A major study of 170 countries published in the Lancet has concluded that adult life expectancy improved more quickly in countries that switched to democracy over the past 50 years. Improvements in democratic quality did not make nations richer, but it did result in more government health spending.

The health benefits of democracy for many non-communicable diseases and injuries were stronger than any other GDP effect and at the same time, some long standing democracies are experiencing declines in life expectancy. So, is democracy good for health?
     
Ilona Kickbusch, Director of the Global Health Centre, will discuss the impact of political systems on health with the authors of the study and the former Ambassador of the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva.

SPEAKERS

• Thomas Bollyky, Director, Global Health Program; Senior Fellow for Global Health, Economics, and Development, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
• Edwin Ng, Assistant Professor, University of Waterloo
• Yvette Stevens, former Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva