scholarly journals Determinants of the number of deaths from COVID-19: differences between low-income and high-income countries in the initial stages of the pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magali Valero ◽  
Jorge Noel Valero-Gil

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand the factors that contribute to the number of reported coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths among low-income and high-income countries, and to understand the sources of differences between these two groups of countries.Design/methodology/approachMultiple linear regression models evaluate the socio-economic factors that determine COVID-19 deaths in the two groups of countries. The Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition is used to examine sources of differences between these two groups.FindingsLow-income countries report a significantly lower average number of COVID-19 deaths compared to high-income countries. Community mobility and the easiness of carrying the virus from one place to another are significant factors affecting the number of deaths, while life expectancy is only significant in high-income countries. Higher health expenditure is associated with more reported deaths in both high- and low-income countries. Factors such as the transport infrastructure system, life expectancy and the percent of expenditure on health lead to the differences in the number of deaths between high- and low-income countries.Social implicationsOur study shows that mobility measures taken by individuals to limit the spread of the virus are important to prevent deaths in both high- and low-income countries. Additionally, our results suggest that countries with weak health institutions underestimate the number of deaths from COVID-19, especially low-income countries. The underestimation of COVID-19 deaths could be affecting a great number of people in poverty in low-income economies.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the emerging literature on COVID-19 and its relation to socio-economic factors by examining the differences in reported between deaths between rates in low-income and high-income countries.

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chhabi Lal Ranabhat ◽  
Myung-Bae Park ◽  
Chun-Bae Kim

Background: High consumption of red meat, which is carcinogenic to humans, and misuse or abuse of alcohol drinking increase premature death and shortened life expectancy. The aim of this study was to examine the association of alcohol and red meat consumption with life expectancy (LE) by analyzing data from 164 countries using an ecological approach. Design: This was a longitudinal ecological study using data from the United Nation’s (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for 164 countries over the period 1992–2013. In regression analysis, the relationship of alcohol and red meat consumption with LE was estimated using a pooled ordinary least squares regression model. Alcohol and red meat consumption were measured every 5 years. Results: The consumption of alcohol and red meat in high-income countries (HIC) was about 4 times (36.8–143.0 kcal/capita/day) and 5 times (11.2–51.9 kcal/capita/day) higher than that in low-income countries (LIC). Red meat and alcohol consumption had a negative estimated effect on LE in HIC (b = −1.616 p = < 0.001 and b = −0.615, p = 0.003). Alcohol consumption was negatively associated with LE for all income groups, while positive relationships were found for all estimates associated with gross national income (GNI). Conclusions: Red meat and alcohol consumption appeared to have a negative impact on LE in high-income countries (HIC) and upper-middle-income countries (UMIC), although it had no significant association with LE in low-income countries (LIC) or lower-middle-income countries (LMIC). This study suggests reviewing the policies on the gradual reduction of alcohol abuse and the high consumption of red meat, particularly HIC and UMIC.


1992 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 497-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiichi Uchida ◽  
Shunichi Araki ◽  
Katsuyuki Murata

SummaryThe effects of urbanisation, low income and rejuvenation of the population on life expectancy at birth and at 20, 40 and 65 years of age for males and females in Japan were examined twice, in 1980 and 1985. For males, urbanisation was the major factor determining life expectancy at birth and at age 20 years, and low income was the key determinant of decreased life expectancy except at 65 years of age. For females high income was the factor significantly decreasing life expectancy at 65 years of age in 1980, and rejuvenation of the population inversely influenced life expectancy except at birth in 1985. Life expectancy for all age groups in 1985 was significantly longer than in 1980 for both males and females.


2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 139-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey Korotayev ◽  
Julia Zinkina

