Provider Supply, Utilization, and Infant Health: Evidence from a Physician Distribution Policy
研究巴西一项大幅增加初级医生供给的政策，发现医生增加了产前检查次数但替代了护士服务，未改善婴儿健康指标，暗示医生与护士在婴儿健康生产中可能可相互替代。
We analyze a policy that substantially expanded the supply of primary care physicians in Brazil. The program increased doctor visits across all age groups and led to greater utilization of doctors for prenatal care. However, these physicians replaced nurse visits for prenatal care without increasing the overall number of visits women receive. We find no evidence of gains in widely used metrics of infant health, including birth weight, gestation, and infant mortality. Together, these findings provide suggestive evidence that physicians and nurses may be good substitutes in the production function of infant health.