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Mortality, Inequality and Race in American Cities and States

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Author Info
Angus Deaton
Darren Lubotsky

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Abstract

A number of studies have found that mortality rates are positively correlated with income inequality across the cities and states of the US. We argue that this correlation is confounded by the effects of racial composition. Across states and MSAs, the fraction of the population that is black is positively correlated with average white incomes, and negatively correlated with average black incomes. Between-group income inequality is therefore higher where the fraction black is higher, as is income inequality in general. Conditional on the fraction black, neither city nor state mortality rates are correlated with income inequality. Mortality rates are higher where the fraction black is higher, not only because of the mechanical effect of higher black mortality rates and lower black incomes, but because white mortality rates are higher in places where the fraction black is higher. This result is present within census regions, and for all age groups and both sexes (except for boys aged 1 9). It is robust to conditioning on income, education, and (in the MSA results) on state fixed effects, and cannot plausibly be attributed to variations in the local provision of health care.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 8370.

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Date of creation: Jul 2001
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:8370

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I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Production

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  1. David M. Cutler & Adriana Lleras-Muney & Tom Vogl, 2008. "Socioeconomic Status and Health: Dimensions and Mechanisms," NBER Working Papers 14333, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Jennifer M. Mellor & Jeffrey Milyo, 2002. "Individual Health Status and Minority Racial Concentration in U.S. States and Counties," Working Papers 0201, Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago. [Downloadable!]
  3. Petri Böckerman & Edvard Johansson & Satu Helakorpi & Antti Uutela, 2007. "Economic Inequality and Health: Looking Beyond Aggregate Indicators," Discussion Papers 1104, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy. [Downloadable!]
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  4. Andreea Balan-Cohen, 2008. "Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise? The Impact of the Old Age Assistance Program on Elderly Mortality in the United States," Discussion Papers Series, Department of Economics, Tufts University 0719, Department of Economics, Tufts University. [Downloadable!]
  5. Samuel Bowles & Rajiv Sethi, 2006. "Social Segregation and the Dynamics of Group Inequality," Working Papers 2006-02, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  6. Heshmati, Almas, 2004. "Inequalities and Their Measurement," IZA Discussion Papers 1219, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  7. Ethan Lewis, 2004. "How did the Miami labor market absorb the Mariel immigrants?," Working Papers 04-3, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. [Downloadable!]
  8. Ethan Lewis, 2003. "Local, open economies within the U.S.: how do industries respond to immigration?," Working Papers 04-1, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. [Downloadable!]
  9. Jeffrey Milyo & Jennifer M. Mellor, 2002. "On the Importance of Full versus Partial Age-Adjustment in Ecological Studies of Social Determinants of Mortality," Working Papers 0207, Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago. [Downloadable!]
  10. David Y. Albouy, 2008. "The Unequal Geographic Burden of Federal Taxation," NBER Working Papers 13995, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Ken Judge & Iain Paterson, 2001. "Poverty, Income Inequality and Health," Treasury Working Paper Series 01/29, New Zealand Treasury. [Downloadable!]
  12. Paul Beaudry & David A. Green & Benjamin Sand, 2007. "Spill-Overs from Good Jobs," NBER Working Papers 13006, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Heshmati, Almas, 2004. "Regional Income Inequality in Selected Large Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 1307, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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