Aggarwal Mayank, Chakrabarti Anindya S, Chatterjee Chirantan
Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, India.
Economics Area, IIM Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad, India, Science Policy Research Unit, Business School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
Health Econ. 2023 May;32(5):1019-1039. doi: 10.1002/hec.4653. Epub 2023 Feb 2.
Do movies reduce stigma, increasing healthcare product choices offered by firms? We provide causal evidence on this question in the context of Indian pharmaceutical markets. For unpacking these effects, we use an exogenous shock to the market due to the release of a Bollywood blockbuster movie - My Name is Khan (MNIK) where the protagonist, superstar Shahrukh Khan, suffers from Asperger's Syndrome (AS). Using a difference-in-differences design, we find a positive and statistically significant effect of MNIK (between 14% and 22% increase in variety sold and prescribed) on product differentiation and choices in the market for antipsychotic medicines used to clinically treat AS. Results are consistent using alternative controls, a placebo treatment-based test and with a variety of other robustness checks. Our findings document likely for the first-time, supply side responses to edutainment and suggests potential associated welfare effects in healthcare markets characterized by sticky demand. Implications for global health and public policy given worldwide concerns around a mental wellness epidemic with Covid-19 are discussed.
电影能否减少污名化，从而增加公司提供的医疗保健产品选择？我们在印度制药市场的背景下，为这个问题提供了因果证据。为了剖析这些影响，我们利用一部宝莱坞大片《我的名字叫可汗》（MNIK）的上映对市场造成的外部冲击，该片主角、超级巨星沙鲁克·汗患有阿斯伯格综合症（AS）。通过采用差分设计，我们发现MNIK对用于临床治疗AS的抗精神病药物市场的产品差异化和选择有积极且在统计上显著的影响（销量和处方量增加了14%至22%）。使用替代对照组、基于安慰剂治疗的测试以及各种其他稳健性检验，结果是一致的。我们的研究结果可能首次记录了供应方对寓教于乐的反应，并表明在需求粘性的医疗保健市场中可能存在相关的福利影响。文中还讨论了鉴于全球对新冠疫情引发的心理健康流行的担忧，该研究对全球健康和公共政策的影响。
