Health Policy, Transfers, and Political Participation in Developing Democracies

• In Event: Public Perceptions of and Government Responses to Health Crises

Abstract

What are the effects of government health programs and government transfers on political participation among the poor in developing democracies? Although most people intuitively recognize debilitating effects of health limitations on political participation, research on the relationship between health and political participation is in short supply. Among studies that do exist, much previous work examines the impact of objective and self-rated health on a narrow range of political activities, most notably voting. Our paper assesses whether and to what extent government health and transfer programs affect political participation among the poor across a broad range of political activities. We argue that the types of programs influence the quantity of participation among recipients as well as which political activities are pursued. Using original survey data from Mexico, a list experiment, and multilevel models, we estimate the effects of a health insurance program, conditional and unconditional cash transfers (CCTs and UCTs, respectively), and clientelistic transfers on involvement in various political activities. Findings suggest that CCTs and clientelistic transfers exert large effects on a wide range of public and private political activities, while the UCTs and health insurance program influence recipients’ political participation only marginally at best.

Our study makes several important contributions. It will offer a different angle to the question on health and political participation by illuminating the effects of health programs and government transfers. Existing studies suggest that political inequalities lead to health and wealth inequalities. By examining the effects of various government programs on political participation, our study also provides guidance for how governments can intervene to remedy the perpetuation of structural poverty and inequality. Our study also contributes to the literature by examining the impacts of government health and transfer programs on a wide range of political activities, including non-electoral political activities.

Authors

• Gregory Schober, University of Texas at El Paso

• Taeko Hiroi, The University of Texas at El Paso