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The macro‐level effect of religiosity on health

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  • Dierk Herzer

Abstract

An issue that has not yet been explored in the religiosity‐health literature is the macro‐level effect of religiosity on health—the effect of the religiosity of a society on the absolute health of the population of that society as a whole. We address this issue using two panel datasets: The first is a time‐series cross‐sectional panel dataset for 17 countries from 1925 to 2000. The second is a cross‐sectionally dominated panel dataset of up to 92 countries for the period 1981–2016. Our main findings are as follows: first, religiosity has a significant negative causal effect on health at the macro level; second, a substantial part of this effect can be attributed to an indirect effect via public health expenditures; and third, changes in population health do not cause significant changes in societal religiosity.

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  • Dierk Herzer, 2022. "The macro‐level effect of religiosity on health," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(6), pages 993-1011, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:31:y:2022:i:6:p:993-1011
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.4494
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