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Declining Mortality Inequality within Cities during the Health Transition

Author

Listed:
  • Dora L. Costa
  • Matthew E. Kahn

Abstract

In the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century, large cities had extremely high death rates from infectious disease. Within major cities such as New York City and Philadelphia, there was significant variation at any point in time in the mortality rate across neighborhoods. Between 1900 and 1930 neighborhood mortality convergence took place in New York City and Philadelphia. We document these trends and discuss their consequences for neighborhood quality of life dynamics and the economic incidence of who gains from effective public health interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Dora L. Costa & Matthew E. Kahn, 2015. "Declining Mortality Inequality within Cities during the Health Transition," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(5), pages 564-569, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:105:y:2015:i:5:p:564-69
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20151070
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    2. David M. Cutler & Grant Miller, 2006. "Water, Water Everywhere. Municipal Finance and Water Supply in American Cities," NBER Chapters, in: Corruption and Reform: Lessons from America's Economic History, pages 153-183, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Atack, Jeremy & Margo, Robert A, 1998. ""Location, Location, Location!" The Price Gradient for Vacant Urban Land: New York, 1835 to 1900," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 151-172, March.
    4. David Cutler & Grant Miller, 2005. "The role of public health improvements in health advances: The twentieth-century United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 42(1), pages 1-22, February.
    5. Dora L. Costa & Matthew E. Kahn, 2015. "Death and the Media: Asymmetries in Infectious Disease Reporting During the Health Transition," NBER Working Papers 21073, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Past Evidence on Trends in Within City Health Inequality
      by Matthew Kahn in Environmental and Urban Economics on 2015-05-17 19:23:00
    2. Incorporating Local Public Health Dynamics into The Rosen/Roback Spatial Equilibrium Model
      by Matthew E. Kahn in Environmental and Urban Economics on 2021-10-24 12:11:00
    3. Will the Biden Administration's Trillion Dollar Investment in Infrastructure Unlock the Potential of Post-Industrial Cities?
      by Matthew E. Kahn in Environmental and Urban Economics on 2021-11-09 21:31:00
    4. Disease and Unease in New York City (Part I): Mortality Rates since 1800
      by Jason Barr in Skynomics Blog on 2020-06-16 12:15:11

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Anderson, D. Mark & Charles, Kerwin Kofi & Rees, Daniel I., 2018. "Public Health Efforts and the Decline in Urban Mortality," IZA Discussion Papers 11773, IZA Network @ LISER.
    2. Dora L. Costa & Matthew E. Kahn, 2017. "Death and the Media: Infectious Disease Reporting During the Health Transition," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 84(335), pages 393-416, July.
    3. Christian Ochsner & Lukas Schmid, 2025. "Pandemics' backlash: The effects of the 1918 influenza on health attitudes and behavior," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp796, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    4. D. Mark Anderson & Kerwin Kofi Charles & Daniel I. Rees, 2018. "Public Health Efforts and the Decline in Urban Mortality," NBER Working Papers 25027, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Matthew E. Kahn, 2017. "Will Climate Change Cause Enormous Social Costs for Poor Asian Cities?," Asian Development Review, MIT Press, vol. 34(2), pages 229-248, September.
    6. Shrestha, Vinish, 2020. "Maternal education and infant health gradient: New answers to old questions," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    7. Janet Currie & Hannes Schwandt, 2016. "Mortality Inequality: The Good News from a County-Level Approach," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 30(2), pages 29-52, Spring.
    8. Kesztenbaum, Lionel & Rosenthal, Jean-Laurent, 2017. "Sewers’ diffusion and the decline of mortality: The case of Paris, 1880–1914," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 174-186.
    9. Albers, Thilo N.H. & Kappner, Kalle, 2023. "Perks and pitfalls of city directories as a micro-geographic data source," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    10. Hoehn-Velasco, Lauren, 2018. "Explaining declines in US rural mortality, 1910–1933: The role of county health departments," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 42-72.
    11. Beach, Brian, 2022. "Water infrastructure and health in U.S. cities," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • N31 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
    • N32 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • N91 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
    • N92 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - U.S.; Canada: 1913-
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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