Increase In Human Development Index Research Articles

Relationship between the Human Development Index and public social spending: European experience for Ukraine

This study focuses on the relationship between the Human Development Index (HDI) and public social expenditures, analyzing socio-economic models using the examples of selected European countries and Ukraine. The study used the values of the HDI, GDP, and indicators of public expenditures for social purposes, namely, healthcare, education, leisure, culture and religion, and social protection for the period from 2010 to 2021. The analysis targeted 13 European countries using data sets from Eurostat, the Office for National Statistics of the United Kingdom, the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine. The input time series were checked for lagged values using the STATISTICA software.Empirical evidence suggests a relationship between HDI and public social spending. An increase in the share of public social expenditures in GDP leads to an increase in HDI and vice versa. European countries with a social-democratic model of development have the highest level of centralization of public expenditure in GDP (34.72%) and the highest HDI (0.930), while countries belonging to the Southern European model have the lowest share of socially oriented public expenditure (30.41%) and the lowest HDI (0.873). In addition, there is a time lag between the investment of public funds in healthcare, education, leisure, culture and religion, and social protection and their impact on HDI changes. Thus, ensuring a high level of HDI is achieved, among other things, through state financial support for the relevant components of the social sphere and social protection. AcknowledgmentThe study is funded by the EU NextGenerationEU through the Recovery and Resilience Plan for Slovakia under project No. 09I03-03-V01-00130.

Pembangunan Manusia Berkelanjutan Melalui Peningkatan Kemampuan Komunikasi Mahasiswa

Purpose In 2022, Indonesia's Human Development Index (HDI) increased by 0.86 percent when compared to 2020, at which time all countries in the world were depressed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Efforts to increase HDI can be done by continuing improve the ability of the younger generation as agents of change who are believed to be the spearhead of the success of human development. The Postgraduate Study Program of UNAIR participates in improving the communication skills of the young generation through community service activities entitled public speaking training for students. This activity aims to improve students' ability to communicate. Design/methodology/approach – This activity was carried out using the Participatory Action Research (PAR) method by building closeness and active involvement of participants. Findings – The results of this training showed an increase in students' communication skills. Students become more aware of the meaning of communication, and they are also more courageous and not nervous to communicate face-to-face with others after attending public speaking training. Originality/value – This activity can have a significant impact for students directly, and the communication skills and self-confidence of students increase. Students will be able to manage their nervousness, especially when they have to face the audience, besides that students will be able to convey their opinions effectively both in internal and external campus forums. Another implication of this activity is the increase in HDI.

The Relationship between Renewable Energy Consumption and Human Development

This article examines the relationship between renewable energy consumption and human development indicators in Moldova. The analysis, spanning from 1995 to 2021, employs econometric techniques, including Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) regression, to investigate the impact of renewable energy on the Human Development Index (HDI). The findings reveal a positive correlation between renewable energy consumption and HDI, indicating that increased adoption of renewable energy is associated with improvements in human development. Specifically, the study finds that a one-percentage-point increase in renewable energy consumption leads to approximately a 1.6% increase in HDI. Moreover, the article discusses Moldova's energy policy landscape, highlighting initiatives and policies aimed at promoting renewable energy development and achieving sustainability goals. The conclusions drawn from this study emphasize the critical importance of prioritizing renewable energy solutions. Such prioritization is deemed essential for driving sustainable development, fostering economic growth, bolstering energy security, and mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change. The study underscores that Moldova's experience and policy initiatives could serve as a valuable model for other nations aiming to enhance their human development through sustainable energy practices. This research argues for a continued and intensified focus on the integration of renewable energy, highlighting its fundamental importance within national and international strategies aimed at achieving ambitious human development and sustainability goals. This involves a reassessment and expansion of current commitments, considering not only the ecological benefits, but also the long-term economic and social impact, thereby strengthening a sustainable future for future generations.