Purpose – A substantial number of researchers have investigated the global economic dynamics of this time to disprove unconditional convergence and refute its very idea, stating the phenomenon of conditional convergence instead. However, most respective papers limit their investigation period with the early or mid-2000s. In the authors’ opinion, some of the global trends which revealed themselves particularly clearly in the second half of the 2000s call for a revision of the convergence issue. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Several methodologies for measuring the global convergence/divergence trends exist in the economic literature. This paper seeks to contribute to the existing literature on unconditional β-convergence of the per capita incomes at the global level. Findings – In the recent years, the gap between high-income and middle-income countries is decreasing especially rapidly. The gap between high-income and low-income countries, meanwhile, is decreasing at a much slower pace. At the same time, the gap between middle-income and low-income countries is actually widening. Indeed, in the early 1980s GDP per capita in the low-income countries was on average three times lower than in the middle-income countries, and this gap was totally overshadowed by the more than ten-time abyss between the middle-income and the high-income countries. Now, however, the GDP per capita in low-income countries lags behind the middle-income ones by more than five times, which is largely the same as the gap (rapidly contracting in the recent years) between the high-income and the middle-income countries. This clearly suggests that the configuration of the world system has experienced a very significant transformation in the recent 30 years. Research limitations/implications – The research concentrates upon the dynamics of the gap in per capita income between the high-income, the middle-income, and the low-income countries. Originality/value – This paper's originality/value lies in drawing attention to the specific changes in the structure of global convergence/divergence patterns and their implications for the low-income countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeleta Gezahegne Kebede ◽  
Vincent Tawiah

PurposeThe general purpose of the paper is to examine the effect of financial globalization on income inequality. The specific purposes are: 1) To examine the effect of overall financial globalization on income inequality. 2) To analyze whether de facto and de jure financial globalization have differential effects on income inequality. 3) To scrutinize whether the effect of financial globalization on income inequality varies across countries of different income groups and quantiles of income inequality.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employed panel quantile regression using 73 countries over 2000–2016 to examine the effect of financial globalization on income inequality. The authors employed fixed effect and panel quantile regressions and classified the countries into income groups to compare differential effects of financial globalization across different income groups. Further, the authors unbundled financial globalization into de facto and de jure financial globalizations to investigate whether their effects on income inequality vary.FindingsOverall financial globalization raises income inequality more at lower quantiles of inequality. De jure financial globalization reduces income inequality in high-income countries. In high-income countries, de jure financial globalization has more favorable income distribution at lower quantiles of inequality. In contrast, de facto financial globalization raises inequality regardless of income classification of the countries.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, the authors for the first time employed panel quantile regression to analyze whether financial globalization affects income inequality across different quantiles. In addition to de facto globalization, the authors used the newly developed de jure financial globalization index to examine its impact on income inequality. The de jure dimension is largely neglected in the literature. The authors provide empirical evidence on how the different dimensions of financial globalization, de facto and de jure, impact inequality in high-income, middle-income and low-income countries.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-173
Author(s):  
Kristie Briggs

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether emigration of high-skilled labor creates a positive effect in the home country by generating multi-country joint patent relationships between home and destination country-pairs. Design/methodology/approach A panel of data that uniquely captures the country of origin of patent applicants is used to assess if and how high-skilled emigration contributes to the prevalence of multi-country joint patents in a country. The analysis is conducted both in aggregate and across sub-samples based on the per capita income level of the home country. Finally, the role of absorptive capacity as a control variable is robustly considered. Findings Results suggest that emigration of high-skilled labor positively impacts the prevalence of multi-country joint patent ownership when emigration originates from middle- and high-income countries. Support for such “brain gain” via knowledge sharing in innovation is absent when high-skilled labor emigrates from low-income countries. Originality/value The analysis highlights a specific avenue by which the home country benefits from high-skilled emigration. It also provides comparative analysis across home countries of different income levels, which can provide insight into the external validity of papers using high-income country samples of innovative performance when assessing knowledge spillovers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-56
Author(s):  
U.B Adie ◽  
N.A. Ayi ◽  
B.A. Bassey

