The Best Things in Life are (Nearly) Free: Technology, Knowledge, and Global Health

SummaryThis paper argues that there are two major factors underlying improved global health outcomes. These are, first, the discovery of cheap technologies that can dramatically improve outcomes and, second, the adoption of these technologies thanks to the spread of knowledge. Other factors have played a role. Increased income not only allows for improved nutrition, but also helps to improve access to more complex preventative technologies. Institutional development is a second key to the spread of such complex technologies. Nonetheless, evidence of dramatic health improvements even in environments of weak institutions and stagnant incomes suggests that the role of these factors may be secondary.