The Effects of Macro- and Individual-Level Socioeconomic Status on Child Mortality in Brazil, 1970 To 2000

Elaine Hernandez, University of Minnesota
John R. Warren, University of Minnesota

We delineate the effects of both macro- and individual-level socioeconomic factors on child mortality in Brazil. Using 1970 through 2000 Brazilian census data we address three questions: First, did socioeconomic disparities in child mortality decline over this period of rapid but geographically uneven economic development? Second, do macro-level socioeconomic factors affect child mortality above and beyond the impact of individual-level socioeconomic factors? Third, does individual-level socioeconomic status matter more or less depending on macro-level socioeconomic context? We find declining socioeconomic disparities in child mortality in Brazil over this period. We find no evidence that macro-level socioeconomic factors affect child mortality levels above and beyond individual level socioeconomic status, but we do find that the effects of individual-level socioeconomic factors vary as a function of macro-level socioeconomic conditions. Our findings point to the need to consider broader, macro-level socioeconomic forces in order to understand inequalities and trends in child mortality.