Abstract

An Atlas on the Governance of Health in Mexico
Track: Health and Human Services
Authors: Justin Levitt

Many health atlases already exist. So why do we need another? The answer lies in the belief that this atlas does indeed show something different. We analyze the political geography of health outcomes using ArcInfo, emphasizing the role of both physical geography and political incentives to explain differential health outcomes. A complex set of incentives has left some of the poorest pockets of population trapped in geographically inaccessible areas, where incidentally governments and public administrators generally lack accountability, skills, capacity and money. We analyze the connections in two stages: first, between geographic, social, and political remoteness and the health infrastructure, and then the linkage between infrastructure and health outcomes. Ultimately, using web mapping applications, we demonstrate how the system changes as a result of the political incentive structure.