The World Bank, Reproductive Health Investment Lending, and Maternal Mortality: Analysis of Sub-Saharan Africa

• In Event: 343 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 11. Child and Maternal Health

Abstract

We review the contested role World Bank reproductive health lending may have on maternal mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. We use a two-way fixed effects regression model to analyze data for a sample of thirty-four Sub-Saharan African nations from 1990 to 2005. In doing so, we find that when a Sub-Saharan African nations receives a World Bank reproductive health loan it tends to have lower levels of maternal mortality than when it does not receive such a loan despite arguments to the contrary. However, we also find that when a Sub-Saharan African nation receives a World Bank structural adjustment loan it tends to have higher levels of maternal mortality than if it does not receive such a loan, thereby offsetting any gains associated with reproductive health loans.

Authors

• Carolyn R. Coburn, State University of New York-Stony Brook

• Michael Restivo, State University of New York-Stony Brook

• John M Shandra, State University of New York-Stony Brook