The long-term effect of the Great Recession on European mortality

Abstract

Some European countries, such as Greece and Spain, were severely hit by the 2008 economic crisis whereas others, such as Germany, were practically spared by it. This divergence allowed us to implement a difference in differences research design which offered the possibility to observe the long-lasting effects produced by the crisis on European life expectancy. Our analysis—based on Eurostat data from 2001 to 2019—shows that life expectancy increased faster, after the onset of the crisis, in those countries where the rise in unemployment was more intense. Furthermore, our results show that this gain in life expectancy persisted, and sometimes further increased, until 2019 when most macro-economic variables had returned to their pre-crisis values. Previous research has identified that mortality behaves procyclically in developed countries: when the economy slows down mortality decreases and vice versa. Our findings show, by contrast, that life expectancy behaves asymmetrically: it responded to an increase but not to a decrease in unemployment. This calls for a reconsideration of the causal mechanisms linking together the economic cycle and mortality in developed countries.

Perspective: Food and Nutrition Insecurity in Europe: Challenges and Opportunities for Dietitians

“…Regarding the number of indexed publications, 2 significant events can be identified: the 2008 economic crisis and the 2020 COVID pandemic lockdowns. However, research outputs do not necessarily reflect the countries most affected by the 2008 crisis, with the majority of publications coming from both severely affected (Portugal and Greece) [83] and less affected (France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) [83]. Most studies on food and nutrition insecurity in Europe have sought to provide data about the prevalence and correlates of food insecurity in various populations [1, 63,84].…”

The Effect of the Great Recession on Italian Life Expectancy

“…This picture, however, is further complicated by the fact that since 2008 many European countries have experienced a marked reduction in mortality (Ballester et al, 2019 ; Baumbach & Gulis, 2014 ; Cervini-Plá & Vall-Castelló, 2021 ; Regidor et al, 2016 ; Tapia Granados & Ionides, 2017 ; Toffolutti & Suhrcke, 2014 ). This appears, perhaps surprisingly, to be especially true for those countries in which the rise in unemployment rate was particularly intense: Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and the Baltic States (Salinari & Benassi, 2022 ).…”

Perspective: Food and Nutrition Insecurity in Europe: Challenges and Opportunities for Dietitians

“…Regarding the number of indexed publications, 2 significant events can be identified: the 2008 economic crisis and the 2020 COVID pandemic lockdowns. However, research outputs do not necessarily reflect the countries most affected by the 2008 crisis, with the majority of publications coming from both severely affected (Portugal and Greece) [ 83 ] and less affected (France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) [ 83 ].…”