Explaining Cross-national Trends in Infant Mortality Rates, 1995-2011

• In Event: 485 - Section on Sociology of Development Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 03. Children, Violence, and Health

Abstract

In this paper, I will examine cross-national differences and trends in infant mortality rates (IMR) in less developed countries (LDCs) over the period 1995-2011. This analysis speaks to previous cross-national research in development sociology on factors contributing greater well-being in less developed countries (LDCs), especially those measures of well-being that are not easily monopolized by economic elites within these countries. In addition to delineating the nature of cross-national trends in IMR, I will give special attention to government involvement in improving health outcomes. Past literature has already established the importance of gross domestic product per capita (GDPpc) and a host of other developmental factors that affect well-being and specifically IMR in less developed countries. Government efforts to alleviate health issues through public health spending have received scant attention in the cross-national literature. I ask the following questions:
•Among less developed countries, has IMR tended to decline over the past two decades on average?
•Has there been convergence in IMR among LDCs over the same time period? If so, is it conditional or unconditional convergence?
•What factors explain trends in IMR within countries? Does government spending matter for explaining trends in IMR after controlling for other developmental covariates?
•Do between-country differences in government spending matter for explaining between-country variation in IMR trends?

Author

• Roshan Kumar Pandian, Indiana University - Bloomington