Working Paper: NBER ID: w23514
Authors: Michael Baker; Janet Currie; Hannes Schwandt
Abstract: Mortality is a crucial indicator of wellbeing and recent mortality trends have been a subject of public debate in many Western countries. This paper compares mortality inequality in Canada and the U.S. over the period 1990/91 through 2010/11. In Canada, mortality inequality remained constant among the youngest, but increased for men over 24 and for women over 14. In contrast, in the U.S. mortality inequality fell for children and youth, while at older ages it either modestly decreased or held steady. By 2010/11 the initially higher U.S. rates of infant and child mortality had almost converged to their Canadian counterparts.
Keywords: mortality inequality; Canada; US; public health insurance; socioeconomic status
JEL Codes: I14
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| public health insurance expansions (H51) | improvements in child mortality (J13) |
| increased access to trauma care (I14) | reduced mortality inequality from injuries among younger populations (I14) |
| improvements in treatment for chronic diseases (I12) | increased inequality in mortality across socioeconomic statuses (I14) |
| opioid epidemic (I12) | surge in accidental deaths among low socioeconomic status areas (I14) |
| socioeconomic status (P36) | mortality inequality trends (I14) |
| selective migration (F22) | complications in mortality disparities analysis (I14) |