dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Social Links
  • zedreviews.com
  • citi.io
  • aster.cloud
  • liwaiwai.com
  • guzz.co.uk
  • atinatin.com
0 Likes
0 Followers
0 Subscribers
dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
  • People
  • Politics

Does Democracy Lead To Better Health?

  • February 27, 2020
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

A released report from V-Dem reveals a rather interesting insight on the global state of health. From their data analysis, it appears that democracies win against autocracies when it comes to producing positive health outcomes.

An unexpected link?

The V-Dem Annual Democracy Report 2019 is the recent edition of the annual report based on the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) data set, a growing collection of democracy data. Currently, it spans from 1789 to 2018. The time-series data now possesses 27 million data points.

In V-Dem’s examination of the 1900-2012 data set, it’s revealed that taking other important factors such as good governance into account, democratic elections have consistent effects on the status of a country’s health sector.

Similarly, a study from Bollyky et al. also used the V-Dem data set. The analysis revealed that compared to autocracies, democracies are more likely to lead to health gains for causes of death which are not focused on by foreign aid or those that require health delivery infrastructure. Some of the causes of death which fall under this specification include:

  • cardiovascular diseases
  • transport injuries.
  • tuberculosis
  • non-communicable diseases

While this may be a good thing, why does a particular type of government affect the state of a country’s health?

Where democracies succeed

The reason why democracies have significantly higher health gains than autocracies for the health issues specified above is because those issues need quality health care as well as policy-based prevention in order to be fully addressed. These are things that cannot be directly solved by foreign funding.

Bollyky and his peers proposed that a democratic regime is more open to feedback from constituents and are actually willing to use this feedback to improve healthcare services. Because media freedom is protected in democracies, the dissemination of health information is also easier.

They also said that the attributes of a democratic government — suffrage, freedom of expression, and freedom of association — compels heightened accountability and responsiveness.

A political affair

In conclusion, the study of Bollyky and his coauthors suggest that democratic governance might be a way to enhance population health.

This is clearly an idea that not everyone will welcome, especially in the context of health which is perceived to be rational and metric-driven. Why make health a political matter now?

If one would look into it closely, health is inherently political. The state has an undeniable role in responding to the interests of the collective. Denying the political nature of health according to Bollyky and his peers would also be to deny the role of society, free media, and a receptive and accountable government in improving the health sector. In other words, health and politics are quite inseparable.

If one is not ready to accept this conclusion in favour of democracies, then at the very least, the recognition of what needs to be done in order to boost healthcare systems should be acknowledged — there is a need to hear the voices of the stakeholders, there should be strong infrastructure, and there should be accountability.

Total
0
Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Related Topics
  • Autocracy
  • Democracy
  • Government
  • Health
dotlah.com

Previous Article
  • Lah!

Changi Airport Concessionaires To Receive 50% Rental Rebates

  • February 27, 2020
View Post
Next Article
  • Lah!

Mangrove Forests Provide Cause For Conservation Optimism, For Now

  • February 27, 2020
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Economy
  • Politics

New Trump tariffs: early modelling shows most economies lose – the US more than many

  • dotlah.com
  • August 6, 2025
View Post
  • Politics

PBBM asks Singapore to invest more in PH renewable energy projects

  • Dean Marc
  • June 6, 2025
View Post
  • People
  • Politics

Singapore PM Wong arrives in Malacañang

  • dotlah.com
  • June 4, 2025
View Post
  • Cities
  • Politics

Singapore businesses eye more investments in PH, says PM Wong

  • Dean Marc
  • June 4, 2025
View Post
  • Featured
  • Features
  • People

Conclave: How A New Pope Is Chosen

  • Dean Marc
  • April 25, 2025
View Post
  • People

PM Wong takes Scoot flight, fellow passengers cheer

  • dotlah.com
  • October 16, 2024
dotlah-pm-lee-lawrence-wong-9656d4cd-1fa4-40ed-905d-e19e639b8476_728802dd
View Post
  • Lah!
  • People
  • Politics

End of Lee Era for Singapore as PM Steps Down

  • dotlah.com
  • May 16, 2024
View Post
  • People
  • Politics

‘A much bigger step forward’: Lawrence Wong on his journey to becoming Singapore’s fourth PM

  • dotlah.com
  • May 15, 2024


Trending
  • 1
    • Lah!
    DBS Sets The Pace For Singapore’s Corporate Sustainability Efforts With Plans For Nation’s First Net Zero Building By A Bank
    • July 11, 2021
  • 2
    • Lah!
    Join Digital Chingay 2021 TikTok Challenge To Celebrate Singapore Hawker Culture
    • January 22, 2021
  • 3
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    FairPrice Commits S$2 Million To Enhance Support For Local SMEs Through Business Development Amidst COVID-19
    • October 3, 2020
  • 4
    • Technology
    OCBC Bank Is First To Leverage Singapore Customs’ Electronic Banker’s Guarantee Programme
    • March 4, 2020
  • 5
    • Cities
    • Society
    Coronavirus: Why People Are Panic Buying Toilet Paper And How To Stop It
    • March 8, 2020
  • 6
    • Lah!
    • Science
    NTU And A*STAR Scientists Develop New Way To Deliver More Drugs Through The Skin
    • August 6, 2020
  • 7
    • Cities
    • Economy
    How Saudi Arabia Is Investing To Transform Its Economy
    • October 13, 2023
  • 8
    • People
    • World Events
    The Mysterious Disappearance Of The First SARS Virus, And Why We Need A Vaccine For The Current One But Didn’t For The Other
    • May 5, 2020
  • 9
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    • Society
    The COVID-19 Pandemic Has Made Many Singaporeans Adopt Better Financial Habits
    • November 3, 2021
  • london-crowd-viktor-forgacs-6bMyJEvr-Cw-unsplash 10
    • Cities
    • Economy
    The World’s Next Megacities
    • January 20, 2023
  • 11
    • People
    • World Events
    Coronavirus Fears: Should We Take A Deep Breath?
    • February 7, 2020
  • 12
    • Technology
    Different Types Of Cyber Threats That You Should Watch Out
    • May 23, 2019
Trending
  • Smart Watch 1
    Best Smartwatches, Your Gateway to Health Monitoring and Everyday Use
    • October 5, 2025
  • Cooking pots and pans 2
    Best Pots and Pans 2025: All-Season, All-Purpose Picks for Every Kitchen
    • September 23, 2025
  • 3
    Politicians love comparing NZ’s economy to Singapore or Ireland – but it’s simplistic and misleading
    • September 21, 2025
  • Kitchen Knives - Best All-Around Picks in 2025 4
    Kitchen Knives : The Surgeons of Cooking – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • September 15, 2025
  • 5
    Apple unveils iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the most powerful and advanced Pro models ever
    • September 9, 2025
  • 6
    Apple debuts iPhone 17
    • September 9, 2025
  • Fruits and vegetables for cooking. For food processors. 7
    Food Processor: The Swiss Army Knife of the Kitchen – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • September 8, 2025
  • 8
    Meet Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Series: Packing Everything You Expect From a Premium Tablet
    • September 4, 2025
  • 9
    Malaysia’s ‘ASEAN Shenzhen’ needs some significant legal reform to take off — here’s how
    • August 25, 2025
  • French Fries 10
    Air Fryer: The One Cooking Appliance to Rule Them All – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • August 22, 2025
Social Links
dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Connecting Dots Across Asia's Tech and Urban Landscape

Input your search keywords and press Enter.