Technological Progress and Health Convergence: The Case of Penicillin in Post-War Italy

Marcella Alsan (), Vincenzo Atella, Jay Bhattacharya (), Valentina Conti (), Ivàn Mejìa-Guevara () and Grant Miller ()
Additional contact information
Jay Bhattacharya: Stanford University, https://www.stanford.edu/
Ivàn Mejìa-Guevara: Stanford University, https://www.stanford.edu/
Grant Miller: Stanford University, https://www.stanford.edu/

No 465, CEIS Research Paper from Tor Vergata University, CEIS

Abstract: Throughout history, technological progress has transformed population health, but the distributional effects of these gains are unclear. New substitutes for older, more expensive health technologies can produce convergence in population health outcomes, but may also be prone to "elite capture" leading to divergence. This paper studies the case of penicillin using detailed mortality statistics and exploiting its sharply-timed introduction in Italy after World War II. We find penicillin reduced both the mean and standard deviation of infectious diseases mortality, leading to substantial convergence across disparate regions of Italy. Our results do not appear to be confounded by competing risks or mortality patterns associated with World War II.

Keywords: Penicillin; Technology; Public health; Health outcomes; Mortality; Italy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 J10 N00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 48 pages
Date: 2019-07-30, Revised 2019-07-30
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-his
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Working Paper: Technological Progress and Health Convergence: The Case of Penicillin in Post-War Italy (2019)
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