Volume 24 - Article 2 | Pages 45–78  

Out of Sync? Demographic and other social science research on health conditions in developing countries

By Jere Behrman, Julia Behrman, Nykia M. Perez

Abstract

In this paper, we present a framework for considering whether the marginal social benefits of demographic and social science research on various health conditions in developing countries are likely to be relatively high. Based on this framework, we argue that the relative current and future predicted prevalence of burdens of different health/disease conditions, as measured by disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), provide a fairly accurate reflection of some important factors related to the relative marginal social benefits of demographic and social science research on different health conditions. World Health Organization (WHO) DALYs projections for 2005-30 are compared with (a) demographic and other social science studies on health in developing countries during 1990-2005, and (b) presentations made at the Population Association of America annual meetings during the same time period. These comparisons suggest that recent demographic and social science research on health in developing countries has focused too much on HIV/AIDS, and too little on non-communicable diseases.

Author's Affiliation

• Jere Behrman - University of Pennsylvania, United States of America EMAIL
• Julia Behrman - Northwestern University, United States of America EMAIL
• Nykia M. Perez - University of Pennsylvania, United States of America EMAIL

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

Women's employment and fertility in a global perspective (1960–2015)
Volume 43 - Article 25

An exploration of differences in ideal family size between Muslim and non-Muslim women in France
Volume 41 - Article 22

The relationship between women's paid employment and women's stated son preference in India
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Intergenerational Transfers in the Era of HIV/AIDS: Evidence from Rural Malawi
Volume 27 - Article 27

A summary of Special Collection 1: Social Interactions and HIV/AIDS in Rural Africa
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Attrition in Longitudinal Household Survey Data: Some Tests for Three Developing-Country Samples
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Empirical Assessments of Social Networks, Fertility and Family Planning Programs: Nonlinearities and their Implications
Volume 3 - Article 7

Introduction to "Research on Demographic Aspects of HIV/AIDS in Rural Africa"
Special Collection 1 - Article 1

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