Correlation between socioeconomic indices and epidemiological indices of thyroid cancer from 1990 to 2019 year: a global ecologic study

BackgroundThe incidence of thyroid cancer as the most common type of endocrine gland malignancy has risen more significantly than any malignancies in recent years. Estimated new cases of thyroid cancer in the United States in 2024 were 12,500 and 31,520 for men and women, respectively, and estimated deaths were 1,180 for women and 990 for men. Indices of socio-economic have been commonly used to measure the development of countries. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the correlation between indices of socioeconomic status and epidemiological indices of thyroid cancer throughout the world. In addition, this study has compared two indices of human development and a socio-demographic index.MethodThis worldwide ecological study used data on thyroid cancer incidence, mortality, human development index (HDI), and sociodemographic index (SDI) between 1990 and 2019 from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD). We evaluated the correlation between incidence and mortality rates with socioeconomic indices by using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Furthermore, for the first time, the generalized additive model (GAM) was employed for modeling. The statistical software R, version 4.2.2, was used to conduct all statistical analyses.ResultsThe correlation between the incidence of thyroid cancer and the HDI was significant and positive (r = 0.47, p-value < 0.001). While the correlation between thyroid cancer mortality and HDI was not statistically significant (r = 0.01, p-value = 0.076). Besides, the incidence of thyroid cancer was significantly positively correlated with SDI (r = 0.48, p-value < 0.001). The multiple GAM showed that for one unit increase in HDI, the risk of thyroid cancer was increased by 2.1 times (RR = 2.1, 95%CI = 2.04 to 2.19), and for one unit increase in SDI, the risk of thyroid cancer was shown to increase by 2.2 times. (RR = 2.2, 95%CI = 2.19 to 2.35).ConclusionIt has been evident that countries with higher incidence of thyroid cancer display higher socioeconomic indices. While, countries with higher socioeconomic indices, report lower mortality rates. However, based on the modeling results, it can be concluded that the SDI is slightly more useful in this regard. Therefore, examining the epidemiological indices of thyroid cancer by socio-economic indices can be useful to reflect a clear image of the distribution of this cancer in each country, and can be used for planning cancer prevention strategies.

Pengaruh Pertumbuhan Ekonomi, Pengangguran, dan IPM Terhadap Kemiskinan di Provinsi Nusa Tenggara Barat

The aim of this research is to analyze the influence of economic growth, unemployment and the human development index (HDI) on poverty in West Nusa Tenggara Province. The type of research used in this research is quantitative research. Based on the research results, the economic growth variable and the unemployment variable have a positive and insignificant effect on the poverty level. The Human Development Index (HDI) variable has a negative and significant effect on poverty. This means that an increase in HDI by 1% will reduce poverty by 8.38%, with a large or real (significant) reduction in poverty. Simultaneously, the influence variables of economic growth, unemployment, and the human development index influence poverty in West Nusa Tenggara Province.

Malaria and the incidence of COVID-19 in Africa: an ecological study

BackgroundIt has been shown that stimulation of innate immunity may provide temporary protection against a variety of infectious diseases. Malaria has been shown to induce a robust innate immune response. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that if the cumulative number of cases diagnosed with COVID-19 per 100,000 population was correlated with the prevalence of malaria in African countries where both malaria and COVID-19 were prevalent.MethodsIn this ecological study, the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 and the prevalence of malaria were compared in 53 African countries. A negative binomial regression analysis with the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 as the dependent variable, and the human development index (HDI) and the prevalence of malaria, as independent variables, were used.ResultsThe mean cumulative incidence of COVID-19 was 522 cases per 100,000. Each 0.1 unit increase in HDI was associated with 2.4-fold (95% confidence interval 1.8–3.1) increase in the cumulative incidence of COVID-19. Prevalence of malaria was also independently associated with the cumulative incidence; each 10% increase in the prevalence was associated with 28% (10–41%) decrease in the cumulative incidence of COVID-19.ConclusionsMalaria might protect people against SARS-CoV-2 through the stimulation of innate immunity. Stimulation of the innate immune system could be the first line of defense in the pandemic preparedness arsenal.

