IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/dem/wpaper/wp-2014-009.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Regional mortality disparities in Germany: long-term dynamics and possible determinants

Author

Listed:
  • Eva U. B. Kibele

    (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany)

  • Sebastian Klüsener

    (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany)

  • Rembrandt D. Scholz

    (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany)

Abstract

While regional mortality inequalities in Germany tend to be relatively stable in the short run, over the course of the past century marked changes have occurred in the country’s regional mortality patterns. These changes include not only the re-emergence of stark differences between eastern and western Germany after 1970, which have almost disappeared again in the decades after Germany’s unification in 1990; but also substantial changes in the patterns in northern and southern Germany. By the end of the 19th century, the northern regions in Germany had the highest life expectancy levels, while the southern regions had the lowest. Today, this mortality pattern is reversed. In this paper, we study these long-term trends in spatial mortality disparities in Germany since 1900, and link them with theoretical considerations and existing research on the possible determinants of these pattern. Our findings support the view that the factors which contributed to shape spatial mortality variation have changed substantially over time, and suggest that the link between regional socioeconomic conditions and mortality outcomes strengthened over the last 100 years.

Suggested Citation

  • Eva U. B. Kibele & Sebastian Klüsener & Rembrandt D. Scholz, 2014. "Regional mortality disparities in Germany: long-term dynamics and possible determinants," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2014-009, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2014-009
    DOI: 10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2014-009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.demogr.mpg.de/en/publications_databases_6118/publications_1904/journal_articles/regional_mortality_disparities_in_germany_long_term_dynamics_and_possible_determinants_5465
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.demogr.mpg.de/papers/working/wp-2014-009.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.4054/MPIDR-WP-2014-009?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eva Kibele & Fanny Janssen, 2013. "Distortion of regional old-age mortality due to late-life migration in the Netherlands?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 29(5), pages 105-132.
    2. repec:cai:poeine:pope_201_0157 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Nolte, Ellen & Scholz, Rembrandt & Shkolnikov, Vladimir & McKee, Martin, 2002. "The contribution of medical care to changing life expectancy in Germany and Poland," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 55(11), pages 1905-1921, December.
    4. Sebastian Kluesener & Peter Ekamper & Frans van Poppel & Ian Gregory & Siegfried Gruber & Jordi Martí-Henneberg & Luís Espinha da Silveira & Arne Solli & Isabelle Devos, 2014. "Spatial inequalities in infant survival at an early stage of the longevity revolution," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(68), pages 1849-1864.
    5. Sebastian Klüsener & Rembrandt D. Scholz, 2013. "Regional hot spots of exceptional longevity in Germany," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 11(1), pages 137-163.
    6. Eva Kibele, 2014. "Individual- and area-level effects on mortality risk in Germany, both East and West, among male Germans aged 65+," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 59(3), pages 439-448, June.
    7. Robert Woods, 2003. "Urban‐Rural Mortality Differentials: An Unresolved Debate," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 29(1), pages 29-46, March.
    8. Meijer, Mathias & Röhl, Jeannette & Bloomfield, Kim & Grittner, Ulrike, 2012. "Do neighborhoods affect individual mortality? A systematic review and meta-analysis of multilevel studies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(8), pages 1204-1212.
    9. Hallie Kintner, 1988. "Determinants of temporal and areal variation in infant mortality in Germany, 1871–1933," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 25(4), pages 597-609, November.
    10. Bengtsson, Tommy & van Poppel, Frans, 2011. "Socioeconomic inequalities in death from past to present: An introduction," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 343-356, July.
    11. Kickbusch, I., 2003. "The contribution of the World Health Organization to a new public health and health promotion," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(3), pages 383-388.
    12. Diehl, Katharina & Schneider, Sven, 2011. "How relevant are district characteristics in explaining subjective health in Germany? - A multilevel analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(7), pages 1205-1210, April.
    13. Shaw, Mary & Orford, Scott & Brimblecombe, Nicola & Dorling, Daniel, 2000. "Widening inequality in mortality between 160 regions of 15 European countries in the early 1990s," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 50(7-8), pages 1047-1058, April.
