Descenso regional en la mortalidad infantil en México, 1990-2005: ¿se cumple el efecto Mateo?

Abstract

Taking indirect estimates of infant mortality rates (IMR) for 1990 and 2005, this paper analyzes regional inequalities. For this purpose we test the hypothesis that reductions in relative differences in the IMR are greater in the states with a lower baseline. Literature on this topic labels this hypothesis as the “Matthew Effect”. Spearman and Kendall rank correlation coefficients are used to test this hypothesis. Unlike the international experience, results for Mexico do not support the Matthew Effect.