Corruption, patronage, and avertable child deaths in developing countries

Abstract

Many children die of easily preventable or treatable diseases in developing countries. What are the relationships between corruption, patronage, and child mortality in low- and middle-income countries? We argue that corruption and patronage affect child mortality outcomes for some causes of death, especially those that are more easily prevented or treated with affordable care. To test our hypotheses, we utilize cross-national time-series analysis of under-five child mortality in developing countries between 1996 and 2016. Our study finds that patronage and corruption increase under-five child mortality arising from easily preventable childhood diseases, but they have almost no effect on under-five child mortality caused by more complex illnesses. Our study underscores the need to examine cause-specific health outcomes rather than overall health outcomes in comparative health analysis, as the ability of governments to address specific health issues depends on the nature of the problems.

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