Dr. Scarpaci will conduct a field investigation of the ways privatization has affected the geographic availability of medical services in Buenos Aires, Santiago, and Montevideo. Interviews with physicians and medical administrators will document and explain changing geographical patterns of health care services. Intrametropolitan processes will then be linked to changes in the financing of health services. The hypotheses to be tested will determine the extent to which the locational behavior of providers of private medical services results from market forces or from government policies and changes in such policies. This research will enlarge our understanding of the availability of a critical human service in relation to national health-care and fiscal policies. The results of the research may be applicable to other nations, including the United States.