INDEKS PEMBANGUNAN MANUSIA (IPM) DI WILAYAH INDONESIA TIMUR

This research analyze the influence of government spending in the education, health and information technology sectors on the increase in HDI in eastern Indonesia. The research model used is the generalized least square model in the data panel analysis method in eastern Indonesia in 2015-2020. This research study provides results in the ratio of education and health expenditure to PDRB, internet users and PDRB per capita the previous year significantly affect hdi in eastern Indonesia. Research studies explain that PDRB per capita the previous year is the variable that most affects the Human Development Index (HDI).&#x0D;

Key Success in Fostering Human Development Index at the Local Level

Human Development Index (HDI) determines human prosperity in different countries using value assets. In general, the primary measurement includes the three basic indices, namely education, health, and a decent standard of living. HDI is a measure of development and governance success in terms of economic growth and human development. Generally, studies on HDI take place at the national and regional levels, and comparisons of its achievements between countries, while those at the municipal level are limited. Studies on the determinants of the success of increasing HDI tend to focus on local governments' fiscal capacity and political will and rarely touch the capacity of public administration in managing government, specifically in the development planning stage. This study examined the increased success of the Malang City's HDI by adopting a logical framework (log-frame) analysis with secondary data from the Malang bureau of statistics. The results showed an 80.89 increase in HDI from 2014 to 2018, including the education and health indexes, with a decent standard of living. The increased success is shown by the Regional Medium Term Development Plan (RPJMD), including basic education development program, regional public hospital service programs, and food security program for education, health, and purchasing power indices. Therefore, the local government needs to maintain and enhance the HDI in both medium- and long-term plans. The novelty of this study lies in the use of a logical framework in preparing regional development plans that support efforts to increase HDI consistently in the medium term. This reinforces the need to strengthen the perspective of how to achieve development goals compared to other studies that focus more on the perspective of the substance of development.

Can Regional Spending Management Policies Improve Human Development Index?

The management of expenditure carried out by local governments until now is considered not effective and efficient enough, so the government, through Law Number 1 of 2022 (articles 146 and 147) seeks to increase the effectiveness of regional expenditure in regional development by regulating the proportion of employee spending and public service infrastructure spending. This article aims to evaluate regional spending management policies in increasing Human Development Index (HDI) in the Bima regency. This regency was chosen as the research location because it has a fairly large employee expenditure allocation which is 49.29 percent of the total regional expenditure, with an increase in HDI of 0.36. Data analysis was carried out using Tableau applications and cost-effectiveness analysis. The results show that in comparison to other Indonesian eastern districts, the Bima region does not manage regional expenditures efficiently. Meanwhile, the results of the 2022-2025 HDI forecast only increased by 0.611 per year. The estimated HDI in 2024 is 69,02863, which is still far below the 2024 HDI target of 75.54. Suggestively, the Bima regency needs to allocate budgets selectively for the HDI driving sector and decrease the employee spending rate.

PENGARUH INDEKS PEMBANGUNAN MANUSIA DAN PDRB SEKTOR PERTANIAN TERHADAP KEMISKINAN DI KALIMANTAN TIMUR

The Human Development Index (HDI) is an indicator used to show the population's access to development outcomes and the development ranking of a region. The basic dimensions of HDI with the new method consist of a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living. The objectives of the study were to describe the HDI achievement, employment in the agricultural sector and its contribution to GRDP, and to analyze the effect of the HDI and GRDP of Agriculture on poverty in East Kalimantan. This study uses descriptive analysis and multiple linear regression analysis with variables Mean Length of School, Expenditure per capita (EXP), and Gross Regional Domestic Product of the agricultural sector (GDP). The data used are time series data for the period 2011-2020. The results showed an increase in HDI by 4.22, an increase in GRDP of 28.48 billion, and the percentage of poor people by an average during the 2011-2020 period of 6.25%. The variables of average length of schooling, per capita expenditure, and GRDP in the agricultural sector have a significant effect on the 5% level of poverty, while the variables of school year expectancy and life expectancy have no significant effect on poverty. RLS has a significant effect on increasing poverty, and EXP and GRDP in the agricultural sector have a significant effect on reducing poverty. The implication of the research is to increase the human development index by increasing the quality and quantity of providing education guarantees, social welfare guarantees to the community, as well as increasing income and creating job opportunities.

