand were the most important factors affecting acceptance, followed by the exemption of quarantine for vaccinated travelers, safety, venue for vaccination, vaccine uptake of people in their lives, and recommendations by general physicians or government. Frequent exposure to vaccination information on social media has been associated with increasing vaccine refusal. Substantial preference heterogeneity for the attributes was found among people of different ages, incomes, chronic conditions, and previous acceptance of influenza vaccines.Conclusion: The findings provided evidence to formulate interventions to promote vaccine uptake, including the provision of vaccination at housing estate or workplaces, involvement of general physicians and interpersonal communication in vaccine promotion and information dissemination, and exemption of quarantine for vaccinated people. Moreover, social media is a significant information channel that cannot be neglected in the dissemination of official information.

Equilibrium in Competitive Insurance Markets with Medical Tourism

In recent years, the rising healthcare costs in the United States have led many citizens to travel outside the country for medical care. Although such practice, commonly known as ‘medical tourism’, has become more and more popular, many insurance companies hesitate to incorporate a medical tourism option into insurance contracts. In this article, we wish to understand the theoretical rationale of that by designing an insurance contract in an environment where medical tourism is available. One crucial characteristic that influences consumers’ decision on whether to choose medical tourism is their tolerance levels associated with unexpected costs when travelling abroad for healthcare. In this article, we wish to investigate how the individuals with preference heterogeneity would self-select between the options of domestic treatment and treatment abroad offered in the contract. The results suggest that when the healthcare costs from both the treatment abroad and the domestic treatment are high and/or there is a higher chance of needing an elective treatment for the individual, insurance companies will more likely incorporate medical tourism in the contract. JEL Classification: C73, I13, D82, D86