Gizelis, Theodora-Ismene (2009) 'Wealth alone does not buy health: Political capacity, democracy, and the spread of AIDS.' Political Geography, 28 (2). pp. 121-131. ISSN 0962-6298

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Abstract

Although there have been have numerous studies on AIDS documenting its mortality, its epidemiological features, and its relationship to poverty and development, few studies have systematically analyzed how political factors and policies may help curtail the spread of AIDS. In this paper I consider how a variety of domestic factors influence HIV infection rates across countries. I argue that states with higher state capacity are better able to reduce the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Moreover, I argue that while strong autocracies can implement efficient policies with fewer constraints, democracies tend to be more responsive to the needs of the population and can be more efficient in curtailing the spread of HIV/AIDS. I empirically evaluate the hypotheses using a cross-sectional time-series sample of 117 countries. The empirical results indicate that greater state capacity indeed appears to help curtail HIV/AIDS infection rates. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	State capacity; HIV/AIDS; Communicable diseases; Political regime; Contagion effects
Subjects:	J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Government, Department of
SWORD Depositor:	Elements
Depositing User:	Elements
Date Deposited:	06 Aug 2012 08:23
Last Modified:	15 Jan 2022 00:44
URI:	http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/3454

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