An optimization approach to increase the human development index through a biogas supply chain in a developing region

Currently, some regions have low access to electricity services, which prevents the affected population from having an adequate standard of living. The human development index (HDI) is an indicator that measures the degree of progress in a country according to the quality of life for the population and the access to electricity has been related to the increase in HDI. A mathematical optimization model is proposed to determine the feasibility of generating electric energy from biogas and provide the electric service to disenfranchised communities. In addition, it considers that biogas can be obtained through animal waste such as manure from cattle and pigs from the considered region. The proposed mathematical model considers the maximization of the annual profit considering the installation of biogas generating plants for the use of manure and power generation plants considering two types of systems, distributed or centralized. The case study of La Ciénega region from Mexico is considered to determine the HDI that can be achieved considering the energy produced from biogas. In a first scenario, the results show a considerable benefit for power generation since a profit of 6.9903 × 105 USD/year can be obtained and the energy generated allows increasing the HDI by 0.05–0.06%.

Study of Forest Land Function Transfer and its Role in Labour Absorption, Economic Growth and Increase in Human Development Index in West Kalimantan

Timber forests have many functions and play an essential role in human life. This means that the existence of timber forests provides many benefits for human life. Economic development activities actively implemented throughout the province of West Kalimantan have resulted in more and more areas of timber forest and rubber plantation areas being converted into oil palm plantations. The rampant development of oil palm plantations carried out by investors and those carried out independently by each resident, in essence, provides a significant enough job opportunity for the population in each area that continues to grow. Job opportunities created through economic development offer opportunities to every working population to earn income, fulfilling various life needs is mainly directed to fulfilling family nutritional consumption. If the family's nutrition is guaranteed, then the average life span of the population can be longer. In addition to meeting his family's needs, this income can also be used to finance children's education belonging to the school-age group. If the income earned by each family is large enough, then the family should be able to live in prosperity. This means that timber forest and rubber plantation areas privately owned by the community have been converted into oil palm plantations, significantly contributing to the economic growth of districts/cities in West Kalimantan province and improving the community's welfare.

Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University and Its Impact on Social Economy

The purpose of this research is to analize the impact of Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University (Untirta) as one of the State Universities in Banten to social economy impact which is proxied by human development index and economy growth in Serang City. Generally, there are two subtansial problems. First, the impact of the existence of the Untirta campus has not much impact to the human development index Serang City. Second, the relationship between educational sector and economic growth rate requires to further study. This research uses Ordinary Less Square regression and Input-Output Analysis. According to the results of several regression models, there are consistent influence of government investment and student graduated of Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University which lead to an increase in human development index of Serang City. Meanwhile, according to another regression model, investment has not significant influence to local economy growth. However, the student graduated of Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University has positive relationship and significant to influence the local economy growth. Furthermore, Input-Output Analysis is an equilibrium model, where Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University as services provide on the education sector. Education sector has ability to increase industrial growth upstream (backward linkage) and encourage the production of other sectors that use inputs from the education service sector.

Human Resource Development and Economic Growth in Nigeria

This study examined the impact of human resources development on economic growth in Nigeria from 1980 to 2019. To achieve this objective, data were collected on the real gross domestic product, government expenditure on education, government expenditure on health and human development index from Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical bulletin, World Bank -World Development Indicator and UNDP. The study adopted the Augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root test, Johansen Co-integration test and Error Correction Mechanism (ECM) methods of econometric to analyse the collected data. Evidence from the findings revealed that all the variables were individually integrated of Order One and have a long-run relationship. The parsimonious ECM result revealed that an increase in government expenditure on education, government expenditure on health, as well as human development index, do not significantly increase economic growth in Nigeria during the period of study. The study concluded that human resources development via public spending in the education sector, health sector, as well as an increase in human development index remains crucial in the process of achieving sustainable economic growth in Nigeria. Based on these findings, the study recommended among others that crucial effort should be made by the government in channelling more funds to the health sector in order to improve health standards and reduce the mortality rate of the citizens since a healthy population and workforce is a major ingredient for rapid and sustainable productivity and growth. Enough funds should be allocated to education for proper utilization of potential productive and social benefits that will help to boost the real sector of the economy.

Greenhouse Gas Emission Inefficiency Spillover Effects in European Countries.

