Today’s most complex challenge is to adopt proper reactions and actions to achieve sustainable development, which relies on the knowledge richness included in a diversity of actors so that, economic, social and environmental... [ view full abstract ]
Today’s most complex challenge is to adopt proper reactions and actions to achieve sustainable development, which relies on the knowledge richness included in a diversity of actors so that, economic, social and environmental dimensions could be adequately managed. Considering the Sustainable Development Goal adopted in United Nations for which, by 2030 there should not be preventable deaths of under-five children, global efforts have been concentrated in understanding the endogenous causes (all biological factors). However, social and environmental factors external to the individual, are analysed under the name of exogenous causes and need to be also subject of study by researchers, public workers and policy makers if an enhancing of related public interventions is aimed to be completed. Consequently, this paper attempts to determine, among a set of exogenous causes, which are the crucial drivers and thus, quantification of their relevance would support the subsequent plans, calls to action, investments, budget modifications, education modules, among many other initiatives to mitigate the strongest roots for the global loss of under-five population and therefore, contribute to the acceleration exercises to reach the Sustainable Development Goal by 2030. One factor indisputably relevant is the malnutrition and hence, it will not be directly included in this analysis. Data for 217 countries were abstracted from the World Bank database and linear regression over cross-sectional and panel data analyses were conducted for the different outcomes. After performing all the models, the interpretation leads to a clear influence of Gross National Income per capita for the variation of child mortality and thus, this variable should not only be taken as a proxy for improving socioeconomic conditions but also for environmental ones. Finally, when trying to reduce child mortality at a global level, there is a lot to do and there is a lack of available information and scope of analysis, and this may explain the lack of useful public policy instruments for a public policy re-thinking process, which also supports the deficits in reaching the related Sustainable Development Goal.
8b. Health and well-being
