Although the use of company cars is associated with more congestion, pollution and accidents compared to privately owned cars, the Belgian fiscal system provides exceptionally high incentives to company cars. As a result, the proportion of company cars is higher in Belgium than in any other OECD country. With a corporate mobility budget, more sustainable options are being offered as an alternative to large diesel-powered company cars, but little is known about how company car drivers value these alternatives. In this article, we explore how car-dependent employees make their choices in the company mobility system and aim to find options that enable more sustainable commuting. A choice-based conjoint analysis carried out among 422 car dependent company car drivers was used to measure their preference for alternative car-based solutions. The results indicate an overall preference for hybrid cars, but a shift toward fully electric vehicles is necessary to have a significant impact on climate change. Our results suggest that respondents with a higher environmental concern are more eager to make the transition toward smaller and fully electric vehicles, which is in line with previous studies. The study revealed that there is currently no alternative that is both more sustainable and more preferred by the sample, which again stresses the need for more drastic government intervention.
The medical liability system and defensive behaviour in Belgium
The aim of the medical liability system is, on the one hand, providing adequate compensation to victims of medical incidents and, on the other hand, incentivising health care providers to adopt sufficient care. However, the fear of healthcare providers for being involved in a liability procedure in case of a medical incident may cause them to practice defensive medicine.
Defensive medicine is defined as the ordering of more tests, procedures and visits (assurance behaviour) or the avoidance of high-risk patients or procedures (avoidance behaviour), primarily (but not necessarily solely) to reduce the exposure to malpractice liability. Although various foreign studies assess the prevalence of defensive medicine, it is not yet sufficiently clear to what extent Belgian physicians act defensively in practice. A survey conducted in 2015 among 90 specialist physicians indicates that the medical liability system in Belgium may have an influence on their clinical practice and decision-making. However, additional research is necessary to inform policymakers about the real prevalence of defensive behaviour and its potential drivers and consequences.
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