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Incentivized Peer Referrals for Tuberculosis Screening: Evidence from India

Author

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  • Jessica Goldberg
  • Mario Macis
  • Pradeep Chintagunta

Abstract

We study whether and how peer referrals increase screening, testing, and identification of patients with tuberculosis, an infectious disease responsible for over one million deaths annually. In an experiment with 3,176 patients at 122 tuberculosis treatment centers in India, we find that small financial incentives raise the probability that existing patients refer prospective patients for screening and testing, resulting in cost-effective identification of new cases. Incentivized referrals operate through two mechanisms: peers have private information about individuals in their social networks to target for outreach, and they are more effective than health workers in inducing these individuals to get tested.

Suggested Citation

  • Jessica Goldberg & Mario Macis & Pradeep Chintagunta, 2023. "Incentivized Peer Referrals for Tuberculosis Screening: Evidence from India," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 15(1), pages 259-291, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:15:y:2023:i:1:p:259-91
    DOI: 10.1257/app.20200721
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    Cited by:

    1. Alessandro Tarozzi & Ricardo Maertens & Kazi Matin Ahmed & Alexander van Geen, 2021. "Demand for Information on Environmental Health Risk, Mode of Delivery, and Behavioral Change: Evidence from Sonargaon, Bangladesh," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 35(3), pages 764-792.
    2. Lagarde, Mylène & Riumallo Herl, Carlos, 2025. "Better together? Group incentives and the demand for prevention," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    3. Seema Kacker & Mario Macis & Prateek Gajwani & David S. Friedman, 2022. "Providing vouchers and value information for already free eye exams increases uptake among a low‐income minority population: A randomized trial," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(3), pages 541-551, March.
    4. Thomas Bossuroy & Clara Delavallade & Vincent Pons, 2019. "Biometric Tracking, Healthcare Provision, and Data Quality: Experimental Evidence from Tuberculosis Control," NBER Working Papers 26388, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Lagarde, Mylène & Riumallo Herl, Carlos, 2025. "Better together? Group incentives and the demand for prevention," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 125349, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    6. Burlando, Alfredo & Chintagunta, Pradeep & Goldberg, Jessica & Graboyes, Melissa & Hangoma, Peter & Karlan, Dean & Macis, Mario & Prina, Silvia, 2024. "Passing the message: Peer outreach about COVID-19 precautions in Zambia," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    7. Guido Friebel & Matthias Heinz & Mitchell Hoffman & Nick Zubanov, 2023. "What Do Employee Referral Programs Do? Measuring the Direct and Overall Effects of a Management Practice," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 131(3), pages 633-686.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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