Choice Of Services Research Articles

Современные подходы к обеспечению комплексного развития Северного морского пути: маркетинг-анализ транспортно-логистического потенциала

. The article on the basis of marketing approach analyzes the main factors, that determine the development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) in the context of increasing intensity of shipping and freight transport growth. The purpose of the research is on the basis of the three-dimensional matrix (consumers — needs function — technology to meet needs) to consider the expectations and needs of key actors of the Arctic marine highway use, assess the process of demand formation, identify and summarize the most important factors of functioning of the NSR taking into account regional specific features to meet the needs and preferences of the NSR user groups, analyze bottlenecks of cargo transportation in the conditions of strict competition in the market of maritime transport services. The expediency of the three-dimensional matrix is substantiated by systematizing the significant features of the NSR use, based on the characteristics of the product that are important for consumers (the NSR transport and logistics services). This toolkit made it possible to determine measures to increase the NSR operation attractiveness. It is noted that the needs of the NSR user groups demand the following: advanced organizational management structure, implementation of measures to ensure navigation safety, creation and development of coastal infrastructure, modernization and construction of multifunctional ports, modern ice-breaking fleet availability and operation of monitoring systems. The relevance of the use marketing tools to solve the problems of the integrated development of the NSR in order to attract consumers and increase its competitiveness was offered. The novelty of the work lies in the author’s view on the prospects of the NSR development manifested in the offered algorithm (three-dimensional matrix of diagnostics) of marketing analysis of maritime transport along the NSR with the consistent identification of factors influencing the shippers' choice of transport services. The results obtained show the practical significance of the research, and help more comprehensively and systemically study the priority areas of the NSR development and its transport and logistics potential.

‘Mainstreaming’ Meets ‘Choice and Control’: Unsettling Neoliberal Imaginaries of Service Choice

‘Mainstreaming’ and ‘Choice and control’ agendas have played a dominant role in shaping disability policy and advocacy in many countries since the 1970s, however scholarship is yet to critically explore the tensions and synergies between the two. ‘Mainstreaming’ is the aspiration to move people with disability out of ‘specialist’ spaces designed specifically for them, and into ‘mainstream’ spaces open to people of all abilities. ‘Choice and control’ concerns efforts to enhance autonomy and self-determination for people with disability. In this paper we interrogate the relationship between ‘choice and control’ and ‘mainstreaming’, both conceptually and through empirical examination of choices made by people with intellectual disability about use of mainstream services in four Australian cities. Our analysis shows their ability to choose is severely constrained by excessive control practiced by supporters, funding restrictions, affordability constraints, and exclusionary practices in mainstream services. We argue that the potential for both ‘choice and control’ and ‘mainstreaming’ has been constrained by neoliberal socio-spatial imaginaries in which they have been framed.

The Effect of Uncertainty of Risks on Farmers’ Contractual Choice Behavior for Agricultural Productive Services: An Empirical Analysis from the Black Soil in Northeast China

Regulating farmers’ choice of agricultural production service (APS) contracts can help maintain the stability of transactions, enhance agricultural production efficiency, protect farmers’ rights and welfare, stimulate the healthy and sustainable development of service organizations, and promote the economic benefits of agriculture. Under the uncertainty of risk (RU), farmers’ willingness to sign a regulated service contract after purchasing APS is a key factor in reaching an efficient and high-quality partnership. Based on the survey data of the black soil area in northeastern China, this study uses the Heckman two-stage model and analyzes it under the logical framework of APS purchases and contractual choice behavior (CCB) under the role of RU. The main findings are as follows. First, the RU has a significant “inducing” effect on farmers’ CCB, and the higher the RU, the more farmers tend to make formal written contracts; among them, each unit increase in business risk increases farmers’ choice of written contracts by 0.797 units, which is an important factor affecting CCB. Second, farmers’ personal trust level played a positive moderating role in influencing CCB. Compared to the low trust level group, farmers in the high trust level group had a diminished degree of influence on CCB, but the intensity was relatively weak. Third, farmers’ personal, family, and social characteristics all influence their behavioral decision-making processes. In order to reduce the risk level of cooperation between farmers and service providers, which can promote the standardization of cooperation contracts, this study suggests that the government should use the publication of manuals and other forms to carry out legal literacy, promote labor market information transparency, reduce service risks, and enhance the effectiveness of the linkage between farmers and service providers.

