Generic Aversion and Observational Learning in the Over-the-Counter Drug Market
通过在全国零售商的标签干预实验，发现展示其他顾客购买比例的信息能显著提高仿制药购买份额，尤其对无仿制药购买史的消费者效果明显，为促进成本效益选择提供政策启示。
Through a labeling intervention at a national retailer, we test three hypotheses for consumer aversion to generic over-the-counter drugs: lack of information on the comparability of generic and brand drugs, inattention to their price differences, and uncertainty about generic quality that can be reduced with information on peer purchase rates. With a difference-in-differences strategy, we find that posted information on the purchases of other customers increases generic purchase shares significantly, while other treatments have mixed results. Consumers without prior generic purchases appear particularly responsive to this information. These findings have policy implications for promoting evidence-based, cost-effective choices.