Does Diversity Matter for Health? Experimental Evidence from Oakland

Marcella Alsan (), Owen Garrick and Grant Graziani

American Economic Review, 2019, vol. 109, issue 12, 4071-4111

Abstract: We study the effect of physician workforce diversity on the demand for preventive care among African American men. In an experiment in Oakland, California, we randomize black men to black or non-black male medical doctors. We use a two-stage design, measuring decisions before (pre-consultation) and after (post-consultation) meeting their assigned doctor. Subjects select a similar number of preventives in the pre-consultation stage, but are much more likely to select every preventive service, particularly invasive services, once meeting with a racially concordant doctor. Our findings suggest black doctors could reduce the black-white male gap in cardiovascular mortality by 19 percent.

JEL-codes: C93 I12 I14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.20181446
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (68)

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