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TOPIC:
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TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION, MORTALITY, AND POPULATION DYNAMICS
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ABSTRACT
We develop a quantitative theory of mortality and population dynamics. We emphasize individuals’ decisions to reduce their mortality by adopting better health technology. Adoption confers a dynamic externality: Adoption becomes cheaper as more individuals use better technology. Our model generates a diffusion curve, whose shape dictates the pace of mortality reduction. The model explains historical trends in mortality rates and life expectancies at various ages, and population dynamics in Western Europe. Unlike Malthusian theories based solely on income, ours is consistent with the observed disconnect between mortality and income. Unlike Beckerian theories based solely on fertility, ours accounts for the observed acceleration in population.
Keywords: Mortality, life expectancy, population dynamics, technology diffusion, convergence.
JEL Codes: I12, I15, J11, E13
Click here to view the CV.
Click here to view the paper.
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PRESENTER
B. Ravikumar
Federal Reserve Bank of St.Louis
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RESEARCH FIELDS
Macroeconomics
Economic Development
Income Distribution
Public Finance
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DATE:
27 July 2023 (Thursday)
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TIME:
4pm - 5.30pm
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VENUE:
Meeting Room 5.1, Level 5
School of Economics
Singapore Management University
90 Stamford Road
Singapore 178903
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