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Cause-specific mortality as a sentinel indicator of current socioeconomic conditions in Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Elisabetta Barbi

    (Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza)

  • Oliviero Casacchia

    (Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza)

  • Filomena Racioppi

    (Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza)

Abstract

Background: In the last few years the need for disaggregated statistics at small territorial levels to monitor the social and economic conditions of the various areas of a country has increased considerably. The question of how to define these indicators has been the topic of a recent international debate. Objective: This study aims to assess whether simple, widely available demographic indexes, like mortality measures, may serve as sentinel indicators of economic development and social wellbeing in Italy. Methods: We analyse and compare the geographical patterns of the infant mortality rate and of the mortality rates for leading causes of death with the spatial pattern found for a more complex index, the vulnerability index, recently introduced by the Italian National Institute for Statistics at the provincial level in contemporary Italy. Results: Mortality from leading causes of death such as diseases of the circulatory system, and mortality from increasingly emergent causes of death such as diabetes, may offer a valid statistic to grasp economic development and social wellbeing in Italy today. Conclusions: Our findings are important because policymakers need to rely on indicators with the following fundamental properties: easy availability, clear definition, temporal continuity, and spatial comparability. Contribution: This study contributes to the literature by showing that mortality data is a straightforward and powerful tool to help policymakers plan appropriate interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Elisabetta Barbi & Oliviero Casacchia & Filomena Racioppi, 2018. "Cause-specific mortality as a sentinel indicator of current socioeconomic conditions in Italy," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(21), pages 635-646.
  • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:39:y:2018:i:21
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2018.39.21
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Graziella Caselli & Franco Peracchi & Elisabetta Barbi & Rosa Maria Lipsi, 2003. "Differential Mortality and the Design of the Italian System of Public Pensions," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 17(s1), pages 45-78, August.
    2. repec:bla:labour:v:17:y:2003:i:specialissue:p:45-78 is not listed on IDEAS
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    infant mortality; cause-specific mortality; inequalities; socioeconomic indicators; vulnerability index;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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