The African Development Bank and infant mortality: A cross-national analysis of structural adjustment and investment lending from 1990 to 2006

We conduct a cross-national analysis to examine the effects of different forms of African Development Bank (AfDB) on infant mortality. We analyze data on 31 countries from the period 1990–2006 using a two-way fixed effects regression model. The results of our analysis indicate that Sub-Saharan African nations receiving an AfDB structural adjustment loan are associated with increased infant mortality compared to nations that do not receive such a loan, consistent with existing literature drawn from dependency theory. We also evaluate a second hypothesis that AfDB investment loans in the health sector will be associated with decreased infant mortality, and the results of our analysis confirm this as well. We conclude by highlighting the contradictory effects of these two lending strategies on infant mortality and the theoretical implications that emerge.