American Economic Journal:
Economic Policy
ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)
Do Strikes Kill? Evidence from New York State
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
vol. 4,
no. 1, February 2012
(pp. 127–57)
Abstract
Hospitals now represent one of the largest union sectors of the US economy, and there is particular concern about the impact of strikes on patient welfare. We analyze the effects of nurses' strikes in hospitals on patient outcomes in New York State. Controlling for hospital specific heterogeneity, the results show that nurses' strikes increase in-hospital mortality by 18.3 percent and 30-day readmission by 5.7 percent for patients admitted during a strike, with little change in patient demographics, disease severity or treatment intensity. The results suggest that hospitals functioning during nurses' strikes do so at a lower quality of patient care. (JEL H75, I11, I12, J52)Citation
Gruber, Jonathan, and Samuel A. Kleiner. 2012. "Do Strikes Kill? Evidence from New York State." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 4 (1): 127–57. DOI: 10.1257/pol.4.1.127Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H75 State and Local Government: Health; Education; Welfare; Public Pensions
- I11 Analysis of Health Care Markets
- I12 Health Production
- J52 Dispute Resolution: Strikes, Arbitration, and Mediation; Collective Bargaining