Simon Wigley
Abstract: Do the mechanisms through which political leaders are selected matter when it comes to population health? Do democratic traits—open communication coupled with genuinely competitive multiparty elections—incentivise governments to respond to the health needs of citizens? In two recent studies my colleagues and I have attempted to answer those questions. In our 2019 study in The Lancet we examined the relationship between democratic institutions and cause-specific mortality. Using a variety of methods and a panel of 170 countries for more than 25 years we find that democratic experience - a measure of how democratic a country has been, and for how long - explains more of the variance in mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, transport injuries, cancers, cirrhosis, and other non-communicable diseases than GDP. We also find that transitions from autocracy to democracy are associated with improvements in adult life expectancy. In our 2020 study in The BMJ we find that democratic erosion – substantial decreases in democratic traits - is associated with slowed progress in terms of life expectancy and universal health coverage. Both these studies suggest that the institutions required to ensure accountability and responsiveness between citizens and political leaders is a key factor when it comes to the delivery of essential health services and prevention of premature mortality.

About the speaker: Simon Wigley studied philosophy, politics, and economics at Otago University in New Zealand, and completed his masters and doctoral studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is currently chair of the Department of Philosophy at Bilkent University in Ankara. His research interests are varied, ranging from theoretical work in political philosophy to empirical work in comparative politics. Much of his current research is focused on the relationship between democracy and population health. He has published in journals such as The Lancet, The British Medical Journal, Lancet Global Health, and Social Science & Medicine. Find out more about Professor Wigley at https://simon-wigley.com/