Download full text
(external source)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://doi.org/10.18335/region.v8i1.325
Exports for your reference manager
Spatial health inequality and regional disparities: historical evidence from Italy
[journal article]
Abstract Geography and the quality of the environment may have long lasting effects on the living standards of individuals and this, in its turn, may affect even substantially the distribution of income and regional disparities. In this paper I consider malaria as a measure of “bad geography” and propose som... view more
Geography and the quality of the environment may have long lasting effects on the living standards of individuals and this, in its turn, may affect even substantially the distribution of income and regional disparities. In this paper I consider malaria as a measure of “bad geography” and propose some evidence showing that it was a major determinant of the health of individuals (as measured by the height of conscripts) and its disparities between individuals and regions in Italy. In particular, to estimate the relationship between malaria exposure and height, I rely on the “fetal origins hypothesis”, that is I hypothesize that exposure to malaria in utero or during childhood has persistent effects on health. Periods under scrutiny in this paper are the last two decades of the XIX century, a period without major public health interventions, and the years around the eradication era in the 1950s. My results support the hypothesis that geographically targeted policies may reduce health inequality between regions and within regions.... view less
Keywords
Italy; contagious disease; nineteenth century; twentieth century; health; inequality; regional difference; standard of living; socioeconomic factors
Classification
Area Development Planning, Regional Research
Free Keywords
place-based policies; spatial disparities; regional development; Malaria; height
Document language
English
Publication Year
2021
Page/Pages
p. 53-73
Journal
Region: the journal of ERSA, 8 (2021) 1
ISSN
2409-5370
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed