Social Welfare Expenditures and Infant Mortality
1a Graduate School of Social Work, Dominican University , River Forest , Illinois , USA.
Social Work in Public Health
|October 1, 2015
Summary
Social welfare spending on family cash allowances can reduce infant mortality rates in developed countries. However, investments in parental leave and family services showed no significant impact on infant deaths.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Economics
- Sociology
Background:
- Infant mortality remains a critical public health indicator.
- Social welfare expenditures are hypothesized to influence health outcomes.
- Cross-country analyses are essential for understanding policy impacts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between social welfare expenditures and infant mortality.
- To differentiate the effects of various family-focused welfare programs.
- To analyze data from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
Main Methods:
- Data collected from OECD, WHO, and World Bank databases.
- Longitudinal analysis covering 19 OECD countries (1980-2010).
- Econometric models used to assess expenditure impacts on infant mortality.
Main Results:
- Family cash allowances expenditures significantly predicted reduced infant mortality.
- Expenditures on parental/maternity leave showed no significant effect.
- Expenditures on family services did not significantly impact infant mortality rates.
Conclusions:
- Targeted social welfare policies, like cash allowances, may be effective in reducing infant mortality.
- Broader social welfare measures require further investigation for their specific impacts.
- Policy implications for public health and economic strategies in developed nations.
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