We study the role an illiquid durable consumption good plays in determining the level of precautionary savings and the distribution of wealth in a standard Aiyagari model (i.e. a model with heterogeneous agents, idiosyncratic uncertainty, and borrowing constraints). Transactions costs induce an inaction region over which the durable stock and the associated user cost are not adjusted in respons...

This paper uses data from Uganda’s largest incumbent microfinance institution to analyze the impact of entry by competing lenders on client behavior. We examine the geographic placement decisions of competitors, and find that lenders of different types cluster spatially and have pushed into rural areas in recent years. We observe that increased competition induces a decline in repayment perform...

Economic agents in the transition economies are subject to tight credit constraints, which are more pronounced during bad state of nature. Thus, adverse shocks to commodity prices in the world market can force them to reduce savings by a larger amount than they would otherwise have. Empirical analysis using a dynamic panel model and data from 21 transition economies confirm that most of the det...

Individuals across the world often use high-transaction-cost savings devices, even when lower-cost technologies are available. I study this phenomenon via a field experiment where access to ATM cards was randomly assigned to 1,100 newly opened bank accounts in rural Kenya. These cards reduced withdrawal fees by over 50 percent. While the cards increased overall account use, the positive treatme...

Decreased criminal recidivism, particularly resulting from new crimes with new victims, is the measure most consistently desired by programs, policymakers, and funding agencies for justice-involved individuals with mental illness. This one measure captures both improved client stability and public safety, while providing support for the promised decreased jail-day cost savings required to susta...

BACKGROUND Nearly five percent of Americans suffer from functional constipation, many of whom may benefit from increasing dietary fiber consumption. The annual constipation-related healthcare cost savings associated with increasing intakes may be considerable but have not been examined previously. The objective of the present study was to estimate the economic impact of increased dietary fiber ...

BACKGROUND Broad adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) is a potential strategy for curbing healthcare cost growth, which is particularly vital for Medicaid. Despite limited evidence for EHR-related cost savings, the 2009 HITECH Act included incentives for providers to become meaningful users of EHRs. We evaluated a large Massachusetts EHR pilot to obtain early insight into the potential ...

We use an OLG model with heterogenous agents who choose how much to spend on their health under health uncertainty in order to study the effect of transitioning from a system with private health insurance for young agents and Medicare for old agents to a system with health savings accounds (HSAs) for young agents and Medicare for the old. We focus on possible cost savings, the effects on output...

A clinical audit of ward practice for diagnosing and treating urinary tract infection was carried out to assess the impact on clinical practice four years after publication of a working protocol. Data were collected from all medical, surgical, gynaecology and geriatric wards in 25 hospitals in Northern Ireland. All wards made use of urinary dipsticks for ward testing, as recommended by the prot...