Publication: Malaria and Growth
Date
2000-03
ISSN
Published
2000-03
Author(s)
McCarthy, F. Desmond
Wolf, Holger
Wu, Yi
Abstract
The authors explore the two-sided link
between malaria morbidity and Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
per capita growth. Climate significantly affects
cross-country differences in malaria morbidity. Tropical
location is not destiny, however: greater access to rural
health care and greater income equality are associated with
lower malaria morbidity. But the interpretation of this link
is ambiguous: does greater income inequality allow for
improved anti-malaria efforts, or does malaria itself
increase income inequality? Allowing for two-sided
causation, the authors find a significant negative causal
effect running from malaria morbidity to the growth rate of
GDP per capita. In about a quarter of their sample
countries, malaria is estimated to reduce GDP per capita
growth by at least 0.25 percentage point a year.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“McCarthy, F. Desmond; Wolf, Holger; Wu, Yi. 2000. Malaria and Growth. Policy Research Working Paper;No. 2303. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19847 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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