Mortality, inequality and race in American cities and states

Angus Deaton and Darren Lubotsky

No 263, Working Papers from Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Health and Wellbeing.

Abstract: A number of studies have found that mortality rates are positively correlated with income inequality across the cities and states of the US. We argue that this correlation is confounded by the effects of racial composition. Across states and MSAs, the fraction of the population that is black is positively correlated with average white incomes, and negatively correlated with average black incomes. Between-group income inequality is therefore higher where the fraction black is higher, as is income inequality in general. Conditional on the fraction black, neither city nor state mortality rates are correlated with income inequality. Mortality rates are higher where the fraction black is higher, not only because of the mechanical effect of higher black mortality rates and lower black incomes, but because white mortality rates are higher in places where the fraction black is higher. This result is present within census regions, and for all age groups and both sexes (except for boys aged 1?9). It is robust to conditioning on income, education, and (in the MSA results) on state fixed effects. Although it is remains unclear why white mortality is related to racial composition, the mechanism working through trust that is often proposed to explain the effects of inequality on health is also consistent with the evidence on racial composition and mortality.

JEL-codes: I12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2002-02
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Mortality, inequality and race in American cities and states (2003)
Working Paper: Mortality, inequality and race in American cities and states (2002)
Working Paper: Mortality, Inequality and Race in American Cities and States (2001)
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