Commercial Drivers’ Unprincipled Behaviour and Commuters’ Discontent: Perception from One Side of a Coin

Behaviours of commercial drivers have been examined to influence the choice of public transport services by commuters. This study aimed at determining issues discouraging patrons of informal public transport services. Primary data was used for this study. The primary method included the use of focus group discussions (FGDs) carried out in Shaki, Oyo State. Voluntary participation method was used to select 22 participants for the FGDs. Fourteen (14) predetermined questions were discussed among participants. Responses were transcribed and thematic analysis method was used to create main themes. Results showed that unprincipled behaviours were a common place as reported by 100% of respondents. Majority of respondents reported displeasures and desire to own private means of mobility. The study concluded that sustainable patronage of public transport service would be threatened if commercial drivers’ activities in relation to interaction with commuters are not regulated.

Transit Service, Parking Charges, and Mode Choice for the Journey to Work: An Analysis of the 1990 NPTS

In this paper, the effects of transit service and parking charges on the choice of commuters to drive alone, carpool, or use transit are estimated. The analysis is based on data for 20 Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas from the 1990 Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, FTA’s Section 15, and the Texas Transportation Institute s estimates of traffic congestion. Both the level of transit service and the likelihood of being charged for parking are found to have significant positive effects on the likelihood of choosing transit for the commute. The results also indicate that improving transit access leads to a very small increase in transit’s mode share, while improving the level of service produces a much greater mode share increase.

Uses of Health Care System Medical Care Services by Athletes After Injury at the HighSchool Level.

Health care utilization can vary by age group, geographic location, and socioeconomic status (SES). A paucity of information exists regarding the availability and utilization of medical care by injured scholastic athletes. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare injuries and health care service utilization by school SES over an academic year. Injury and health care service data was collected from 1 large school district. Percentage of free and reduced lunch (FRPL) for each school was calculated to stratify schools into high (<50% FRPL) and low (≥50.1% FRPL) SES groups. Incidence proportion and relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. About 1756 injuries were reported among over 7000 participating athletes from 14 high schools. Similar injury incidence proportions were reported between high and low SES schools (RR=1.10 [1.00-1.20]). Athletes from low SES schools were twice (RR=2.01 [1.21-3.35]) and over three (RR=3.42 [1.84-6.55]) times more likely to receive emergency and physical therapy care. SES was not associated with the use of physician, imaging, or surgery services. School medical providers and administrators should have ready and provide a list of trusted outside primary care and specialty providers that have experience in sports medicine. They should also enquire and follow up on which outside provider the high school athlete will seek care when referring out to outside providers. Injury incidence was similar between high and low SES schools. However, athletes from low SES high schools were over 2-fold more likely to use emergency department services. Understanding factors influencing health care services choice and usage by student athletes from different socioeconomic backgrounds may assist sport medicine clinicians in identifying barriers and potential solutions in improving time to health restoration, athlete outcomes, and health care monetary burden.

Risk Mitigation Strategy Based On Information Technology in Aircraft Maintenance Process (Case Study : PT MMF)

PT. Merpati Maintenance Facility is a company engaged in aircraft maintenance services. This company serves several types of aircraft maintenance such as Boeing and Airbus. In the process of aircraft maintenance at PT. Merpati Maintenance Facility Sidoarjo, to carry out maintenance in every job it must be in accordance with the Task Card the work made by PPC is based on the WO (Work Order), in the process of working on the task card, and it is often lost and creates data discrepancies, so PPC does not know the work that matches the task card been done or not. With the occurrence of these problems, it is necessary to measure the value of information technology using Technometrics methods to determine the value of TCC (Technology Contribution Coefficient) on each component of information system-based technology, as well as formulate risk mitigation strategies using the SWOT method. From the results of the study, the value of the company's TCC is 0.980. The results of the SWOT analysis position diagram for technoware, humanware, orgaware components in quadrant I and for infoware components in quadrant II. The results of the assessment of the contribution of this technology are associated with the strategic choice of aircraft maintenance services companies in the application of technology, which must always adjust to the speed of the latest technology. This adjustment effort is greatly assisted by the open availability of information. The purpose of the research is to determine the value of information system technology in the company. To provide a proposed mitigation strategy to correct weaknesses or deficiencies in the company.

