TY  - JOUR
AU  - Soares,Rodrigo R.
TI  - Health and the Evolution of Welfare across Brazilian Municipalities
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 13087
PY  - 2007
Y2  - May 2007
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w13087
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w13087.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Rodrigo R. Soares
Departamento de Economia
PUC-Rio
Rua Marques de Sao Vicente, 225 - Gavea
22451-900
Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Brazil
Tel:  5521/3257-1078
Fax: 5521/3257-1084
E-Mail: soares@econ.puc-rio.br
AB  - This paper describes the pattern of reductions in mortality across Brazilian municipalities between 1970 and 2000, and analyzes its causes and consequences. It shows that, as in the international context, the relationship between income and life expectancy has shifted consistently in the recent past. But reductions in mortality within Brazil have been more homogeneously distributed than across countries. We use a compensating differentials approach to estimate the value of the observed reductions in mortality. The results suggest that gains in life expectancy had a welfare value equivalent to 39% of the growth in income per capita, being therefore responsible for 28% of the overall improvement in welfare. We then use a dynamic panel to conduct a preliminary assessment of the potential determinants of these gains. We show that improvements in education, access to water, and sanitation seem to be important determinants of the dimension of changes in life expectancy not correlated with income.
ER  -