The Evolution of Physician Density in Switzerland

Gabrielle Wanzenried and Sandra Nocera

Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics (SJES), 2008, vol. 144, issue II, pages 247-282

Abstract: Our paper investigates the geographical distribution of physicians across the Swiss cantons over the years 1960 to 2005. We use a physician location model relating physician growth in a canton related to (i) the existing number of physicians in an area, (ii) commonly used determinants of the demand for physician services such as population growth, per capita income and age, and (iii) factors that determine the medical infrastructure of an area, i.e. the number of hospital beds and the existence of a university hospital. We analyze the effects separately for general practitioners and specialists and find that the two physician types react differently to certain factors included in our analysis.

Keywords: physician density; market failure; physician competition; health policy; panel data (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I11 I18 L23 C33 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ses:arsjes:2008-ii-4

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