Modeling the Dynamics and Spillovers of the Health Labor Market: Evidence from China’s Provincial Panel Data

• Main Authors: Bin Zhu, Yang Fu, Jinlin Liu, Ying Mao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-01-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: health workforce; health workforce distribution; health labor market; supply and demand; spillovers; spatial econometric models; China
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/2/333

Health workforce misdistribution is a major challenge faced by almost all countries. A more profound understanding of the dynamics of the health labor market provides evidence for policy makers to balance health workforce distribution with solid evidence. However, one major deficit of existing theoretical and empirical studies is that they often ignore the intra-regional spillovers of the health labor market. This study builds a theoretical “supply–demand–spillover” model that considers both intra-regional supply and demand-side factors, and inter-regional spillovers, hence providing a theoretical reference point for further in-depth studies. Using spatial econometric panel models, the effect of all determinants and spillovers were empirically measured based on a Chinese panel data set, shedding light on health workforce policies in China.