Autopsy on an empire
Subtitle: understanding mortality in Russia and the former Soviet Union
By: Elizabeth Brainerd, David M. Cutler.
Contributors: Cutler, David M.; National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series ;; working paper 10868; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research : Online) ;; working paper no. 10868.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Cambridge, MA
Language: eng
Format: Electronic resource
Subjects: Mortality -- Russia.; Mortality -- Former Soviet republics.; Life expectancy -- Russia.; Life expectancy -- Former Soviet republics.
Description: "Male life expectancy at birth fell by over six years in Russia between 1989 and 1994.  Many other countries of the former Soviet Union saw similar declines, and female life expectancy fell as well.  Using cross-country and Russian household survey data, we assess six possible explanations for this upsurge in mortality.  Most find little support in the data: the deterioration of the health care system, changes in diet and obesity, and material deprivation fail to explain the increase in mortality rates.  The two factors that do appear to be important are alcohol consumption, especially as it relates to external causes of death (homicide, suicide, and accidents) and stress associated with a poor outlook for the future.  However, a large residual remains to be explained"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
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Mode of access: World Wide Web.