The Influence of Democracy on Health Outcomes
The Influence of Democracy on Health Outcomes
This brief is part of the Democracy Action Lab's "The Case for Democracy" series, which curates academic scholarship on democracy’s impacts across various domains of governance and development. Drawing from an exhaustive review of the literature, this analysis presents selected works that encompass significant findings and illustrate how the academic conversation has unfolded.
While national wealth has long been considered a primary determinant of population health, democratic governance independently improves health outcomes through distinct political mechanisms. Democracies consistently outperform autocracies on metrics including infant mortality, life expectancy, and disease control—with particularly strong effects for conditions requiring sustained policy commitment and equitable service delivery. These benefits materialize primarily through long-term democratic experience rather than short-term regime change, as electoral accountability and responsive institutions require time to develop.