Household energy service and home appliance choices in urban China

Household energy consumption modeling often focusses on fuel and technology, without taking into account the purposes of using energy. In this study, we examine factors associated with household energy service and home appliance choices from the perspective of energy-related well-being. Using a choice model specification and a microdata for China's urban households from 1986 to 2012, we regress nested combinations of energy service categories on socioeconomic, demographic, and climatic factors. Our results suggest heating and cooling energy services use is more associated with climate than other factors. Demographic factors are more related with access to basic appliances and information services, while the acquisition of advanced appliances is more associated with household income. Exploring the role of income, we find similar relationships with ownership of washing machines, TVs, and refrigerators, while household income has a stronger relationship with the ownership of microwaves, computers, and air conditioners. Our results are informative to the factors that drive home appliance selection decisions and corresponding residential energy demand growth in China.

Great Safety and Efficacy of a New Drug-eluting-stent manufactured in a developing country at minimal cost: the VSTENT at 3 years follow-up

Abstract Background In the care patients with coronary artery disease, a new drug-eluting stent, the VSTENT, covered with sirolimus was designed and manufactured in a developing country at minimal cost. Beside the clinical concern, from an engineering perspective, the questions were: Was this stent flexible? What was its radial strength? Did this stent brace itself against the wall with a strong strut network? What was the cell size and design? Methods From 6.2019 to 8.2020, 150 patients from 5 hospitals underwent PCI with a new VSTENT in 212 lesions. At the index PCI (D1), a subgroup of 61 patients (40%) was preselected to undergo additional imaging procedures including intravascular ultrasound (IVUS=41) or optical coherence tomography (OCT=20). All patients were followed-up clinically every month for one year. At 6 months (D180) they underwent digital subtraction angiography (DSA=143) or a second IVUS or OCT for the intravascular subgroup. The rate of invasive imaging follow-up was 95% for DSA, 92% for IVUS and 95% for OCT. The rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE: mortality, in-stent restenosis (ISR), Target lesion revascularization (TLR) and data on radial strength, longitudinal flexibility, expansion and coverage were calculated. Results In all patients, the technical success was 100% (successful balloon inflation, complete stent expansion, uneventful balloon removal). The VSTENTs were deployed in arteries of all sizes: small with diameter (D) = 2.5mm in 11.3%, D= 2.75mm in 24.1%, and in large arteries D= or &amp;gt;3mm in 66.6% of patients. The stent length varied from 15–38mm with 80% &amp;gt;20mm. 92% had good apposition as evidenced by OCT or IVUS. There was no acute in-stent thrombus, no loss of side branch and no perforation. There was one cardiac arrest with successful resuscitation. The bench and angiographic data on radial strength, longitudinal flexibility, expansion and coverage were excellent In Figure 1, The VSTENT design has open cells in the middle and closed cell at both distal segments. This design of mixed closed and open cell increases the radial strength at both ends while preventing the diametric difference (dog-boning effect) In Figure 2, after deployment of a VSTENT, the size of the open cell design in the middle of the stent is approximately 3.40 mm2 while the size of the distal closed cells design is 1.7 mm2. At 6 months, the rate of angiographic ISR inside the stent and within the 5 mm from the two ends was 3.5%. The rate of late lumen loss was 0.8mm in the in-stent segment and 0.07mm within 5mm of the two ends. The composite MACE was 4.7% with 1 mortality (0.7%) and 4 TLRs. At 36 months follow-up, only one TLR was reported. Conclusions At 3 years follow-up, the rate of angiographic ISR and TLR of the VSTENT was low. The data on radial strength, longitudinal flexibility, expansion and coverage were excellent. The VSTENT could be an affordable choice for interventional cardiology service in developing countries. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): United Healthcare

The role of formal and informal remittances as the determinants of formal and informal finan-cial services

