Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

This study examines the association of community heterogeneity with population health outcomes. Heterogeneous communities in terms of education, race, and income are hypothesized to produce worse health outcomes compared to their counterparts. The psychological distress caused by the gap and difference among people may contribute to population health negatively. This might be especially true in the United States where capitalized free market economies are dominant and significant disparities exist in education and income across races. To test hypotheses, cross-sectional panel data of the 304 U.S. counties are collected. The data are analyzed using multivariate ordinary least squares regression with state and year fixed effects. As for the dependent variable, age-adjusted mortality rates are used. Heterogeneity index for education and race, and Gini index are key independent variables. Various demographic, political, institutional, and socio-economic factors are controlled in the Model. The result of our preliminary analysis supports that racial heterogeneity and income disparities are negatively associated with population health when holding all other factors constant, while education heterogeneity has a positive effect. To offset the detrimental effects of community heterogeneity on population health, policy interventions for reducing psychological distress and enhancing the welfare of the disadvantaged will be discussed.