title: Do medical doctors respond to economic incentives?
abstract: A longitudinal analysis of married physicians labor supply is carried out on Norwegian data from 1997 to 1999. The model utilized for estimation implies that physicians can choose among 10 different job packages which are a combination of part time/full time, hospital/primary care, private/public sector, and not working. Their current choice is influenced by past available options due to a habit persistence parameter in the utility function. In the estimation we take into account the budget constraint, including all features of the tax system. Our results imply that an overall wage increase or less progressive taxation moves married physicians toward full time job packages, in particular to full time jobs in the private sector. But the overall and aggregate labor supply elasticities in the population of employed doctors are rather low compared to previous estimates.
authors: Department of Economics Cognetti de Martiis, University of Torino, Via Po 53, 10124 Torino, Italy. andreassen.leif@gmail.com
authors: Leif
authors: L
authors: Andreassen
authors: Maria Laura
authors: ML
authors: Di Tommaso
authors: Steinar
authors: S
authors: Strøm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004651:Employment / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D017059:Models, Econometric; D009664:Norway; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits / Q000191:economics*; D013660:Taxes / Q000191:economics*; D055815:Young Adult