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Do Neoliberal Economic Policies Kill or Save Lives?

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  • Gerring, John
  • Thacker, Strom C.

Abstract

Do neoliberal economic policies help or hinder human development? Many have argued that such policies promote economic stability and growth, which may have indirect positive effects on human welfare. Others claim that neoliberal policies retard human development. We argue that neoliberal economic policies may improve the human welfare in ways that are independent of their effects on economic performance. Specifically, this paper hypothesizes that open international trade policies, low-inflation macroeconomic environments, and market-oriented property rights regimes promote human development across the world. We test this argument by examining the impact of several measures of neoliberal policies on infant mortality rates across the world between 1960 and 1999. Results suggest that openness to imports, long-term membership in the GATT and WTO, low rates of inflation, and effective contract enforcement are each associated with lower rates of infant mortality across the world, even when controlling for countries' economic performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerring, John & Thacker, Strom C., 2008. "Do Neoliberal Economic Policies Kill or Save Lives?," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(3), pages 1-31, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:buspol:v:10:y:2008:i:03:p:1-31_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Bjørnskov, Christian, 2015. "Does economic freedom really kill? On the association between ‘Neoliberal’ policies and homicide rates," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 207-219.
    2. Carden Art & Lawson Robert A., 2010. "Human Rights and Economic Liberalization," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 12(2), pages 1-20, August.
    3. Carden Art & Verdon Lisa, 2010. "When Is Corruption a Substitute for Economic Freedom?," The Law and Development Review, De Gruyter, vol. 3(1), pages 40-63, May.
    4. Barlow, Pepita, 2018. "Does trade liberalization reduce child mortality in low- and middle-income countries? A synthetic control analysis of 36 policy experiments, 1963-2005," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 102664, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Burns, Darren K. & Jones, Andrew P. & Suhrcke, Marc, 2016. "The relationship between international trade and non-nutritional health outcomes: A systematic review of quantitative studies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 9-17.
    6. Souha El Khanji, 2017. "An exploration of the interaction between socio-economic productivity and water withdrawal," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 653-677, April.
    7. Barlow, Pepita, 2018. "Does trade liberalization reduce child mortality in low- and middle-income countries? A synthetic control analysis of 36 policy experiments, 1963-2005," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 205(C), pages 107-115.

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