Poverty, Pollution, and Mortality: The 1918 Influenza Pandemic in a Developing German Economy
I analyze the health impact of the 1918 “Spanish Flu” in South-West Germany and the harmful effects of poverty and air pollution on mortality.
Health progress and inequality: the first year of LRHM
Long Run Health Matters is one year old! This post puts together the research summaries published during the last year.
Seasonality in the Age of Pandemics, 1817-1920
Asia particularly suffered from the cholera, plague and influenza pandemics between 1817 and 1920. This piece highlights the various ways in which ‘seasonality’ mattered in those three pandemics.
The 1918 flu pandemic left Spain a more unequal country
Pandemics are often considered “big levelers” events. We show that the Spanish Flu, one of the deadliest pandemics in history, doesn’t fit this narrative in Spain, which became more unequal.
The drivers of institutionalization among the elderly in Europe
Will future increases in life expectancy improve life quality? If we consider the elderly, this is unclear, especially among permanently institutionalized individuals, whose quality of life is often worse.
A Micro-Based Evaluation of Water Projects
We demonstrate the potential of using existing micro-level data to credibly assess the impact of improved water provision on the household’s welfare.
The Spanish hospital system during the Franco dictatorship
The creation of the Spanish public hospital system during Franco’s dictatorship was marked by collaboration and competition with the private sector, due to limited funding and political struggles among elites.
The virtual eradication of the plague. An unsolved riddle of health progress
Both plague and smallpox used to exert a heavy death toll on society. We eradicated smallpox with a vaccine, but plague disappeared from most of human society for unknown reasons.
Sex ratios and missing girls in historical Europe
Discriminatory practices against girls reduced their survival chances during the 19th century and early 20th century, especially in Southern and Eastern Europe.
The unequal impact of the Spanish flu in South Africa
Using a novel measure of healthcare inequality, this research shows that the 1918 Influenza epidemic in South Africa exacerbated existing large racial inequalities in access to institutionalized medical treatment.
