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Income inequality and population health: An analysis of panel data for 21 developed countries, 1975-2006

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  • Roberta Torre
  • Mikko Myrskylä

Abstract

The relative income-health hypothesis postulates that income distribution is an important determinant of population health, but the age and sex patterns of this association are not well known. We tested the relative income-health hypothesis using panel data collected for 21 developed countries over 30 years. Net of trends in gross domestic product per head and unobserved period and country factors, income inequality measured by the Gini index is positively associated with the mortality of males and females at ages 1-14 and 15-49, and with the mortality of females at ages 65-89 albeit less strongly than for the younger age groups. These findings suggest that policies to decrease income inequality may improve health, especially that of children and young-to-middle-aged men and women. The mechanisms behind the income inequality-mortality association remain unknown and should be the focus of future research.

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  • Roberta Torre & Mikko Myrskylä, 2014. "Income inequality and population health: An analysis of panel data for 21 developed countries, 1975-2006," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 68(1), pages 1-13, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:rpstxx:v:68:y:2014:i:1:p:1-13
    DOI: 10.1080/00324728.2013.856457
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    2. Kumar, Kaushalendra & Shukla, Ankita & Singh, Abhishek & Ram, Faujdar & Kowal, Paul, 2016. "Association between wealth and health among older adults in rural China and India," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 7(C), pages 43-52.
    3. Sebastian Leitner, 2015. "Effects of Income Inequality on Population Health and Social Outcomes at the Regional Level in the EU," wiiw Working Papers 113, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    4. Rözer, Jesper Jelle & Volker, Beate, 2016. "Does income inequality have lasting effects on health and trust?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 37-45.
    5. Jan Delhey & Leonie C. Steckermeier, 2020. "Social Ills in Rich Countries: New Evidence on Levels, Causes, and Mediators," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 87-125, May.
    6. Antony, Jürgen & Klarl, Torben, 2020. "Estimating the income inequality-health relationship for the United States between 1941 and 2015: Will the relevant frequencies please stand up?," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).
    7. Sebastian Leitner & Robert Stehrer, 2016. "Development of Public Spending Structures in the EU Member States: Social Investment and its Impact on Social Outcomes," wiiw Working Papers 128, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    8. Amlan Majumder & Takayoshi Kusago, 2021. "A consistency check of the World Income Inequality Database in favour of common readers," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 1(7), pages 1-17, July.
    9. Ledesma-Cuenca, Ana & Montañés, Antonio & Simón-Fernández, María Blanca, 2022. "Disparities in premature mortality: Evidence for the OECD countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    10. Katsushige Nakasone & Raju Ghimire & Murari Suvedi, 2021. "Trends in crop production and land productivity in northern Ghana: A case study of Tolon-Kumbung," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(1), pages 83-94, February.
    11. Maskileyson, Dina, 2019. "Health trajectories of immigrants in the United States: Does income inequality of country of origin matter?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 246-255.
    12. Luo, Weixiang & Xie, Yu, 2020. "Economic growth, income inequality and life expectancy in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    13. Pickett, Kate E. & Wilkinson, Richard G., 2015. "Income inequality and health: A causal review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 316-326.

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