The Contribution of Public and Private Intergenerational Transfers to Mortality Differences across the World – a Compositional Data Analysis

Tobias C. Vogt , MPI for Demographic Research

Across the life course, humans rely on the help of others to maintain their lives. Especially during vulnerable phases in childhood or old age, support is needed to cover basic and higher needs. This support is provided by the family and, in modern societies, via public support programs. Previous research has extensively documented the health benefits of receiving public and private support for life course health but the relative importance of different types of transfers and transfer channels remains a question of academic debate. This study applies for the first time compositional data analysis to investigate the association between intergenerational transfers and mortality differences in a global perspective. Using this method allows to account for the interdependence between transfer types which are components of an overall (limited) public and private budget. I will use data from the National Transfer Accounts Project (NTA) for 35 countries from all continents and mortality data from the UN Population Prospects to quantify the contribution of public and private transfers to mortality differences across the globe.

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 Presented in Session 76. Families, health, and healthcare