American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Micro-loans, Insecticide-Treated Bednets, and Malaria: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Orissa, India
American Economic Review
vol. 104,
no. 7, July 2014
(pp. 1909–41)
Abstract
We describe findings from the first large-scale cluster randomized controlled trial in a developing country that evaluates the uptake of a health-protecting technology, insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs), through micro-consumer loans, as compared to free distribution and control conditions. Despite a relatively high price, 52 percent of sample households purchased ITNs, highlighting the role of liquidity constraints in explaining earlier low adoption rates. We find mixed evidence of improvements in malaria indices. We interpret the results and their implications within the debate about cost sharing, sustainability and liquidity constraints in public health initiatives in developing countries.Citation
Tarozzi, Alessandro, Aprajit Mahajan, Brian Blackburn, Dan Kopf, Lakshmi Krishnan, and Joanne Yoong. 2014. "Micro-loans, Insecticide-Treated Bednets, and Malaria: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Orissa, India." American Economic Review, 104 (7): 1909–41. DOI: 10.1257/aer.104.7.1909Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D12 Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
- G21 Banks; Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
- H51 National Government Expenditures and Health
- I12 Health Production
- I18 Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
- O18 Economic Development: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure