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The Demand for Medical Male Circumcision

Author

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  • Jobiba Chinkhumba
  • Susan Godlonton
  • Rebecca Thornton

Abstract

This paper measures the demand for adult medical male circumcision using an experiment that randomly offered varying-priced subsidies and comprehensive information to 1,600 uncircumcised men in urban Malawi. We find low demand for male circumcision: only 3 percent are circumcised over a three month period. Despite the low overall level of take-up, both price and information are significant determinants of circumcision. Still, the main barriers to male circumcision-cultural norms and fear of pain-are not affected by prices or information. Significant demand generation efforts are needed for this HIV prevention strategy to be effective.

Suggested Citation

  • Jobiba Chinkhumba & Susan Godlonton & Rebecca Thornton, 2014. "The Demand for Medical Male Circumcision," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 6(2), pages 152-177, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:6:y:2014:i:2:p:152-77
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.6.2.152
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Philip Anglewicz & Hans-Peter Kohler, 2009. "Overestimating HIV infection:," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 20(6), pages 65-96.
    2. Nava Ashraf & James Berry & Jesse M. Shapiro, 2010. "Can Higher Prices Stimulate Product Use? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Zambia," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(5), pages 2383-2413, December.
    3. Arkes, Hal R. & Blumer, Catherine, 1985. "The psychology of sunk cost," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 124-140, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Male Circumcision
      by René Böheim in Econ Tidbits on 2014-05-08 12:11:00

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    Cited by:

    1. Marquez-Padilla, Fernanda, 2021. "When less is more: Can reduced health monitoring improve medication adherence?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    2. Caitlin E Kennedy & Ping Teresa Yeh & Kaitlyn Atkins & Virginia A Fonner & Michael D Sweat & Kevin R O’Reilly & George W Rutherford & Rachel Baggaley & Julia Samuelson, 2020. "Economic compensation interventions to increase uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision for HIV prevention: A systematic review and meta-analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, January.
    3. Laura Derksen & Adamson Muula & Joep van Oosterhout, 2016. "Love in the Time of HIV: Testing as a Signal of Risk," Natural Field Experiments 00550, The Field Experiments Website.
    4. Jörg Peters & Jörg Langbein & Gareth Roberts, 2018. "Generalization in the Tropics – Development Policy, Randomized Controlled Trials, and External Validity," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 33(1), pages 34-64.
    5. Thomas, Ranjeeta & Galizzi, Matteo M. & Moorhouse, Louisa & Nyamukapa, Constance & Hallett, Timothy B., 2024. "Do risk, time and prosocial preferences predict risky sexual behaviour of youths in a low-income, high-risk setting?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    6. Clemens Sedmak, 2019. "Evidence-based dialogue: the relationship between religion and poverty through the lens of randomized controlled trials," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-7, December.
    7. Railey, Ashley F. & Lankester, Felix & Lembo, Tiziana & Reeve, Richard & Shirima, Gabriel & Marsh, Thomas L., 2019. "Enhancing livestock vaccination decision-making through rapid diagnostic testing," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 16(C).
    8. Augustine T Choko & Sophie Candfield & Hendramoothy Maheswaran & Aurelia Lepine & Elizabeth Lucy Corbett & Katherine Fielding, 2018. "The effect of demand-side financial incentives for increasing linkage into HIV treatment and voluntary medical male circumcision: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials ," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(11), pages 1-15, November.
    9. Peters, Jörg & Langbein, Jörg & Roberts, Gareth, 2016. "Policy evaluation, randomized controlled trials, and external validity—A systematic review," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 51-54.
    10. Teresa Molina Millan & Karen Macours, 2017. "Attrition in randomized control trials: Using tracking information to correct bias," NOVAFRICA Working Paper Series wp1702, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics, NOVAFRICA.
    11. Pascaline Dupas & Edward Miguel, 2016. "Impacts and Determinants of Health Levels in Low-Income Countries," NBER Working Papers 22235, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Rebecca L. Thornton & Hans-Peter Kohler, 2017. "Making marriages last: Trust is good, but credible information is better," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-173, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    13. Hsu Yu-Chin & Huber Martin & Lai Tsung-Chih, 2019. "Nonparametric estimation of natural direct and indirect effects based on inverse probability weighting," Journal of Econometric Methods, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 1-20, January.
    14. Rebecca L. Thornton & Hans-Peter Kohler, 2017. "Making marriages last: trust is good, but credible information is better," WIDER Working Paper Series 173, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    15. Edward N. Okeke & Amalavoyal Chari & Clement A. Adepiti, 2016. "Does Price Affect the Demand for Information about New Health Technologies? Evidence from a Field Experiment in Nigeria," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(3), pages 437-469.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • 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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