所得不均對健康的影響－以世界銀行高中低所得國家為例

Health effects of income inequality－Evidence from high, middle and low income countries of Word Bank

陳世豪(Shih-Hao Chen)

指導教授 ： 林晏如

國立臺中科技大學/商學院/財政稅務系租稅管理與理財規劃碩士班/碩士(2014年)

https://doi.org/10.6826/NUTC.2014.00067

摘要

本文欲探討國民健康與所得分配之關係，檢視所得不均對國民健康是否造成影響。本研究利用世界銀行數據資料庫，以出生時預期壽命和嬰兒死亡率作為衡量國民健康狀況的指標，以吉尼係數（Gini Coefficient）來衡量所得不均度，其他的控制變量分別是所得、儲蓄、教育水平和醫療衛生支出等。實證資料依據世界銀行將經濟體劃分為高中低所得等三類國家，中等所得國家又可分為中低等所得及中高等所得二群組國， 建立其1985、1990、1995、2000、2005、2010等六個時間段落之Panel Data模型實證分析各群組國所得不均與健康間之關係。
根據實證結果發現，在高所得群組國家，所得不均對健康有顯著的負向關係，表示所得不均程度加劇時會降低高所得國家人民的健康。另外，由中等所得國家分解出中高及中低所得群組國的迴歸比較分析中發現，就所得不均的影響而言，當健康狀況的衡量指標為出生時預期壽命，在中低所得群組國中有顯著負相關的影響效果，而當健康狀況的衡量指標為嬰兒死亡率時，所得不均對健康的影響無論是中高或中低所得群組國均為顯著正相關，表示所得不均的程度增加時，嬰兒死亡率亦會隨之上升，對健康狀況會產生不良影響。所以，所得不均對中高及中低所得國家而言大致有著負面的影響效果。
從上面的說明顯示，所得分配不均對國民健康所帶來的影響在高所得及中所得國家較有顯著效果，當降低或減緩所得不均時可帶來促進國民健康的功效，因此如何增加經濟弱勢者之所得水準及追求社會財富分配平均化為提升國民健康的重要議題。

關鍵字

國民健康；所得不均；吉尼係數；追蹤資料

並列摘要

This paper is to investigate the relationship between the national health and income distribution, and to view whether income inequality impact on public health. In this study, we use life expectancy at birth and infant mortality of the World Bank data repository as a measure of national health indicators. With Gini coefficient represents the degree of income inequality, the other control variables are income, savings, education, and expenditure of medical care and hygiene. Our empirical data based on the World Bank's classification of economies will be divided into three categories of high income, middle income and low income countries. Middle income countries can be divided into lower-middle income and upper-middle income countries, such as two types group. We will establish Panel Data Model with six time paragraphs of 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 to process empirical analysis of relationship between income inequality and health status for each group of countries.
According to empirical results show that Income inequality on health has a significant negative relationship in the group countries of high income. It will reduce people's health when the degree of income inequality more intense in high income countries. In addition, through the decomposition of middle income group countries to regression of upper middle income and lower middle income groups in the country's comparative analysis. The impact on that have a significant negative influence of relationship between income inequality and health when a measure of health status for life expectancy at birth In lower middle income countries of group. However, the resulting that income inequality impacts on health in either upper middle or lower middle income countries of groups are significant positively correlated when a measure of the health by the rate of infant mortality. It indicates the infant mortality rate will rise when the degree of income inequality increases to bring about the health status will have adverse effects. So, income inequality on health status of upper middle and lower middle income countries generally has a negative impact.
The above results show that should be a significant effect which affect the degree of inequality of income distribution on the national health among high income and middle income countries. Reduce or mitigate inequality of income distribution can upgrade the national health. Therefore, it is an important issue that how to increase the level of economically disadvantaged and pursuit averaging of distribution of social wealth.

並列關鍵字

national health；income inequality；Gini coefficient；Panel Data

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