Research background: The choice of financial services and remittances are important as they influence the livelihood of remittance recipients, who are mostly poor and financially excluded. In literature, extensive evidence suggests a positive impact of the size of remittances on access to financial inclusion and financial development of remittance-recipient countries. However, a concern of such studies is that they might provide a biased outcome as the available data of remittances tend to be formal, whereas informal remittances are difficult to observe. Hence, their evidence might not be applicable in developing countries where remittance transfer via informal channels is very popular. Purpose of the article: The main objective of this study is to examine the effect of the remittance channel (formal and informal) on the choice of formal, informal financial services of credit and savings of remittance recipients. Methods: As our dependent variable is a financial service which is a categorical variable (formal and informal), the paper will employ a multinomial logistic regression model to estimate the impact. The data employed in this analysis is from the Finscope survey conducted in Myanmar in 2013 and 2018. Myanmar is the best context for our study, as it is one of a big migrant-sending countries and a developing country whose financial sector is significantly underdeveloped. Findings &amp; value added: Our findings show that formal remittances promote the use of formal financial services such as credit and savings. However, there is no evidence regarding women recipients` informal channels and formal financial services. Our evidence also suggests there is a need for the government to encourage migrant workers to transform informal remittances into formal ones by removing the barriers of formal remittance channels to promote the use of formal credit and saving among remittance-recipients who are poor and financially excluded.

Shared Decision Making and Peer Support: New Directions for Research and Practice.

Shared Decision Making and Peer Support: New Directions for Research and Practice.

Handle with care! Service contract termination as a service delivery task

Purpose Profitability considerations lead service providers to terminate service contracts with low-value customers. However, customers targeted by service contract terminations often take revenge through negative word-of-mouth (NWOM). Presently, it is unclear how service contract termination initiatives prevent this harmful side effect. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of common service contract termination initiatives for reducing NWOM of customers whose service contracts are being cancelled. The study results provide guidance for minimizing the downside of service contract termination. Design/methodology/approach This study distinguishes between service contract termination initiatives common in practice (preannouncement, explanation, financial compensation, apology and support in finding an alternative provider). Drawing on a multi-industry survey of 245 customers who have experienced service contract terminations in real life, the authors estimate regression models to link perceived service contract termination initiatives to NWOM. Findings All else equal, only preannouncement and support in finding an alternative are effective to reduce NWOM. This study also shows that the right choice of service contract termination initiatives depends on the context of the termination. Making a preannouncement, offering an explanation and providing support in finding an alternative are more effective in reducing NWOM when these actions are aligned with the contextual factors of relationship duration and competitive intensity. Research limitations/implications This study shows that service contract termination needs to address several aspects of the service termination experience. The key implication for future research is that it matters in terms of NWOM how service contract terminations are performed. Practical implications This research identifies the service contract termination initiatives that are most effective to reduce NWOM after service contract termination in general and under consideration of the moderating roles of relationship duration and competitive intensity. Originality/value While most related studies have considered customer responses to the cancellation of other customers’ contracts, this study contributes to the scarce literature on the undesirable customer responses (such as NWOM) to the termination of their own contract. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first study in this emerging stream of research that accounts for the effects of process- and outcome-oriented contract termination initiatives on NWOM. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is also the first study to account for moderators of the effect of contract termination initiatives on NWOM, namely, relationship duration and competitive intensity.

Marketing financial services in Africa: exploring the heterogeneous middle-class consumer across nine countries

Our paper investigates how the heterogeneous structure of the middle class in sub-Saharan Africa influences its consumption of financial services, identifying drivers for their selection of these services. Implications for marketing practice are outlined. This research is an across-country city-based exploratory study in ten cities where structured questionnaires were used in interviews to obtain information from respondents over a period of 2 years. Our findings identify the importance of the financial realities of the three middle-class groups of the Accomplished, Comfortable and Vulnerable on their consumption of financial services and answer the question of what drives demand for these services. The three groups have varied spending and saving habits, perceptions of financial services and financial aspirations. We identify six key drivers for selecting services, namely availability, accessibility, affordability, status, security and trust. Technology is a key mediating variable of the marketing mix considerations. Marketing practice implications indicated a need for marketers to recognise the importance of the heterogeneity of the middle class and its influence on segmentation strategies. Opportunities for new approaches to new product development and marketing communication strategies that leverage the heterogeneity of the middle class are outlined. Marketers should also consider the varied influence of the drivers for the choice of financial services among the three groups. Our findings reinforce the need and potential that exist for financial services providers to improve the financial inclusion of previously marginalised consumers.

