Death and Development

74 Pages Posted: 24 Oct 2005

See all articles by Peter L. Lorentzen

Peter L. Lorentzen

University of San Francisco

John McMillan

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Romain T. Wacziarg

UCLA Anderson School of Management; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Multiple version iconThere are 3 versions of this paper

Date Written: September 2005

Abstract

Analyzing a variety of cross-national and sub-national data, we argue that high adult mortality reduces economic growth by shortening time horizons. Higher adult mortality is associated with increased levels of risky behavior, higher fertility, and lower investment in physical and human capital. Furthermore, the feedback effect from economic prosperity to better health care implies that mortality could be the source of a poverty trap. In our regressions, adult mortality explains almost all of Africa's growth tragedy. Our analysis also underscores grim forecasts of the long-run economic costs of the ongoing AIDS epidemic.

Keywords: Fertility, growth, human capital, investment, mortality

JEL Classification: I10, J10, O10

Suggested Citation

Lorentzen, Peter L. and McMillan, John and Wacziarg, Romain T., Death and Development (September 2005). CEPR Discussion Paper No. 5246, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=834664

Peter L. Lorentzen

University of San Francisco ( email )

2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.peterlorentzen.com

John McMillan

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

Romain T. Wacziarg (Contact Author)

UCLA Anderson School of Management ( email )

110 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1481
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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