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Inequality, public health, and COVID-19: an analysis of the Spanish case by municipalities

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  • Ignacio Amate-Fortes

    (University of Almeria)

  • Almudena Guarnido-Rueda

    (University of Almeria)

Abstract

The main objective of this work is to analyze whether inequality in income distribution has an effect on COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates during the first wave of the pandemic, and how the public health system mitigates these effects. To this end, the case of 819 Spanish municipalities is used, and a linear cross-sectional model is estimated. The results obtained allow us to conclude that a higher level of income inequality generates a higher rate of infections but not deaths, highlighting the importance of the Spanish National Health Service, which does not distinguish by income level. Likewise, early detection of infection measured by the number of primary care centers per 100,000 inhabitants, access to health care for the treatment of the most severe cases, unemployment as a proxy for job insecurity, climatic conditions, and population density are also important factors that determine how COVID-19 affects the population.

Suggested Citation

  • Ignacio Amate-Fortes & Almudena Guarnido-Rueda, 2023. "Inequality, public health, and COVID-19: an analysis of the Spanish case by municipalities," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 24(1), pages 99-110, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujhec:v:24:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1007_s10198-022-01455-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10198-022-01455-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; Income inequality; Unemployment; Health centers; Population density;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement

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