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Does Democracy Matter for Public Health?
1Department of Economics, 34949Hannam University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Summary
Democracy generally improves public health, particularly reducing infant mortality. However, this positive effect on health outcomes is less pronounced in low-income countries, suggesting a threshold effect.
Area of Science:
- Political Science
- Public Health
- Economics
Background:
- The relationship between political systems and public health is complex and warrants further investigation.
- Understanding how governance structures impact health outcomes is crucial for global health policy.
- Previous research has yielded mixed results, necessitating robust econometric analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal effect of democracy on public health indicators.
- To explore potential threshold effects of democracy in low-income countries.
- To analyze the long-term and short-term impacts of democratic governance on health.
Main Methods:
- Utilized panel data from 188 countries spanning 1972-2019.
- Employed pooled ordinary least squares, fixed effects, dynamic generalized method of moments (GMM), split-sample, and quadratic regression models.
- Addressed econometric challenges to ensure robust findings.
Main Results:
- Pooled regression indicated a positive effect of democracy on health, absent in low-income nations (threshold effect).
- Fixed effects confirmed democracy's positive impact on infant mortality but not life expectancy, highlighting historical effects.
- Non-linear analysis revealed a U-shaped relationship between democracy and infant mortality.
Conclusions:
- Regression analyses collectively support a positive influence of democracy on public health.
- The impact of democracy on health may be contingent on a country's economic status.
- Further research should explore the nuanced, long-term effects of democratic institutions on population health.
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