Abstract
This study aims to examine the degree of direct or indirect impact of quality and quantity of government on public health. It is a very important topic in that previous studies did not consider the role of government; they focused on the impact of national economic, social, and political factors on public health, therefore, disregarding the governmental factors. We measured the quantity of government by public expenditure on heath (i.e., rate of share of government budget to gross domestic product (GDP)) and the quality of government by five variables such as corruption control, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, voice and accountability, and rule of law. Based on national-level panel data (three waves) that covered 148–194 countries, we examined how quality and quantity of government has an impact on four kinds of public health, i.e., infant mortality, under-five mortality, maternal mortality, and life expectancy. Results show that both the quality and quantity of government had a significant impact on public health. In the quality of government, government effectiveness has a positive impact on life expectancy and a negative influence on infant deaths. Moreover, the quality of government has a greater impact on public health than the quantity of government. Lastly, the quality of government plays a role in moderating the relationships between quantity of government and the predicted variables.
Highlights
The purpose of this study is to verify, at national level, whether the quality and quantity of government affect public health
After analyzing major determinants of life expectancy in the United States during the period 1960–2012, Ketenci and Murthy [1] showed that the level of real per capita income significantly enhances the level of life expectancy
This study started with the research question, “Does quantity of government significantly influence public health?” There are few studies on how the quality of government can influence the public health
Summary
The purpose of this study is to verify, at national level, whether the quality and quantity of government affect public health. Many previous studies focused on political, economic, and social variables that influence people’s health status at the national level. The dominant research in public health is the study on the relationship between economic factors and health. It has focused on how economic factors have consistently influenced the public health. Sen [3] showed that the pattern of life expectancy increase is opposite to the expansion of gross domestic product per capita. This economic development could increase the input of resource for health
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