論文名稱：An exploration of China’s mortality decline under Mao: A provincialanalysis, 1950–80

發表刊物：Population Studies, 69(1): 39-56

發表時間：2014年

論文作者：Kimberly Babiarz, Karen Eggleston, Grant Miller, andQiong Zhang

内容提要：

Between 1950 and 1980, China experienced themost rapid sustained increase in life expectancy of any population indocumented global history. We know of no study that has quantitatively assessedthe relative importance of the various explanations proposed for this gain insurvival. We have created and analysed a new, province-level panel data setspanning the decades between 1950 and 1980 by combining historical informationfrom China’s public health archives, official provincialyearbooks, and infant and child mortality records contained in the 1988National Survey of Fertility and Contraception. Although exploratory, ourresults suggest that gains in school enrolment and public health campaignstogether are associated with 55–70per cent of China’sdramatic reductions in infant and under-5 mortality during our study period.These results underscore the importance of non-medical determinants ofpopulation health, and suggest that, in some circumstances, general educationof the population may amplify the effectiveness of public health interventions.