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Absent laws and missing women: Can domestic violence legislation reduce female mortality?

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  • Mohammad Amin
  • Asif M. Islam
  • Augusto Lopez‐Claros

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between the presence of domestic violence legislation and the adult mortality of women relative to men. Using a panel of 159 economies between 1990 and 2014, domestic violence legislation is found to be associated with a lower women‐to‐men adult mortality ratio. The most conservative estimate suggests a 2.3% decline relative to the mean sample value. These findings are extended to show that domestic violence legislation is also negatively correlated with physical violence by intimate partners for a cross‐section of economies. Sensitivity analyses reveal that the findings are robust to different estimation methods and empirical specifications.

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  • Mohammad Amin & Asif M. Islam & Augusto Lopez‐Claros, 2021. "Absent laws and missing women: Can domestic violence legislation reduce female mortality?," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(4), pages 2113-2132, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:25:y:2021:i:4:p:2113-2132
    DOI: 10.1111/rode.12799
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    1. Perrotta Berlin, Maria & Campa, Pamela & Paltseva, Elena & Krumina, Marija & Pluta, Anna & Shpak, Solomiya, 2022. "Domestic violence legislation - Awareness and support in Latvia, Russia and Ukraine," SITE Working Paper Series 58, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics.

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