Economic and social correlates of infant mortality: A cross‐sectional and longitudinal analysis of 63 selected countries

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Abstract
Using the demographic transition theory as a framework, the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between infant mortality and several measures of economic social, and public health development were examined for 63 selected countries of the world. There is a significant difference in the relative importance of each independent variable in explaining the cross-sectional and longitudinal variations in infant mortality. The indicator of social development is the most important variable accounting for the cross-national differences; economic-industrial development is most important in explaining changes in infant mortality over time. The effects of economic-industrial development tend to be lagged rather than instantaneous; the opposite is true for social development. There are consistent differences between developing and developed countries in the amount of the variance explained and the nature of some of the interrelations. Important guidelines for future studies on the interrelations between the demographic processes and socioeconomic development are provided. The dynamics of the longitudinal interrelations cannot be inferred from the cross-sectionally observed relationships. It is essential to analyze the cross-national data according to the level of development, at minimum a separate analysis of the developing and developed categories. Introducing more direct and refined measures of economic, social and public health development in a model would shed futher light on the interrelations. Special attention should be given to conceptual and empirical justifications about the appropriate time lag of the effects of economic and social development on infant mortality.

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