Centro de Documentacion de Fundación MAPFRE - Why is ageing associated with lower adoption of new technologies? Evidence from voluntary medical male circumcision and a structural model

Notes: Sumario: A popular conception is that older people are less likely to adopt new technologies than are younger people. The mechanism underlying this relationship is less well-known. I provide evidence on this question using data from the introduction of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC), a new medical technology with substantial health benefits in high HIV prevalence settings. I find limited support for several leading potential mechanisms such as previous investment in older substitute technologies, cohort differences in educational attainment, or various life-cycle changes (i.e. marriage, having ever had sex, coital frequency). I provide a model demonstrating that shorter time horizons and lower consumption values of life mechanically associated with ageing may cause lower VMMC adoption among older males and simulate the adoption-age profile under various parameter assumptions. I discuss implications for policymaking and future research.

Related records: En: The Journal of the economics of ageing . - Oxford : Elsevier ScienceDirect, 2021-. - 14/06/2021 Volumen 19 - 2021 , 16 p.Materia / lugar / evento: Envejecimiento Ageingnomics. Economia senior Personas mayores Other categories: 931.2

Rights: In Copyright (InC)

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