The study broadly examined the socio-economic factors affecting training and visit system of extension among yam farmers in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria The study had three specific objectives, namely: to: describe the socio-economic characteristics of the yam farmer; 2 determine the socio-economic factors affecting training and visit system of extension among yam farmers and describe the problems militating against yam production in the study area. The study adopted a purposive/judgmental sampling technique to select two hundred respondents for the study. Both primary and secondary data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics, multiple regression and Likert scale. Data was collected through the use of a set of questionnaires administered to selected respondents. The findings of the socio-economic characteristics of the yam farmers revealed that majority 77.5% were males, with 37% of them being matured adults in the age range of 51 years and above and 66.5% of the yam farmers were married with household size of 4-7 members per family. Majority of the farmers had secondary education (55%), 46.5% had farming experience of 10 years and above with monthly farm income between N20,000 - N50,000 (46.5%). Majority 88.5% of the farmers were Christians and had monthly contact with extension agents (47%). Gender, age, religion, level of education, farm income and maritalstatus statistically and significantly affect training and visit system at 1% and 5% respectively. The major constraints faced by farmers in yam production in the study area were found to include low soil fertility (3.12), low income (2.64) and land tenure system (2.52). It is recommended that in order to improve yam production, the government of Nigeria should provide favourable environment and invest heavily in yam cultivation by providing farm inputs such as fertilizers to smallholder farmers at subsidized rates. In addition, the government should provide more loans to farmers at zero or low-interest rate. Improved extension services should be provided to farmers with new technologies in order to increase their gross margins income. Social amenities and infrastructural facilities such as; good roads network, electricity as well clean sources of water should be provided in rural areas to encourage young and educated men and women to take up yam production. Keywords: Agricultural Extension; Training and Visit , Communication, Farmers, Production, Demonstration


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiba Shankar Pattayat ◽  
Prasanta Patri ◽  
Silan Das ◽  
Rajesh Barik

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of Covid-19 on female health workers (FHWs) in Odisha (India). Here, this study discusses the economic hardship of the FHWs during the pandemic time. Additionally, this study also identifies the various socio-economic factors responsible for the increasing mental stress level of FHWs in Odisha. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a telephonic survey method. Overall the study has collected 80 samples of FHWs from Odisha (India). Additionally, the study uses a logistic regression model to measure the impact of various socio-economic factors affecting the mental health status of FHWs during the pandemic time. Findings The findings of this study depict that FHWs working as a Covid warrior during the pandemic time are facing severe economic vulnerability in their life. It is found that though the FHWs have worked tirelessly to save millions of human lives, but irregularity in salary payment and temporary jobs position have caused more mental distress to them. Moreover, the empirical findings have shown that factors such as joint family, social isolation, having an elderly member in their family, duty in Covid ward, staying in staff quarter and temporary job position are responsible for increasing the mental stress of FHWs in Odisha during the Covid-19 pandemic time. Originality/value This study is a first attempt to explain the life struggle, economic vulnerability and mental stress of Indian (Odisha) FHWs working during the Covid-19 pandemic period to save millions of human lives.


R-Economy ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 261-270
Author(s):  
Aksanat Zh. Panzabekova ◽  
◽  
Ivan E. Digel ◽  

Relevance. Life expectancy is a comprehensive indicator reflecting the quality of life in a country or region, which is why it is important to estimate the impact of various socio-economic factors on this indicator as accurately as possible. Our study makes a novel contribution to the existing research by conducting a correlation and regression analysis of factors affecting life expectancy in regions of Kazakhstan based on panel data. Research objective. This paper aims to present a modified methodology for estimation of factors affecting life expectancy in regions of Kazakhstan. Data and methods. Our research relies on panel data on regions and cities of Kazakhstan. The data are provided by the Ministry of National Economy and the Ministry of Health Care of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Methodologically, the research is based on regression and correlation analysis. The two main criteria were applied for data selection: availability of statistical data for a sufficiently long period and the potential impact of factors on life expectancy. We built a two-factor power regression model calculated with the help of software package Microsoft Excel. Results. In our research, regression models were used to formulate conclusions concerning the impact of certain socio-economic factors on life expectancy in regions of Kazakhstan. We also brought to light the factors whose relationship to life expectancy requires further investigation. Conclusions. It was found that the most significant factors affecting life expectancy in regions of Kazakhstan are economic ones. The proposed methodology can be used for short- and medium-term predictions of life expectancy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (10) ◽  
pp. 6430-6432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Yves Madec ◽  
Marisa Haenni ◽  
Cécile Ponsin ◽  
Nicolas Kieffer ◽  
Emmanuelle Rion ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTDrinking water has rarely been recognized as a source of antimicrobial resistance for humans, and only in low-income countries. Here, a sequence type 48Escherichia coliisolate carrying theblaCTX-M-1IncI1/ST3 plasmid was recovered from drinking water in France. This plasmid was similar to otherblaCTX-M-1IncI1/ST3 plasmids found previously in animals and humans. Our findings highlight the possible human transfer of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes through drinking water in high-income countries.


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