Utilization of abortion services from an unsafe provider and associated factors among women with history of induced abortion in Ghana

BackgroundIn sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), numerous studies have examined women’s choice of abortion methods and services using hospital-based data, community-based surveys and nationally representative data. Little research focuses on the factors influencing a woman’s choice of abortion provider. This study sought to identify factors that are associated with why a woman seeks abortion care services from an unsafe provider in Ghana.MethodsWe used nationally representative data of women from the 2017 Ghana Maternal Health Survey (GMHS). Data analysis was restricted to women aged 15–49 with a recent history of induced abortion. Analyses focused on a weighted sample of 1,880. Descriptive analysis and the chi-square test were used to examine the proportion of women utilizing abortion services from unsafe providers. Factors hypothesized to affect the utilization of abortion services from unsafe providers were examined using both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses.ResultsThe proportion of survey respondents who reported that they utilize abortion service from unsafe providers were 57.5%. After adjusting for confounders, those who have knowledge of abortion legality [aOR: 0.381 (0.271–0.541)] and those who have attained secondary or higher education [aOR: 0.613 (0.411–0.914)] were less likely to use abortion services from unsafe providers. On the other hand, women belonging to the Ewe ethnic group [aOR: 0.696 (0.508–0.953)], those residing in the middle belt zone [aOR: 1.743 (1.113–2.728)], younger women aged 15–29 years [aOR: 2.037 (1.234–3.362)] were more likely to use abortion services from unsafe abortion providers.ConclusionsThis research suggests that increasing the knowledge of women on the legal status of abortion through public education and encouraging more women to pursue secondary or higher education can contribute to reducing the use of abortion services from unsafe providers. These interventions should be targeted among younger women and those who reside in the middle belt zones of Ghana.

A Review and Bibliometric Analysis of Online Food Delivery by Using Scopus Database

Objective - Academic research on online food delivery has mainly addressed its economic and social implications. Due to technological advancement, online food delivery services have grown in popularity in Malaysia. The Internet and mobile technology make it easy to use mobile devices to access online food delivery services. Methodology/Technique - This study aimed to analyse the bibliometric characteristics of worldwide research trends, publication growth, publishing outputs by nations, themes of interest, and author keyword co-occurrences. This article presents a bibliometric analysis of online food delivery services, which was conducted using the VOS viewer software and data retrieved from the Scopus database. The Scopus database yielded around 893 papers published between 1995 and 2022. Findings – The findings highlighted that medicine accounted for most of the papers, followed by business, management, accounting, computer science, and social sciences. The "COVID-19 epidemic" appears the most frequently in the publications, followed by "e-commerce." The results highlighted the co-occurrences of author keywords, "covid-19 pandemic," has 103 linkages. Novelty – This supports the claims made in the earlier studies that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected consumer choices for online food delivery services. It can be inferred that future studies may use the findings to explore problems with online meal delivery services. Type of Paper: Empirical JEL Classification: M31, M39. Keywords: Bibliometric Analysis; Scopus Database; VOS Viewer; Online Food Delivery; E-Commerce Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Nasir, N.S.A; Rahman, N.L.A; Mutalib, H.A; Rahman, R.H.A. (2022). A Review and Bibliometric Analysis of Online Food Delivery by Using Scopus Database, J. Mgt. Mkt. Review, 7(3), 160 – 169. https://doi.org/10.35609/jmmr.2022.7.3(8)

Determinants of the health care service choices of long-term mechanical ventilation patients: Applying andersen's behavioral model.

AimsThe number of ventilator-dependent patients is rapidly increasing globally. As a result, long-term mechanical ventilation (LTMV) patients face the choice of receiving health care in respiratory care wards (RCWs) rather than at home. In this study, we applied Andersen’s behavioral theoretical model (ABM) to investigate the determinants of the health care service decisions of patients receiving LTMV.MethodsA cross-sectional research design and cluster random sampling were used to select 365 participants from nine RCWs and eight home care facilities in northern Taiwan. Data were collected in face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire.ResultsOf the predisposing factors, advanced age and an education level of at least junior high school influenced the choice to use RCW services. Being married, living with extended family, and medium or higher socioeconomic status were associated with the decision to use home care services. Of the enabling factors, patients with more caregivers, those whose family caregivers held strong beliefs about providing care, and those who perceived greater social support from health care providers were more likely to choose home care services. Of the need factors examined, poor cognitive function and higher dependence on assistance for activities of daily living (ADL) increased the probability of patients choosing RCW services. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis indicated that our final model accounted for 44.8% of the observed variance in health care service choice.ConclusionsABM enables an improved understanding of the health care service choices of LTMV patients. Our findings also highlight the importance of rigorously assessing patient needs and helping patients choose the most appropriate health care service.

