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Political Economy of Infant Mortality Rate: Role of Democracy Versus Good Governance

Political Economy of Infant Mortality Rate: Role of Democracy Versus Good Governance

Dina Y Rosenberg

Int J Health Serv. 2018 Jul;48(3):435-460.

PMID: 29730967

Abstract:

Despite numerous studies on whether democracy reduces the infant mortality rate (IMR), the empirical results remain mixed at best. In this article, I perform several theoretical and empirical exercises that help explain why and under what conditions we should expect politics to matter most for a decrease in IMR. First, I capitalize on the epidemiological view that IMR - the most commonly used indicator of health in social sciences - is better suited to reflect public health micromanagement than overall social development. Second, I theorize that autocrats have incentives to invest in health up to a certain point, which could lead to a reduction in IMR. Third, I introduce an omitted variable - good governance - that trumps the importance of a political regime for IMR: (1) it directly affects public health micromanagement, and (2) many autocrats made inroads in achieving good governance. Finally, for the first time in such research, I use a disaggregated IMR approach to corroborate my hypotheses.

Chemicals Related in the Paper:

Catalog Number	Product Name	Structure	CAS Number	Price
AP310456656	IMR-1		310456-65-6	Price

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