In our study, we examine whether spatial spillover effects exist for greenhouse gas emission efficiency for 38 European countries between 2005 and 2014. We find that inefficiencies of other countries would lead to lower efficiency levels for a country. This negative inefficiency spillover effect goes down till 2008 then goes up till 2011, then stays relatively stable after 2011. Any strategy to reduce inefficiencies of other countries could potentially improve the efficiency levels. We find that human development index shows significant positive impact on greenhouse gas emission efficiency levels. In particular, one standard deviation increase in human development index would lead to a 11.12 percentage points increase in the greenhouse gas emission efficiencies on average. Different countries show different efficiency levels and efficiency growth patterns over time. However, the pattern of spatial spillover is quite similar among all countries over time.

Mapping of medical schools: the distribution of undergraduate courses and annual vacancies in Brazilian cities in 2020

Abstract: Introduction: The number of medical schools in Brazil, as well as the number of vacancies offered at these schools, has grown considerably in the last few years. Since 2013, this increasehas aimedat reaching especially the rural and underserved areas of the country. Objective: Considering that there are many different interests concerning this debate and that this reality directly influences the education and health policies of the country, the aim of this study was to evaluate the number and the distribution of the medical courses,as well as vacancies in these schools in 2020, presenting an updated overview of the Brazilian medical schools. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, based on data gathered from the Brazilian Ministry ofEducation and Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) website. The utilized variables were the number of courses, number of vacancies offered in each course, characteristics of the cities where the medical schools are located, such as population size, Human Development Index (HDI) and distance to the capital city of each state. Results: Among the institutions that have already initiated their activities, there are 328 active courses, offering 35.480 vacancies for Medical School applicants. There is a difference when analyzing public or private institutions and paid or tuition-free institutions. There is a greater offer of paid courses (74,1%) and of courses located in the countryside (69,8%). Among the courses in the countryside, 27,8% of the vacancies are offered within 100 km of the capital city. Only 7,9% of the annual vacancies are offered in cities with a medium HDI, and the remainder are offered in cities with high or very high HDI. The increase in HDI is related to the higher proportion of private courses offering medical vacancies. It was observed that there is no correspondence between the absolute number of vacancies and the population of the North region, differentfrom what occurs in the other regions of the country. Conclusions: Medical training is under many influences, such as economic and political trends. This discussion needs to consider the regionalization and democratization of access. It was observed that public institutions tend to be located in municipalities that are farther away from the capitals. Even though there is now greater homogeneity between the regions, the Southeast still concentrates almost half of the vacancies in medical courses. Also, the increase in the number of vacancies in private courses brings up the reflection about the socioeconomic profile of medical students who have the opportunity to gain access to this level of education.

Mapping of medical schools: the distribution of undergraduate courses and annual vacancies in Brazilian cities in 2020

Abstract: Introduction: The number of medical schools in Brazil, as well as the number of vacancies offered at these schools, has grown considerably in the last few years. Since 2013, this increasehas aimedat reaching especially the rural and underserved areas of the country. Objective: Considering that there are many different interests concerning this debate and that this reality directly influences the education and health policies of the country, the aim of this study was to evaluate the number and the distribution of the medical courses,as well as vacancies in these schools in 2020, presenting an updated overview of the Brazilian medical schools. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, based on data gathered from the Brazilian Ministry ofEducation and Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) website. The utilized variables were the number of courses, number of vacancies offered in each course, characteristics of the cities where the medical schools are located, such as population size, Human Development Index (HDI) and distance to the capital city of each state. Results: Among the institutions that have already initiated their activities, there are 328 active courses, offering 35.480 vacancies for Medical School applicants. There is a difference when analyzing public or private institutions and paid or tuition-free institutions. There is a greater offer of paid courses (74,1%) and of courses located in the countryside (69,8%). Among the courses in the countryside, 27,8% of the vacancies are offered within 100 km of the capital city. Only 7,9% of the annual vacancies are offered in cities with a medium HDI, and the remainder are offered in cities with high or very high HDI. The increase in HDI is related to the higher proportion of private courses offering medical vacancies. It was observed that there is no correspondence between the absolute number of vacancies and the population of the North region, differentfrom what occurs in the other regions of the country. Conclusions: Medical training is under many influences, such as economic and political trends. This discussion needs to consider the regionalization and democratization of access. It was observed that public institutions tend to be located in municipalities that are farther away from the capitals. Even though there is now greater homogeneity between the regions, the Southeast still concentrates almost half of the vacancies in medical courses. Also, the increase in the number of vacancies in private courses brings up the reflection about the socioeconomic profile of medical students who have the opportunity to gain access to this level of education.

