Aggregate Income Shocks and Infant Mortality in the Developing World
Health and income are strongly correlated both within and across countries, yet the extent to which improvements in income have a causal effect on health status remains controversial. We investigate whether short-term fluctuations in aggregate income affect infant mortality using an unusually large data set of 1.7 million births in 59 developing countries. We show a large, negative association between per capita GDP and infant mortality. Female infant mortality is more sensitive than male infant mortality to negative economic shocks, suggesting that policies that protect the health status of female infants may be especially important during economic downturns.
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article biblioteca |
| Language: | EN |
| Published: |
MIT Press
2011-08
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| Subjects: | Macroeconomics: Production E230, Health Production I120, Fertility, Family Planning, Child Care, INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AREAS :: Children, Youth J130, Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development O110, Economic Development: Human Resources, Human Development, Income Distribution, Migration O150, |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10986/4916 |
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| Summary: | Health and income are strongly correlated both within and across countries, yet the extent to which improvements in income have a causal effect on health status remains controversial. We investigate whether short-term fluctuations in aggregate income affect infant mortality using an unusually large data set of 1.7 million births in 59 developing countries. We show a large, negative association between per capita GDP and infant mortality. Female infant mortality is more sensitive than male infant mortality to negative economic shocks, suggesting that policies that protect the health status of female infants may be especially important during economic downturns. |
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