Saving Lives through Technology : Mobile Phones and Infant Mortality
Digital technologies can expand access to health services to underserved populations. This paper leverages mobile network expansion and survey data spanning two decades to study the impact of access to mobile phones on infant mortality in Africa. Using plausibly exogenous variations in lightning intensity and (sub)regional convergence in mobile penetration as instrumental variables for mobile network expansion, the analysis finds that mobile phones significantly reduce infant mortality. A 10 percentage point increase in mobile coverage is associated with a 0.45 percentage point reduction in infant mortality. Improvements in health knowledge and behavior and health care utilization appear to be plausible channels.
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| Format: | Working Paper biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2022-03
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| Subjects: | DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ACCESS, MOBILE NETWORK EXPANSION, HEALTH ACCESS, INFANT MORTALITY REDUCTION, INFANT MORTALITY DATA, ACCESS TO MEDICINE, HEALTH INTERVENTION, |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/394931647888314925/Saving-Lives-through-Technology-Mobile-Phones-and-Infant-Mortality http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37200 |
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dig-okr-10986372002022-03-24T05:10:49Z Saving Lives through Technology : Mobile Phones and Infant Mortality Mensah, Justice Tei Tafere, Kibrom Abay, Kibrom A. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ACCESS MOBILE NETWORK EXPANSION HEALTH ACCESS INFANT MORTALITY REDUCTION INFANT MORTALITY DATA ACCESS TO MEDICINE HEALTH INTERVENTION Digital technologies can expand access to health services to underserved populations. This paper leverages mobile network expansion and survey data spanning two decades to study the impact of access to mobile phones on infant mortality in Africa. Using plausibly exogenous variations in lightning intensity and (sub)regional convergence in mobile penetration as instrumental variables for mobile network expansion, the analysis finds that mobile phones significantly reduce infant mortality. A 10 percentage point increase in mobile coverage is associated with a 0.45 percentage point reduction in infant mortality. Improvements in health knowledge and behavior and health care utilization appear to be plausible channels. 2022-03-23T18:04:56Z 2022-03-23T18:04:56Z 2022-03 Working Paper http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/394931647888314925/Saving-Lives-through-Technology-Mobile-Phones-and-Infant-Mortality http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37200 English Policy Research Working Paper;9978 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Policy Research Working Paper Africa Africa |
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| component |
Bibliográfico |
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| databasecode |
dig-okr |
| tag |
biblioteca |
| region |
America del Norte |
| libraryname |
Biblioteca del Banco Mundial |
| language |
English |
| topic |
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ACCESS MOBILE NETWORK EXPANSION HEALTH ACCESS INFANT MORTALITY REDUCTION INFANT MORTALITY DATA ACCESS TO MEDICINE HEALTH INTERVENTION DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ACCESS MOBILE NETWORK EXPANSION HEALTH ACCESS INFANT MORTALITY REDUCTION INFANT MORTALITY DATA ACCESS TO MEDICINE HEALTH INTERVENTION |
| spellingShingle |
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ACCESS MOBILE NETWORK EXPANSION HEALTH ACCESS INFANT MORTALITY REDUCTION INFANT MORTALITY DATA ACCESS TO MEDICINE HEALTH INTERVENTION DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ACCESS MOBILE NETWORK EXPANSION HEALTH ACCESS INFANT MORTALITY REDUCTION INFANT MORTALITY DATA ACCESS TO MEDICINE HEALTH INTERVENTION Mensah, Justice Tei Tafere, Kibrom Abay, Kibrom A. Saving Lives through Technology : Mobile Phones and Infant Mortality |
| description |
Digital technologies can expand
access to health services to underserved populations. This
paper leverages mobile network expansion and survey data
spanning two decades to study the impact of access to mobile
phones on infant mortality in Africa. Using plausibly
exogenous variations in lightning intensity and
(sub)regional convergence in mobile penetration as
instrumental variables for mobile network expansion, the
analysis finds that mobile phones significantly reduce
infant mortality. A 10 percentage point increase in mobile
coverage is associated with a 0.45 percentage point
reduction in infant mortality. Improvements in health
knowledge and behavior and health care utilization appear to
be plausible channels. |
| format |
Working Paper |
| topic_facet |
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY ACCESS MOBILE NETWORK EXPANSION HEALTH ACCESS INFANT MORTALITY REDUCTION INFANT MORTALITY DATA ACCESS TO MEDICINE HEALTH INTERVENTION |
| author |
Mensah, Justice Tei Tafere, Kibrom Abay, Kibrom A. |
| author_facet |
Mensah, Justice Tei Tafere, Kibrom Abay, Kibrom A. |
| author_sort |
Mensah, Justice Tei |
| title |
Saving Lives through Technology : Mobile Phones and Infant Mortality |
| title_short |
Saving Lives through Technology : Mobile Phones and Infant Mortality |
| title_full |
Saving Lives through Technology : Mobile Phones and Infant Mortality |
| title_fullStr |
Saving Lives through Technology : Mobile Phones and Infant Mortality |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Saving Lives through Technology : Mobile Phones and Infant Mortality |
| title_sort |
saving lives through technology : mobile phones and infant mortality |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2022-03 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/394931647888314925/Saving-Lives-through-Technology-Mobile-Phones-and-Infant-Mortality http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37200 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT mensahjusticetei savinglivesthroughtechnologymobilephonesandinfantmortality AT taferekibrom savinglivesthroughtechnologymobilephonesandinfantmortality AT abaykibroma savinglivesthroughtechnologymobilephonesandinfantmortality |
| _version_ |
1756576078822899712 |