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How Do Empowerment And Self-Determination Affect National Health Outcomes?

Author

Listed:
  • Arlene Garces-Ozanne

    (University of Otago)

  • Edna Ikechi Kalu

    (University of New Brunswick)

  • Richard Audas

    (University of Otago)

Abstract

There remains a persistent gap in health outcomes between wealthy and poor countries. Basic measures such as life expectancy, infant and child mortality remain divergent, with preventable deaths being unacceptably high, despite significant efforts to reduce these disparities. We examine the impact of empowerment, measured by Freedom House’s ratings of country’s political and civil rights freedom, while controlling for per capita GDP, secondary school enrollment and income inequality, on national health outcomes. Using data from 1970-2013 across 149 countries, our results suggest, quite strongly, that higher levels of empowerment have a significant positive association with life expectancy, particularly for females, and lower rates of infant and child mortality. Our results point to the need for efforts to stimulate economic growth be accompanied with reforms to increase the levels of empowerment through increased political and economic freedom. empowerment, self-determination, political rights, civil liberties, per capita GDP, secondary school enrollment, income inequality, life expectancy, infant and child mortality

Suggested Citation

  • Arlene Garces-Ozanne & Edna Ikechi Kalu & Richard Audas, 2016. "How Do Empowerment And Self-Determination Affect National Health Outcomes?," Working Papers 1609, University of Otago, Department of Economics, revised Oct 2016.
    • Handle: RePEc:otg:wpaper:1609
    as

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    File URL: http://www.otago.ac.nz/economics/otago623826.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. B. d'Hombres & L. Rocco & M. Suhrcke & M. McKee, 2010. "Does social capital determine health? Evidence from eight transition countries," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(1), pages 56-74, January.
    2. Scheffler, Richard M. & Brown, Timothy T. & Rice, Jennifer K., 2007. "The role of social capital in reducing non-specific psychological distress: The importance of controlling for omitted variable bias," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(4), pages 842-854, August.
    3. Folland, Sherman, 2007. "Does "community social capital" contribute to population health?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(11), pages 2342-2354, June.
    4. Alsop, Ruth & Heinsohn, Nina, 2005. "Measuring empowerment in practice: structuring analysis and framing indicators," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3510, The World Bank.
    5. Marion Gibbon, 2000. "The Health Analysis and Action Cycle an Empowering Approach to Women's Health," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 4(4), pages 78-97, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    empowerment; self-determination; political rights; civil liberties; per capita GDP; secondary school enrollment; income inequality; life expectancy; infant and child mortality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development

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