| Wealthiest Is Not Always Healthiest:
What Explains Differences in Child
Mortality in West Africa? |
| Authors: |
Amy Ickowitz |
| Source: |
Journal of African Economies , Vol. 0, number 0, pp. 1–36, First published online: September 20, 2011, doi: 10.1093/jae/ejr035 |
| Topic(s): |
Childhood mortality
Children under five
Infant mortality
Wealth Index
|
| Country: |
Africa
Multiple African Countries
Cote D'Ivoire
Ghana
Burkina Faso
Togo
|
| Published: |
SEP 2011 |
| Abstract: |
Abstract
Ghana has the lowest under-five mortality rate in West Africa.
Understanding why Ghana’s child mortality rate is lower than in neighbouring
countries may offer useful insights for other developing countries
that are trying to improve child health. This paper explores whether
Ghana’s lower mortality rate is mostly a result of greater household
wealth, better implementation of national health policies, or more
favourable geography. The paper uses micro level data for children
under five to examine relative child mortality risk between Ghana and
each of its three immediate neighbours—Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast
and Togo. A Cox proportional hazards model is used to test which of
the three ‘contenders’—health policy, wealth or geography—best explains
Ghana’s mortality advantage. The results of the analysis indicate that
wealth variables are not able to explain any of the child mortality variation
between Ghana and its neighbours. Geography and health policy
variables each explain about 40% of the mortality gap between Ghana
and Burkina Faso. Health policy differences alone are able to explain
about 70% of the child mortality gap between Ghana and the Ivory
Coast. These results suggest that even poor countries that have been
‘cursed’ by bad geography can potentially improve development
outcomes and save children’s lives. |
|