Social, economic, and legislative factors and global road traffic fatalities

BackgroundRoad traffic fatalities (RTF) is the 8th cause of mortality around the world. At the end of the Decade of Action, it would be of utmost importance to revisit our knowledge on the determinants of RTF. The aim of this study is to assess factors related to RTF at global level.MethodsWe used road safety development index which accounts for the interactions between system, human and products to assess the RTF in 115 and 113 countries in 2013 and 2016, respectively. To analyze data, three statistical procedures (linear regression, classification and regression trees, and multivariate adaptive regression splines) were employed.ResultsClassification and regression trees has the best performance amongst all others followed by multivariate adaptive regression splines for 2013 and 2016 data set with an R2 around 0.83. Results show that any increase in human development index was associated with RTF reduction. Comparing RTF data of 2013 and 2016, 8 countries experienced a change of more than 30%, which demonstrated a significant relationship with GINI index (named after Corrado Gini). Considering the three components of human development index, it is revealed that education explained most of RTF variation in classification and regression trees model followed by income and life expectancy.ConclusionPolicymakers should consider road collisions as a socio-economic issue. In this regard, they can make provisions to reduce RTF in the long run by focusing on enhancing the three components of human development index, mainly education. However, there is a need to investigate the causation pathway among these three components with RTF with different time-trend procedures.

Analysis of the relationship between human development index toward environmental quality index in South Sulawesi

Regional resource development has a dual role in relation to capital as economic growth (resource based economy) and at the same time as a life support system (life support economy). Regional development performance in Indonesia is generally measured based on the Human Development Index (HDI) which focuses on the size of education (knowledge), health (healthy and long life) and people's purchasing power (decent life). The Human Development Index is formed from several indicators that do not yet cover all dimensions of human development as formulated by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). In the context of sustainable development, the success of regional development is always associated with environmental carrying capacity as measured by the Environmental Quality Index (EQI). The linkages between human and environmental aspects in regional development are interesting to be reviewed in more detail, especially in South Sulawesi Province as a portrait of regional development in Indonesia. The analytical method used is quantitative based on secondary data, both in the form of literature review and correlation analysis of the relationship between HDI and EQI in the same year and the same region as novelty that has never been studied before. The relationship between HDI and EQI will be analized by Bivariate Pearson. The purpose of this study is to look at the impact of policies to encourage the increase in HDI toward IKLH that occurs. The analysis shows that in South Sulawesi the HDI value is not always directly proportional to EQI depending on certain factors.

National levels of human development and number of mental hospital beds.

The number of mental hospital beds per population varies widely across countries, and the reasons for this variation are not fully understood. Given that differences in disease prevalence do not explain variation in inpatient mental health care availability, we examined the relationship between mental hospital beds and national income, education and longevity as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI). We used an international dataset of social, economic and structural measures to conduct a mixed-effects longitudinal regression of predictors of the number of mental hospital beds per 100 000 in the overall population for 86 countries for years 2005-2015. Our initial dataset contained 1881 observations consisting of 11 years of potential measurements across 171 countries. After eliminations based on missing data and subsequent imputation, the dataset for the final regression model included 946 observations over 86 countries. The primary predictors of a country's number of mental hospital beds were year, HDI and GINI coefficient, the latter being a measure of income disparity. Holding all other factors constant, the number of beds decreased 8% per year, reflecting the ongoing international trend of deinstitutionalisation. As hypothesised, higher HDI predicted more mental hospital beds. Every 0.1 increase in HDI (0-1.0) was associated with a 126% increase in the number of hospital beds at the sample's mean GINI index score of 38 (0-100). However, a strong interaction between HDI and the GINI coefficient indicated that a high level of income disparity attenuated the positive association between HDI and mental hospital beds. At a GINI index score of 48, every 0.1 increase in HDI was associated with a 71% increase in the number of hospital beds. As countries reduce the number of hospital beds over time, higher levels of economic disparity are associated with a reduction in the strength of the association between national prosperity and investment in mental hospitals. As power becomes increasingly concentrated, perhaps those with the least are more easily forgotten.