Hedonic Adaptation to Treatment: Evidence from a Medical Intervention

Abstract

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. AbstractWe investigate adaptation of subjective well-being using a randomised controlled trial.We find that providing medical equipment to a random sample of Ugandan adults with lower limb disabilities has a positive effect on their physical health, using both objective and self-reported measures. Treated patients experience a significant improvement in life satisfaction initially, but the effect is not prolonged. After oneyear, life satisfaction returns to the pre-treatment level. This evidence of adaptation is supported by observations of changes in reference levels and is robust to alternative estimation methods including instrumental variable estimation and intention-to-treat analysis. JEL Classification: I31, O15

Disability in Uganda: a medical intervention to measure gendered impacts on functional independence and labour-market outcomes

“…People with disabilities face higher costs of healthcare, are more likely to be poor on multiple indicators of deprivation and are more likely to be socially and politically marginalised (Groce et al, 2011;Mitra et al, 2013;Sightsavers, 2016). They are also likely to have lower levels of subjective well-being which is exacerbated by their lower material wealth (Fafchamps and Kebede, 2008;Barazzetta, et al, 2019).…”