16.11.2021 - Can bribery buy health?

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When a public official demands a bribe, this makes lawful institutions dysfunctional and hinders economic development. This is especially dangerous in the healthcare sector. A recent study finds out that bribery actually does not buy health.

In less developed countries, where corruption is pervasive, people believe that paying bribes in the health care system will likely improve their chances of having access to better treatments. “None of us would want to face such a choice between paying a bribe and receiving a presumably better health care treatment or not paying a bribe and possibly being left alone with a health problem” explains Dr. Otrachshenko, co-author of this work and Senior Researcher at the Center for International Development and Environmental Research of Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany. Economically vulnerable population groups may suffer from such situations even more, since a bribe may constitute a significant share of their household budget, diverting household expenditures from important other directions like healthy food consumption or education. “We believe that it is important to show that even in critical situations related to healthcare, bribery is not a solution and only worsens the situation” says Dr. Otrachshenko. The study shows that bribery is associated with a decrease in the affordability consumption of meat, chicken or fish (or vegetarian equivalent) on a regular basis.

The findings suggest that people’s health does not benefit from bribery in any type of public service, but also in the health services, including the availability of doctors, the cleanness of facilities, or respect in treatment, do not improve. “This suggests that people seriously underestimate the costs of bribery, and extra service provided in exchange for a bribe does not make up for shirking while angling for a bribe. Even expressing a gratitude/providing a gift to a doctor has an adverse impact on health.” Adds Dr. Otrachshenko.

This study makes an important societal contribution toward the Sustainable Development Goals: “we show that corruption hinders healthy lives and well-being and makes low-income groups even more vulnerable” says Dr. Otrachshenko. The authors plan to expand this research line further into understanding health-related outcomes (e.g. blood pressure or heart rate), psychological effects or income inequality.

Publication

Astghik Mavisakalyan, Vladimir Otrachshenko, Olga Popova. Can bribery buy health? Evidence from post-communist countries. Journal of Comparative Economics, 2021 (in press) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2021.04.006.
Link to publication: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147596721000287

Press contact: María Piquer-Rodríguez

Email: Maria.Piquer-Rodriguez

Research contact: Vladimir Otrachshenko