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Stated preferences for public provision of services: Experimental evidence from Latin America

Hernán Bejarano et al.

Economics Letters2026https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2026.112872article
AJG 3ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

We study how individuals in six Latin American countries value public versus private provision of education and healthcare using a survey experiment. Respondents were randomly assigned to vignettes that vary income, service quality, and provider type. Reported service quality is the main driver of choices: the probability of selecting a private provider roughly doubles when reported quality of the public option falls from 80 to 20 percent, while income has a smaller effect. Higher institutional trust lowers the likelihood of switching to private providers but does not affect willingness to pay once individuals choose private provision. • Perceived service quality is the main driver of private take-up in education and healthcare. • Income effects on private demand are smaller and less systematic than quality effects. • Higher institutional trust reduces exit from public services but not willingness to pay.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2026.112872

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@article{hernán2026,
  title        = {{Stated preferences for public provision of services: Experimental evidence from Latin America}},
  author       = {Hernán Bejarano et al.},
  journal      = {Economics Letters},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2026.112872},
}

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Stated preferences for public provision of services: Experimental evidence from Latin America

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

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