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The puzzle of Muslim advantage in child survival in India

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  • Bhalotra, Sonia
  • Valente, Christine
  • van Soest, Arthur

Abstract

The socioeconomic status of Indian Muslims is, on average, considerably lower than that of upper-caste Hindus. Muslims nevertheless exhibit substantially higher child survival rates, and have done for decades. This paper analyses this seeming puzzle. A decomposition of the survival differential confirms that some compositional effects favour Muslims but that, overall, differences in characteristics and especially the Muslim deficit in parental education predict a Muslim disadvantage. The results of this study contribute to a recent literature that debates the importance of socioeconomic status (SES) in determining health and survival. They augment a growing literature on the role of religion or culture as encapsulating important unobservable behaviours or endowments that influence health, indeed, enough to reverse the SES gradient that is commonly observed.

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Journal of Health Economics.

Volume (Year): 29 (2010)
Issue (Month): 2 (March)
Pages: 191-204
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Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:29:y:2010:i:2:p:191-204

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Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/505560

For corrections or technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Jeroen Loos).

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Keywords: Religion Caste Gender Child survival India;

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References

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  1. Deborah Wilson & Simon Burgess & Adam Briggs, 2005. "The Dynamics of School Attainment of England’s Ethnic Minorities," The Centre for Market and Public Organisation 05/130, Department of Economics, University of Bristol, UK.
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  15. Micklewright, John & Ismail, Suraiya, 2001. "What Can Child Anthropometry Reveal about Living Standards and Public Policy? An Illustration from Central Asia," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 47(1), pages 65-80, March.
  16. Rajindar Sachar & Saiyid Hamid & T.K. Oommen & M.A. Basith & Rakesh Basant & Akhtar Majeed & Abusaleh Shariff, 2006. "Social, Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community of India," Development Economics Working Papers 22136, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Soest, A.H.O. van & Saha, U.R., 2012. "Birth Spacing, Child Survival and Fertility Decisions: Analysis of Causal Mechanismsa," Discussion Paper 2012-018, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
  2. Soest, A.H.O. van & Saha, U.R., 2012. "Does Family Planning Reduce Infant Mortality? Evidence from Surveillance Data in Matlab, Bangladesh," Discussion Paper 2012-019, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.

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