Banking crises and mortality during the Great Depression: evidence from US urban populations, 1929–1937

Abstract

In contrast with existing research, the authors find that many of the changes in deaths from different causes during the Great Depression were unrelated to economic shocks. Further research is needed to understand the causes of the marked variations in mortality change across cities and states, including the effects of the New Deal and Prohibition.

Health in the Long-Term Unemployed

“…It is also possible that effects on health do not occur immediately, so health-related consequences of economic crises may not become visible until after the labor market has recovered. For suicide, the available results are consistent: There was an increase in suicides during the global economic crisis in 1929 (32). This is being repeated in a similar fashion during the current European financial crisis, as shown by figures from Greece, Italy, the UK, and Europe as a whole (e8-e11).…”

A Review of Health Consequences of Recessions Internationally and a Synthesis of the US Response during the Great Recession

“…We identified 78 studies that reveal a relationship between recessions and mental health outcomes. 12,17,18,25,[37][38][39]46,49,51,56,57,59, In the current recession, five studies consistently found that mental health deteriorated. 61,63,75,82,103 The most consistent results relate to suicides.…”

“…38 In a second study, Stuckler et al reexamine data from the Great Depression, accounting for pre-existing trends mortality, and disaggregate the mortality trends by state level. 39 They find that suicides increase and motor vehicle fatalities, death due to cirrhosis (related to alcohol consumption), and pneumonia decrease. Together these new analyses advance our understanding of the relations between mortality and recession.…”

Government Health Care Spending and Child Mortality

“…29,30 This difference is likely because the lowest-income countries may have preexisting weak health systems, which suffer most when GHS is reduced, as key components of basic health care may be lost, costing substantially more lives than in highincome countries, where effective health systems may be more resilient to budgetary cuts. [31][32][33] Low-income countries are also more vulnerable to economic shocks, as they are more likely to have national debt and strong dependence on a single production good. 24 Resource scarcity has led to the need for innovations in health systems to sustain effective responses and improvements in health; however, weak systems in low-income countries may hinder the receptiveness to innovation.…”

“…Third, effects of changes in economic factors including changes in government expenditure may be delayed and long lasting; 33 we analyzed only the shortterm effects up to 5 years after the reduction in GHS, and further longitudinal analysis may be useful. Fourth, we have not modeled intrayear variations in mortality; however, by looking at whole years, we eliminate spurious trends that might be seen as seasonal in nature.…”