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Title: Saving Lives through Technology: Mobile Phones and Infant Mortality
Citation Type: Working Paper
Publication Year: 2022
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Abstract: Digital technologies can expand access to health services to underserved populations. This paper leverages mobile network expansion and survey data spanning two decades to study the impact of access to mobile phones on infant mortality in Africa. Using plausibly exogenous variations in lightning intensity and (sub)regional convergence in mobile penetration as instrumental variables for mobile network expansion, the analysis finds that mobile phones significantly reduce infant mortality. A 10 percentage point increase in mobile coverage is associated with a 0.45 percentage point reduction in infant mortality. Improvements in health knowledge and behavior and health care utilization appear to be plausible channels.
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Authors: Mensah, Justice Tei; Tafere, Kibrom; Abay, Kibrom A.
Series Title: Policy Research Working Paper
Publication Number: 9978
Institution: World Bank Group
Pages: 1-58
Publisher Location: Washington, D.C.
Data Collections: IPUMS Global Health - DHS, IPUMS Global Health - PMA
Topics: Fertility and Mortality, Population Health and Health Systems
Countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Uganda