PREDICTING POLICY TARGETS THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE - EXAMINING STATE CHOICES IN INCREASING THE PRODUCTION OF PRIMARY-CARE PHYSICIANS

This article addresses the relationship between the choices of a policy target and the institutional structure of the delivery system, focusing on states' desire to increase the production of primary care physicians. We examine two possible strategies-an institutional strategy in which state dollars are provided directly to medical schools and an individual strategy in which financial incentives are provided directly to students. We hypothesize that a state's choice between the strategies can be understood by institutional characteristics of the state's medical schools. Results indicate that these characteristics do have an influence on the choice of policy target.