Abstract
This study analyzes physician decisions regarding their work-week and the number of weeks worked per year, using data on 1,800 physicians from the Public Use Sample of 1960 United States Census. For several reasons, the demand that the physician faces is an endogenous variable. Therefore, wage equations in both the hourly and weekly wage are developed, in addition to two supply equations. The results indicate a positive supply response to the weekly, but a negative response to the hourly, wage. The latter result should be interpreted cautiously, since the pure income effect is very small and inconsistent with a backward-bending supply curve. In addition, income determines the impact of various demographic characteristics on physician supply. Female physicians with children work less than their colleagues do. The physician/population ratio in the area in which the physician practices affects individual physician supply negatively, especially in the week dimension.
This research was supported in part by a grant (HS00825), ‘Analysis of Physician Price and Output Decisions’, from the Center for Health Services Research and Development of the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare, to the University of Florida.
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© 1974 The International Economic Association
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Sloan, F.A. (1974). A Microanalysis of Physicians’ Hours of Work Decisions. In: Perlman, M. (eds) The Economics of Health and Medical Care. International Economic Association Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-63660-0_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-63660-0_16
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