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Will the economic growth benefit public health? Health vulnerability, urbanization and COVID-19 in the USA

Author

Listed:
  • Ye Fan

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Ming Fang

    (China University of Petroleum (Beijing))

  • Xin Zhang

    (University of Michigan)

  • Yongda Yu

    (Tsinghua University)

Abstract

Economic growth has a significant impact on health vulnerability primarily through the process of urbanization. This paper conducts a pioneer study by analyzing the impact of regional economic growth and urbanization on the public health vulnerability in the 51 states and territories of the USA from 2011 to 2018 with a fixed-effect panel data regression model. We construct an epidemiological vulnerability index (EVI) using regional smoking, diabetes, obesity, and hypertension, collect CDC social vulnerability index (SVI) as state-level public health vulnerability status, and use COVID-19 to test the actual effect of health vulnerability. The preliminary results show that higher regional economic growth is related to lower EVI and SVI, while urbanization is positively associated with regional health vulnerability and the severity of COVID-19 from case rate and death rate. Robustness check with unemployment shows the same result. We conclude that economic growth is related to lower public health vulnerability, and urbanization has negative public health benefits. Our finding indicates an urgent need to balance the externalities generated by economic development and urbanization trends on public health vulnerability by promoting reasonable medical resource distribution, health practices and safety, improving social and environmental justice, and other health management measures.

Suggested Citation

  • Ye Fan & Ming Fang & Xin Zhang & Yongda Yu, 2023. "Will the economic growth benefit public health? Health vulnerability, urbanization and COVID-19 in the USA," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 70(1), pages 81-99, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:anresc:v:70:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s00168-021-01103-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s00168-021-01103-9
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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