An Analysis of Government Expenditure on Health and Its Impact on Under-Five Mortality in Ghana
Abstract
This paper investigates the effectiveness of health expenditure on under-five year mortality in Ghana between 1985 and 2014 using multiple linear regression. The result obtained shows that per capita gross domestic product (GDP), health expenditure and immunization against measles reduces under-five mortality. However, corruption which measures the effectiveness of governance increases under-five mortality. The policy implication is that achieving the Millennium Development Goal of lowering under-five year mortality rate by two-thirds in Ghana may be unattainable if the level of corruption is not reduced considerably.
Downloads
References
Alves, D and Belluzzo, W (2005), “Child Healthand Infant Mortality in Brazil,” Inter-American Development Bank Research Network Working Paper R-493.
Anyanwu, J. C. (1996), "Empirical Evidence onthe Relationship between Human Capital and the Income of Nigerian Women", Journal of Economic Management, Vol.3, No.1, 45 –67.
Baldacci, E., M.T. Guin-Siu, and L. de Mello (2002), “More on the Effectiveness of Public Spending on Health Care and Education: A Covariance Structure Model”, IMF Working Paper WP/02/90, Washington, International Monetary Fund.
BBC News (2015), “Ghana dismisses judges guilty of bribery charges”, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35037318.
Bloom, David, and David Canning (2003), “TheHealth and Poverty of Nations: From Theory to Practice,” Journal of Human Development, Vol.4, No. 1, pp. 47–71.
Carrin, D Evans, K. Xu (2007), “Designing health financing policy towards universal coverage.”Currie, J and Moretti E (2003), “Mother’s Education and the International Transmission of Human Capital: Evidence from College Openings”, Quarterly Journal of economics,118(4).
De la Croix, D., Delavallade, C., 2006. Growth,public investment and corruption with failing institutions. Working paper 2007-61, Society forthe Study of Economic Inequality.
Filmer D. (2003), “The Incidence of Public
Expenditure on Health and Education”. The World Bank, Washington DC.
Filmer, D and Pritchett L. (1999), “The Impact of Public Spending on Health: Does Money Matter, Social Science and Medicine 49(10): 1309-23.
Filmer, Deon and Lant Pritchett (1997), “Child Mortality and Public Spending on Health: How Much Does Money Matter?” World Bank PolicyResearch Working Paper No. 1864 (Washington: World Bank).
Filmer, Deon, Jeffrey Hammer, and Lant Pritchett, 1998, “Health Policy in Poor Countries: Weak Links in the Chain,” World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 1874 (Washington: World Bank)
Ghana Statistical Service, 2011. Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey with an Enhanced Malaria Module and Biomarker, 2011, FinalReport. Accra, Ghana.
Gottret P and Schieber G. (2006), “HealthFinancing Revisited: A practioner’s Guide, “The World Bank, Washington, D.C.
Gupta S, Verhoeven, M and Tiogson E (2001), “Public Spending on Health Care and the Poor”, IMF Working Paper, Fiscal Affairs Department
Gyimah-Brempong, Kwabena, and Mark Wilson (2004), “Health Human Capital and EconomicGrowth in Sub-Saharan African and OECDCountries,” The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 296–320
Kaufman, D., Kraay, A., &Mastruzzi, M., Governance matters III: governance indicators for 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002. World Bank Economic Review, 18, 253–287, 2004
Kim,K.,and Moody,P.M (1992),“MoreResources,BetterHealth?ACross-NationalPerspective,” Social Science and Medicine, Vol.34, pp. 837–42.
Musgrove, P (1996), “Public and PrivateRolesin Health,” Technical Report 339, World Bank Washington, D.C.
Musgrove, P. (1999), Public spending on healthcare: how are different criteria related? Health Policy, 47, pp.207–223
MDG (2014), Millennium Development Goals Report 2014, pp. 3-5
Nixon, J and Ulmann, P (2006), “TheRelationship between Health Care Expenditure and Health Outcomes”, European Journal ofHealth economics, 7, 7-18.
Rajkumar, A. S. &Swaroop, V. (2004). PublicSpending and Outcomes: Does Governance Matter World Bank Working Papers No. 2840,Washington: World Bank
Sachs, J. D. (2004), “Health in the DevelopingWorld: Achieving the Millennium DevelopmentGoals”, Bulletin of the World HealthOrganization, 82 (12): 947-49.
T. Ensor, A Duram-Moreno (2002), “Corruption as a challenge to effective regulation in the health sector”.
Wagstaff, A and Cleason M. (2004), “TheMillennium Development Goals for Health:Rising to the challenge”, Washington, D.C.World Bank.
Wang, L (2002), Health Outcomes in PoorCountries and Policy Options: Empirical Findings from Demographic and Health Surveys,World Bank Policy Research Working paper No. 2831, April.
Wolf, S. (2007). Does aid improve public servicedelivery? Review of World Economics, 143(4)650-672.
TRANSFER OF COPYRIGHT
JRBEM is pleased to undertake the publication of your contribution to Journal of Research in Business Economics and Management.
The copyright to this article is transferred to JRBEM(including without limitation, the right to publish the work in whole or in part in any and all forms of media, now or hereafter known) effective if and when the article is accepted for publication thus granting JRBEM all rights for the work so that both parties may be protected from the consequences of unauthorized use.
