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Empirics of health-aid, education and infant mortality: a semiparametric study

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  • Debasri Mukherjee
  • Elsy Thomas Kizhakethalackal

Abstract

The present article uses semiparametric regression to capture the impact of foreign-aid given for health purposes on the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of poor developing countries, after controlling for other covariates. We also investigate whether education (general awareness) helps lower IMR directly or helps improve effectiveness of health-aid in reducing IMR. In addition, the study investigates whether various disaggregated components of health-aid (for example, aid that goes for infectious disease control or nutrition) help lower IMR. We find that although adult education (awareness) always lowers IMR, the overall effect of health-aid remains insignificant. Our conclusion is robust to various disaggregated components of health-aid as well. We also check if health-aid has improved prenatal care for expecting mothers but our conclusion regarding the overall ineffectiveness of aid remains unchanged. Interestingly, we find that total health-aid as well as nutrition aid may lower IMR only after education exceeds a threshold level -- a new angle that has not been explicitly explored before . We also find interesting role of education in making the aid more effective for prenatal care. Our semiparametric nonlinear estimation strategy helps us unravel certain interesting thresholds and facts which cannot be captured in a linear parametric estimation framework.

Suggested Citation

  • Debasri Mukherjee & Elsy Thomas Kizhakethalackal, 2013. "Empirics of health-aid, education and infant mortality: a semiparametric study," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(22), pages 3137-3150, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:45:y:2013:i:22:p:3137-3150
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2012.699186
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Boriana Yontcheva & Mrs. Nadia Masud, 2005. "Does Foreign Aid Reduce Poverty? Empirical Evidence from Nongovernmental and Bilateral Aid," IMF Working Papers 2005/100, International Monetary Fund.
    2. Boone, Peter, 1996. "Politics and the effectiveness of foreign aid," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 289-329, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas Ziesemer, 2016. "The Impact of Development Aid on Education and Health: Survey and New Evidence for Low‐income Countries from Dynamic Models," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(8), pages 1358-1380, November.
    2. Brice Kamguia & Sosson Tadadjeu & Clovis Miamo & Henri Njangang, 2022. "Does foreign aid impede economic complexity in developing countries?," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 169, pages 71-88.
    3. Gauri Kartini Shastry & Daniel L Tortorice, 2021. "Effective Foreign Aid: Evidence from Gavi’s Vaccine Program," Working Papers 2102, College of the Holy Cross, Department of Economics.
    4. Han, Lu & Koenig-Archibugi, Mathias, 2015. "Aid Fragmentation or Aid Pluralism? The Effect of Multiple Donors on Child Survival in Developing Countries, 1990–2010," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 344-358.
    5. Shankar GHIMIRE & Debasri MUKHERJEE & Eskander ALVI, 2016. "Aid-for-Trade and Export Performance of Developing Countries," Applied Econometrics and International Development, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 16(1), pages 23-34.
    6. Elsy Thomas Kizhakethalackal & Debasri Mukherjee & Eskander Alvi, 2013. "Quantile regression analysis of health-aid and infant mortality: a note," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(13), pages 1197-1201, September.
    7. Dierk Herzer, 2019. "The long-run effect of aid on health: evidence from panel cointegration analysis," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(12), pages 1319-1338, March.
    8. Han, Lu & Koenig-Archibugi, Mathias & Opsahl, Tore, 2018. "The social network of international health aid," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 67-74.
    9. Danquah, M. & Ouattara, B., 2023. "Aid and social cohesion," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 118-131.
    10. Chris Atim & Eric Arthur & Daniel Malik Achala & Jacob Novignon, 2020. "An Assessment of Domestic Financing for Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Potential Gains and Fiscal Space," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 18(6), pages 789-799, December.
    11. Shankar Ghimire & Debasri Mukherjee & Eskander Alvi, 2013. "Sectoral Aid-for-Trade and Sectoral Exports: A Seemingly Unrelated Regression Analysis," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 33(4), pages 2744-2755.
    12. Maame Esi Woode & Duncan Mortimer & Rohan Sweeney, 2021. "The impact of health sector‐wide approaches on aid effectiveness and infant mortality," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(5), pages 826-844, July.

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