Sociology
Multinational corporations, democracy and child mortality: A quantitative, cross-national analysis of developing countries
Document Type
Article
Abstract
This study presents quantitative, sociological models designed to account for cross-national variation in child mortality. We consider variables linked to five different theoretical perspectives that include the economic modernization, social modernization, political modernization, ecological-evolutionary, and dependency perspectives. The study is based on a cross-lagged effects regression analysis of a sample of 59 developing countries. Our preliminary analysis based on additive models replicates prior studies to the extent that we find that indicators linked to economic and social modernization have beneficial effects on child mortality. We also find support for hypotheses derived from the dependency perspective suggesting that multinational corporate penetration fosters higher levels of child mortality. Subsequent analysis incorporating interaction effects suggest that the level of political democracy conditions the effects of dependency relationships based upon multinational corporations. Transnational economic linkages associated with multinational corporations adversely affect child mortality more strongly at lower levels of democracy than at higher levels of democracy-that is intranational, political factors interact with the international, economic forces to affect child mortality. We conclude with some brief policy recommendations and suggestions for the direction of future research. © Springer 2005.
Publication Title
Social Indicators Research
Publication Date
9-2005
Volume
73
Issue
2
First Page
267
Last Page
293
ISSN
0303-8300
DOI
10.1007/s11205-004-2009-x
Keywords
child mortality, cross-national, dependency theory, modernization theory
Repository Citation
Shandra, John M.; Nobles, Jenna E.; London, Bruce; and Williamson, John B., "Multinational corporations, democracy and child mortality: A quantitative, cross-national analysis of developing countries" (2005). Sociology. 75.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_sociology/75