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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: How are economic downturns and suicide related?.
OBJECTIVE: This study examines the link between economically driven austerity measures implemented during a recent economic downturn--the Greek debt crisis--and suicide for the population as a whole, as well as for men and women separately.
METHODS: Utilizing a 50-nation panel containing annual suicide counts and population demographics for the years 1995-2015 from the World Health Organization's Mortality archive, the analysis employs a synthetic control design, a quasi-experimental approach that allows us to causally model the relationship between Greece's International Monetary Fund-imposed austerity measures and suicide, something that has hampered prior research efforts.
RESULTS: Findings show austerity policies corresponded with increased suicide rates in Greece for the population as a whole and for men and women. Robustness tests confirm these results.
CONCLUSIONS: We discuss the implications of the findings for the current economic crisis associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 by the Southwestern Social Science Association.
Language: en |