Anarcho-BolshevikThe people’s republics achieved more favorable physical quality of life outcomes than other countries at equiv. levels of econ. dev.
The people’s republics achieved more favorable physical quality of life outcomes than other countries at equiv. levels of econ. dev. - Lemmygrad
(This takes 3¾ minutes to read.) >Our analysis of the World Bank’s data supports a conclusion that, in the aggregate, the socialist countries have achieved more favorable PQL outcomes than capitalist countries at equivalent levels of economic development. Are there problems in the data or the analysis that might contradict this conclusion? > >Statistical information published by the World Bank represents probably the most comprehensive and accurate body of data on PQL that is available from Western sources. The primary tabulations are readily available in published form for scholarly inspection and reanalysis. Data collection and reporting from the socialist countries are likely to be at least as accurate as in the capitalist countries. All the socialist countries maintain statistical bureaus that gather and publish these data as one phase of planning and policy formulation. > >These efforts periodically lead to findings that are not necessarily favorable. For example, infant mortality, crude death rate, and cardiovascular mortality in the Soviet Union worsened during the 1970s.¹⁴–¹⁸ In Cuba, reported mortality rates rose during the early 1960s and later improved rapidly; the temporary increase in mortality reflected improved data gathering, as the Ministry of Public Health expanded its efforts after the Cuban Revolution.¹⁹,²⁰ > >Underreporting morbidity and mortality statistics frequently occurs in the low-income and lower-middle-income countries. However, better reporting would tend to increase morbidity and mortality rates and would strengthen the finding of more favorable outcomes in the socialist countries. > >Other causal or intervening variables could be important in predicting PQL. Such variables might include climate, environmental hazards, genetic heritage, cultural tradition, and additional political and social factors. We have not tried to control for all such factors, but we doubt that they would reduce the importance of economic development and political-economic system to any significant degree. > >Regarding political-economic system, for example, the socialist countries span three continents, a variety of climatic and environmental conditions, genetic mixes, cultures, and forms of social organization. Despite this great diversity, the fact that superior rates persist for socialist countries on all PQL variables except one at the lower three levels of economic development strengthens the probability that political-economic system is indeed a major determining factor. > >Historically, there is some evidence that the discrepancies between capitalist and socialist nations have reflected varying social policies. All the socialist countries have initiated major public health efforts. These initiatives have aimed toward improved sanitation, immunization, maternal and child care, nutrition, and housing. In every case, the socialist countries also have reorganized their health care systems, to create national health services based on the principle of universal entitlement to care. > >These policies have led to greater accessibility of preventive and curative services for previously deprived groups. Expanded educational opportunity also has been a major priority of the socialist nations, as publicly subsidized education has become more widely available. Literacy campaigns in these countries have brought educational benefits to sectors of the population who earlier had not gone to school. > >Nevertheless, national health policies, including national health insurance and/or a national health service, have not been enacted solely by socialist countries. In fact, all the high-income capitalist countries except the United States have enacted such national health policies. While capitalist countries at higher levels of economic development have enjoyed the fruits of public health and educational improvements, poorer capitalist countries seldom have succeeded in implementing such drastic changes in policy, although there are some notable exceptions to this pattern. > >For example, among low-income and lower-middle-income countries, Sri Lanka and Costa Rica have achieved substantial improvements in health-care services and PQL indicators.⁷ The experiences of such countries show that adequate budgeting, planning, and commitment can lead to important advances, even in the context of underdeveloped capitalist economies. > >These exceptions, however, do not detract from the generally unfavorable record of the capitalist countries at lower levels of economic development. Moreover, even in the wealthier capitalist countries, public health and educational policies have not achieved equitable access for low-income groups, racial minorities, and geographically isolated communities.²¹,²² > >Cross-national differences in income inequality and the distribution of wealth may contribute to the socialist countries’ favorable PQL outcomes. The socialist countries manifest a higher proportion of income received by the lowest 20 per cent of the population, a lower proportion of income received by the highest 5 per cent of the population, and a markedly lower Gini index of inequality.¹²,¹³ Inequality continues to exist in all the socialist societies, but the range of inequality tends to be much narrower than in the capitalist countries. > >In the less developed countries, the differences in PQL between the capitalist and socialist systems are profound. There, the options in public health and education that a socialist political-economic system provides seem to overcome some of the grueling deprivations of poverty. Many of the recent postrevolutionary societies (which we treated as a separate category in the data analysis) have adopted socialist systems. Predictably, these countries may witness improvements in PQL during the next decade that will differentiate them from other countries at their level of economic development. > >Meanwhile, the relationships between PQL and political-economic system deserve more serious attention than they have received in the past. Our findings indicate that countries with socialist political-economic systems can make great strides toward meeting basic human needs, even without extensive economic resources. When much of the world’s population suffers from disease, early death, malnutrition, and illiteracy, these observations take on a meaning that goes beyond cold statistics. (Emphasis added.) Further reading: Cereseto’s and Waitzkin’s response to a critic. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1646824/pdf/amjph00253-0110b.pdf] Commentary by Ian Goodrum. [https://web.archive.org/web/20211013223912im_/https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1136693839526223872.html]
