Abstract

In which ways did democracy, state capacity and governments’ partisanship impact on life expectancy in Latin America? Previous studies often used partial and incomplete empirical indicators and were unable to provide a dynamic framework showing how these three factors shape people’s life expectancy. Taking into account political, economic and social information, derived from various empirical sources, we adopt a longitudinal perspective (1960-2010) and provide more solid empirical bases for the relationship among the above-mentioned factors and this relevant dimension of public health. In time, democracy and state capacity have improved life expectancy levels in the region, while the effect of governments’ partisanship appears less relevant and more difficult to identify.