    14. Cummins, Steven & Curtis, Sarah & Diez-Roux, Ana V. & Macintyre, Sally, 2007. "Understanding and representing 'place' in health research: A relational approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(9), pages 1825-1838, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sebastian Klüsener & Rembrandt D. Scholz, 2013. "Regional hot spots of exceptional longevity in Germany," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 11(1), pages 137-163.
    2. Eva Kibele, 2014. "Individual- and area-level effects on mortality risk in Germany, both East and West, among male Germans aged 65+," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 59(3), pages 439-448, June.
    3. Robert Stelter & David De la Croix & Mikko Myrskylä, 2020. "Leaders and laggards in life expectancy among European scholars from the sixteenth to the early twentieth century," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2020-030, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    4. Bambra, Clare & Smith, Katherine E. & Pearce, Jamie, 2019. "Scaling up: The politics of health and place," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 232(C), pages 36-42.
    5. Daniel Oudin Åström & Kristina Sundquist & Paul W. Franks, 2018. "Neighborhoods and mortality in Sweden: Is deprivation best assessed nationally or regionally?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 38(18), pages 429-450.
    6. Diane Coffey & Ashwini Deshpande & Jeffrey Hammer & Dean Spears, 2019. "Local Social Inequality, Economic Inequality, and Disparities in Child Height in India," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(4), pages 1427-1452, August.
    7. Thomas Baudin & Robert Stelter, 2022. "The rural exodus and the rise of Europe," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 27(3), pages 365-414, September.
    8. Simpson, Julija & Albani, Viviana & Kingston, Andrew & Bambra, Clare, 2024. "Closing the life expectancy gap: An ecological study of the factors associated with smaller regional health inequalities in post-reunification Germany," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 362(C).
    9. Mitchell, Richard & Dujardin, Claire & Popham, Frank & Farfan Portet, Maria-Isabel & Thomas, Isabelle & Lorant, Vincent, 2011. "Using matched areas to explore international differences in population health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(8), pages 1113-1122.
    10. Hanibuchi, Tomoya & Murata, Yohei & Ichida, Yukinobu & Hirai, Hiroshi & Kawachi, Ichiro & Kondo, Katsunori, 2012. "Place-specific constructs of social capital and their possible associations to health: A Japanese case study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(1), pages 225-232.
    11. Spielman, Seth E. & Yoo, Eun-hye, 2009. "The spatial dimensions of neighborhood effects," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1098-1105, March.
    12. Vásquez-Vera, Hugo & Palència, Laia & Magna, Ingrid & Mena, Carlos & Neira, Jaime & Borrell, Carme, 2017. "The threat of home eviction and its effects on health through the equity lens: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 199-208.
    13. Eibich, Peter & Ziebarth, Nicolas, 2014. "Examining the Structure of Spatial Health Effects in Germany Using Hierarchical Bayes Models," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 49, pages 305-320.
    14. Garthwaite, Kayleigh & Bambra, Clare, 2017. "“How the other half live”: Lay perspectives on health inequalities in an age of austerity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 268-275.
    15. Anna-Karin Ivert & Marie Torstensson Levander & Juan Merlo, 2013. "Adolescents' Utilisation of Psychiatric Care, Neighbourhoods and Neighbourhood Socioeconomic Deprivation: A Multilevel Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(11), pages 1-1, November.
    16. Lionel Kesztenbaum & Jean-Laurent Rosenthal, 2014. "Income versus Sanitation; Mortality Decline in Paris, 1880-1914," PSE Working Papers halshs-01018594, HAL.
    17. Maria Warne & Åsa Svensson & Lina Tirén & Erika Wall, 2020. "On Time: A Qualitative Study of Swedish Students’, Parents’ and Teachers’ Views on School Attendance, with a Focus on Tardiness," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-18, February.
    18. Regidor, Enrique & Vallejo, Fernando & Reques, Laura & Cea, Lucía & Miqueleiz, Estrella & Barrio, Gregorio, 2015. "Area-level socioeconomic context, total mortality and cause-specific mortality in Spain: Heterogeneous findings depending on the level of geographic aggregation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 142-150.
    19. Steffen Andreas Schüle & Gabriele Bolte, 2015. "Interactive and Independent Associations between the Socioeconomic and Objective Built Environment on the Neighbourhood Level and Individual Health: A Systematic Review of Multilevel Studies," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(4), pages 1-31, April.
    20. Matthias Rosenbaum-Feldbrügge, 2019. "The Impact of Parental Death in Childhood on Sons’ and Daughters’ Status Attainment in Young Adulthood in the Netherlands, 1850–1952," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(5), pages 1827-1854, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:dem:wpaper:wp-2014-009. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Wilhelm (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.demogr.mpg.de/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.