Psychographic Segmentation of Saving Market

The purpose of this study was to examine the possibility of saving market segmentation by identifying segments consumers using a combination of several dimensions, such as psychological motivations, perceptions, attitudes, and demographics. A sample of 1,800 age-appropriate savers, randomly selected, completed a structured questionnaire which contains more than 190 questions to determine an individual's psychological differences for each dimension. Data related to the key objectives were analyzed using Factor analysis, Cluster analysis, and Multi-factor regression. Results revealed certain segments that differed in psychological and demographic characteristics. The further differences were examined among the segments based on the factors that impact on consumer’s purchasing intention and choice of savings services.

Resourcing Issues and Practices in the Cadre Service of Bangladesh

This paper intends to study critically the present resourcing issues and practices inthe cadre service of Bangladesh. It focuses on the existing recruitment and selectionprocedure of cadre services, its training system, performance appraisal process, transferrule and promotion policy in Bangladesh. Present selection procedure in the cadreservice of Bangladesh is merit and quota based. Only 45 percent posts are kept formeritorious students and 55 percent posts are reserved for various groups under quotasystem. In addition, nepotism, favoritism, corruption and political interference arehindering the brilliant graduates to join in the cadre service. Moreover, performanceappraisal system is not overt and scientific. It is not evaluated on the basis ofperformance. Furthermore, training system is not modern and most of the trainingmethods are class room based. For recruitment purpose, Bangladesh Public ServiceCommission does not follow campus recruitment process, consulting the firms ofmanagement or associations that have proven expertise in attracting the talentedgraduates. There are also other pressing issues that are considered to be casting farreaching negative impacts on services like cadre service choice and their selectionprocess, ambiguous promotion policy, absence of proper transfer rule etc. This isbasically a review of secondary research contents conducted earlier in this field of study.It finds that resourcing is very important tool for the development of public sector in anycountry. It is the technique to minimize the cost of employees and maximize their valueto the organization. It helps to keep right people in the right place at the right time. Thestudy has also found that resourcing aspects are inter-related to each other. Effectiverecruitment helps to avoid this kind of chain reaction. It saves time, money and effort.But in Bangladesh recruitment system it is not sound. The study therefore argues forchanging traditional systems, developing resourcing issues scientifically which willattract bright graduates in the cadre services.

ANALISIS SENTIMEN APLIKASI JASA KURIR DI PLAY STORE MENGGUNAKAN ALGORITMA NAIVE BAYES

Along with the passage of sales through the marketplace. The courier service industry has also experienced an increase. There are many choices of courier services to choose from, each courier service has different qualities depending on how the service provided by the courier service to customers. To find out the quality of courier services, this research was carried out, this research was conducted on courier service applications on Playstore, usually the best application predicate is for applications with a high number of downloads and ratings, while comments from users must also be considered to get results which is relevant. In this study, the Naïve Bayes algorithm is used because it has a high level of accuracy to determine the best courier service application. Based on the research that has been done, the highest accuracy value is obtained by the JNT application of 100% but has a positive sentiment of 50 reviews. The two JNE applications with an accuracy value of 98% with a positive sentiment of 46 reviews, the three ninjaxpres applications with an accuracy value of 97.87% with a positive sentiment of 49 reviews, the fourth by the Sicepat application with an accuracy value of 97.85% with a positive sentiment of 47 reviews and finally by the Idexpress application with an accuracy value of 94% with a positive sentiment of 49 reviews.

Distance and health facility choice: Evidence from a health micro insurance program in Punjab, Pakistan.

Health micro insurance offers a promising mechanism to protect the poor against risk and vulnerability arising from catastrophic healthcare expenditures. In light of this, we study the relationship between physical distance to hospitals and the choice of healthcare services in the context of a health micro insurance program in Punjab, Pakistan. We address three main research questions; first, how does physical distance affect choice of health facility? Second, is the burden of physical distance greater for women? Third, can the diffusion of information in social networks be a potential mechanism for reducing the burden of distance? We employ a Probit model with administrative data on hospitalisation claims made between 2014 and 2017. Our findings show that distance impedes individuals from making panel (cashless) claims and thus increases the likelihood of out-of-pocket expenditures at nearby non-panel hospitals. This adverse effect is more pronounced for women as compared to men. Dissemination of information in social networks increases the usage of panel facilities, especially by women. Hence, this can be an effective mechanism in reducing the role that distance plays in the choice of health facility.