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Baseline risk and marginal willingness to pay for health risk reduction

Author

Listed:
  • Shelby Gerking

    (Tilburg University)

  • Wiktor Adamowicz

    (University of Alberta)

  • Mark Dickie

    (University of Central Florida)

  • Marcella Veronesi

    (University of Verona
    ETH Zurich)

Abstract

Empirical results presented in this paper suggest that parents’ marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for a reduction in morbidity risk from heart disease is inversely related to baseline risk (i.e., the amount of risk initially faced) both for themselves and for their children. For instance, a 40% reduction from the mean of baseline risk results in an increase in MWTP by 70% or more. Thus, estimates of monetary benefits of public programs to reduce heart disease risk would be understated if the standard practice is followed of evaluating MWTP at initial risk levels and then multiplying this value by the number of cases avoided. Estimates are supported by: (1) unique quantitative information on perceptions of the risk of getting heart disease that allow baseline risk to be defined at an individual level and (2) improved econometric procedures to control for well-known difficulties associated with stated preference data.

Suggested Citation

  • Shelby Gerking & Wiktor Adamowicz & Mark Dickie & Marcella Veronesi, 2017. "Baseline risk and marginal willingness to pay for health risk reduction," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 55(2), pages 177-202, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jrisku:v:55:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s11166-017-9267-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11166-017-9267-x
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Herrera-Araujo, Daniel & Rheinberger, Christoph M. & Hammitt, James K., 2022. "Valuing non-marginal changes in mortality and morbidity risk," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    2. Dickie, Mark & Adamowicz, Wiktor & Gerking, Shelby & Veronesi, Marcella, 2022. "Risk Perception, Learning, and Willingness to Pay to Reduce Heart Disease Risk," Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(3), pages 363-382, October.
    3. Cheng-Te Lin & Yu-Sheng Huang & Lu-Wen Liao & Chung-Te Ting, 2020. "Measuring Consumer Willingness to Pay to Reduce Health Risks of Contracting Dengue Fever," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-15, March.
    4. Slunge, Daniel & Sterner, Thomas & Adamowicz, Wiktor, 2019. "Valuation when baselines are changing: Tick-borne disease risk and recreational choice," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    5. Alfred Appiah & Wiktor Adamowicz & Patrick Lloyd-Smith & Diane Dupont, 2019. "Reliability of Drinking Water: Risk Perceptions and Economic Value," Water Economics and Policy (WEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 5(02), pages 1-27, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Baseline risk; Morbidity; Willingness to pay; Heart disease; Health risk; Endogenous risk; Children’s morbidity risk;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q58 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Government Policy

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