Applied Microeconomics Seminar Series
Spring 2022
Title: Vaccination and Risk Behaviors: Evidence from the Hepatitis B Vaccination Campaign in China
Speaker: Chen Huang
Abstract: The literature has achieved a consensus on the existence of an ex-post moral hazard effect, while whether there is ex-ante moral hazard remains unclear. Such effect could arise if medical innovation leads to changes in one's risk behaviors due to lower marginal cost, but it is essentially an empirical question. This paper examines the relationship between vaccination and risk behaviors by exploring the 1992 hepatitis B vaccination campaign in China. Our empirical strategy exploits variations in both age at the campaign and pre-treatment infection risks across provinces. Using a large cross section of individuals born between 1981 and 1994, we find that more exposure to the hepatitis B vaccination leads to lower alcohol use during adulthood, and such effects are almost entirely driven by men. Extended life expectancy and spreading of related knowledge associated with the vaccination contribute to the reduction in alcohol use. Our results suggest that promoting hepatitis B vaccination during early life is likely to have long-term health benefits.
Chen Huang is an Assistant Professor at the CHLR, Central University of Finance and Economics. Her research interests include Labor Economics, Health Economics, and Public Economics.
Date: Thursday, April 28, 2022
Time: 12:30-1:50pm.
Tencent meeting ID: 343-5500-0633