The Mortality Crisis in East Germany

Regina Riphahn and Klaus Zimmermann ()

No 6, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: A number of studies suggest that mortality rates among East German men increased in the wake of reunification, in particular between 1989 and 1991, in some age groups by up to the thirty percent. This study first examines the developments of mortality and cause of death statistics based on detailed regional data. The results indicate that there was indeed an increase in mortality rates which cannot be dismissed as a statistical artefact. Next, the paper discusses various theories explaining mortality crises and their relevance for the case of East Germany. Based on individual-level panel data the relationship between exposure to stress and overall health is shown. Apparently, the increase in mortality can be explained by the increase in individual stress after the economic, cultural and political consequences of reunification.

Keywords: mortality; stress; transition; East Germany (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 J11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 82 pages
Date: 1998-05
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Published - published in: G. A. Cornia ; R. Paniccià (eds.), The Mortality Crisis in Transitional Economies, Oxford, 2000, 227-252

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