Income inequality, corruption, and life expectancy at birth in Mexico
Idrovo, A.Javier.
Revista de Salud Publica 7(2): 121-129
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0124-0064 PMID: 16149272 Document Number: 266537
Objective: To ascertain if the effect of income inequality on life expectancy at birth in Mexico is mediated by corruption, which is used as a proxy of social capital. Material and Methods: An ecological study was carried out with the 32 Mexican federal entities. Global and by sex correlations between life expectancy at birth and the Gini coefficient, the Corruption and Good Government Index, the percentage of Catholics, and the percentage of the population speaking indigenous language were estimated. Robust linear regressions, with and without instrumental variables, were used to explore if corruption acts as an intermediate variable in the studied relationship. Results: Negative correlations between life expectancy at birth and the Gini coefficient and the percentage of the population speaking indigenous language were observed, with Spearman's rho values of near -0.60 (P<0.05) and greater than -0.66 (P<0.05), respectively. Moreover, the Corruption and Good Government Index correlated with men's life expectancy at birth, with Spearman's rho value of -0.3592 (P<0.05). Regressions with instruments were more consistent than conventional ones and they showed a strong negative effect (P<0.05) of income inequality on life expectancy at birth. This effect was greater among men. Conclusion: The findings suggest a negative effect of income inequality on life expectancy at birth in Mexico, mediated by corruption levels and other related cultural factors.