The Health and Wealth of Africa
David E. Bloom &
David Canning
Published: June 2004
Among Africa’s problems, chronic poverty and poor health stand out. Traditional
development thinking has maintained that health improvements are a
consequence of income growth. But new evidence shows that investing in health,
with the aid of the international community, could make a big difference in
Africa’s economic prospects. Moreover, some feasible, low-cost interventions
would likely have high returns. The pathways by which health can make a
difference economically include those based on the heightened effectiveness of
labor, increased savings, more effective educational investments, and
demographic change.