Our research

Project: Supply & demand side factors of a massive Covid-19 vaccination drive: Experimental evidence from Indonesia

Relying on a massive vaccination drive using China’s Coronavac Indonesia aims to create herd immunity and vaccinate over 180 million people. In the country skepticisms and lack of trust into the ‘Chinese’ vaccine are, however, widespread. Particularly among the Muslim population, anti-Chinese sentiments and concerns that components of the vaccine are not halal are common. In addition to concerns about vaccination take-up, a number of supply side challenges exist. Country experts are worried that corruption and possible briberies will lead to systematic exclusion of the poor and vulnerable in the vaccination drive. This project aims to examine: (i) How does religiousness affect vaccination take-up and how does information provision overcome religious concerns? (ii) What is the extent of discrimination in access to the vaccine and what is the role of corruption in this context? The project studies these questions using an information treatment experiment and an audit study.

The principal investigators of the project are Teguh Dartanto (Ph.D.) from the University of Indonesia, Renate Hartwig (Ph.D.) from the University of Göttingen/GIGA, Dr Jan Priebe (BNITM), and Sudarno Sumarto (Ph.D.) from SMERU and TNP2K. The project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Website: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/468106690

Eine Person sitzt auf einem Stuhl und entblößt seinen rechten Oberarm. Daneben steht eine weitere Person mit Schutzkittel, Mund-und- Nasenschutz und Handschuhen und spritzt der sitzenden Person etwas in den Oberarm.
A patient is getting vaccinated against Covid-19 by a nurse.   ©Fadil Fauzi | Unsplash

Project: Mobilising health workers in the fight against Covid-19: Information experiments with nurses and medical doctors in Germany

Health professionals can make an important contribution to increasing COVID-19 vaccination uptake through their opinions and recommendations. The extent to which health professionals recommend COVID-19 vaccination, which vaccine they prefer, and the extent to which their vaccination recommendations are influenced by public debates has not yet been explored in detail. To shed light on these questions, we implemented a randomised controlled trial - an information processing experiment - in an online survey via social media (Facebook and Instagram). The results suggest that the controversial statements of public health authorities surrounding AstraZeneca influenced health workers vaccine recommendations. In particular, it seems that the mixed statements on AstraZeneca strongly reduced the willingness of health workers to recommend AstraZeneca.

The principal investigators of the project are Dr Christoph Beuthner (GESIS), Dr Steffen Pötzschke (GESIS), Dr Jan Priebe (BNITM), and Dr Henning Silber (GESIS) The project is funded by the Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences (GESIS).

Website: https://blog.gesis.org/wie-die-astrazeneca-kontroverse-die-covid-19-impfempfehlungen-von-medizinischen-fachkraften-beeinflusst/

Eine Person wird von einer Ärztin in weißem Kittel mit einer Spritze in den Oberarm geimpft.
Vaccination   ©CDC | Unsplash

Project: Large-scale land acquisitions and its impact on mental health

In many developing countries the large-scale expansion of agricultural producers involves the acquisition of vast areas of land from traditional rural communities. While some of the land purchases happen voluntarily and in good faith, other transactions are forced and occur against the will of local communities. In this research project we examine the consequences of large-scale land acquisitions on local villagers’ welfare in Central Indonesia – the island of Borneo. The research project involves two related but separate studies. Study 1 will investigate the impact of land acquisitions on local villager’s mental health. Study 2 will analyse the role of land acquisitions on interethnic trust and reciprocity. To shed light on causal impacts the research project leverages a combination of (quasi-) experimental methods borrowed from psychology and behavioral economics. 

The principal investigators of the project are Daniel Geissel (GIGA), professor Dr Jann Lay (GIGA), and Dr Jan Priebe (BNITM). The project is funded by Germany’s Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the EU, and DEZA.

Website: https://www.giga-hamburg.de/de/forschung-und-transfer/projekte/the-land-matrix-phase-iii

 

Ein roter, sandiger Weg, der von Ölpalmen gesäumt ist. Am Himmel sieht man vereinzelt Wolken.
An unpaved road meanders through a palm oil planation in Cambodia.   ©Paul Szewczyk | Unsplash

Research Group Health Economics