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PreprintCited by 179Race, History, and American SocietyMaternal and Neonatal HealthcareHealthcare Policy and Management

Civil Rights, the War on Poverty, and Black-White Convergence in Infant Mortality in the Rural South and Mississippi

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Almond, Douglas Vincent, Chay, Kenneth Y., Greenstone, Michael·2007·SSRN Electronic Journal
DOI 10.2139/ssrn.961021
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Abstract

For the last sixty years, African-Americans have been 75% more likely to die during infancy as whites. From the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, however, this racial gap narrowed substantially. We argue that the elimination of widespread racial segregation in Southern hospitals during this period played a causal role in this improvement. Our analysis indicates that Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which mandated desegregation in institutions receiving federal funds, enabled 5,000 to 7,000 additional black infants to survive infancy from 1965-1975 and at least 25,000 infants from 1965-2002. We estimate that by themselves these infant mortality benefits generated a welfare gain of more than $7 billion (2005$) for 1965-1975 and more than $27 billion for 1965-2002. These findings indicate that the benefits of the 1960s Civil Rights legislation extended beyond the labor marker and were substantially larger than recognized previously.

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Authors
Almond, D. V., Chay, K. Y., & Greenstone, M.
Affiliations
National Bureau of Economic Research (US)
Corresponding author
Greenstone, Michael
ORCID
Venue
SSRN Electronic Journal
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2007
ISSN
1556-5068 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.2139/ssrn.961021
OpenAlex
W1485273089
Cited by
179
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 6
Type
posted content
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • SSRN Electronic Journal (acceptedVersion)
  • DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Race, History, and American Society
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Healthcare Policy and Management
Keywords
infant mortality, racial disparities, racial segregation, War on Poverty, welfare gains, Southern United States, Mississippi, racial inequality in health care

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