Pro-cyclical mortality across socioeconomic groups and health status

Venke Furre Haaland and Kjetil Telle

Journal of Health Economics, 2015, vol. 39, issue C, 248-258

Abstract: Using variation across geographic regions, a number of studies from the U.S. and other developed countries have found more deaths in economic upturns and less deaths in economic downturns. We use data from regions in Norway for 1977–2008 and find the same pro-cyclical patterns. Using individual-level register data for the identical population, we find that disadvantaged socioeconomic groups are not hit harder by pro-cyclical mortality than advantaged groups. We also find that other indicators of deteriorated health (than death), like becoming disabled, are pro-cyclical. Overall, our analysis suggests that pro-cyclical mortality is rather related to deaths of people already in deteriorated health than to people of low socioeconomic status.

Keywords: Mortality; Morbidity; Recession; Unemployment; Business cycle (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E32 I10 J6 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (37)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:39:y:2015:i:c:p:248-258

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2014.08.005

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