Measuring and Decomposing Inequality of Opportunity in Maternal and Child Health Care Access Evidence from: The Occupied Palestinian Territories

Bc. Marah HANOON, BA.

Master's thesis

Measuring Inequality of Opportunity in Maternal and Child Health Care Access in in the State of Palestine.

Abstract:

In developing countries of the Middle East, which incorporates Palestine, access to basic housing, health, and nutrition is characterized as being unequally distributed among children. This study aims to measure and decompose inequality in access to maternal and child healthcare services in The Occupied Palestinian Territories, through the implementation of the Human Opportunity Index and the Shapley Decomposition approach. By using the 2014 survey in the oPt, the study estimates the overall coverage and the level of inequality influenced by different circumstance variables. This study incorporates an extensive set of dependent and circumstance factors representing access to healthcare for mothers and children in the oPt. The study uncovered that an inadequate level of parents' education contributes to higher inequalities, more specifically the circumstance variable "mother's education" indicates that the higher level of education attained by mother leads to the corresponding higher rate of access for overall healthcare services. Thus, the results obtained from this study provide the policy makers with a practical and analytical tool for policy analysis, to implement a proper reference to achieve progress in eliminating inequities in circumstances and opportunities for children.

Abstract:

In developing countries of the Middle East, which incorporates Palestine, access to basic housing, health, and nutrition is characterized as being unequally distributed among children. This study aims to measure and decompose inequality in access to maternal and child healthcare services in The Occupied Palestinian Territories, through the implementation of the Human Opportunity Index and the Shapley Decomposition approach. By using the 2014 survey in the oPt, the study estimates the overall coverage and the level of inequality influenced by different circumstance variables. This study incorporates an extensive set of dependent and circumstance factors representing access to healthcare for mothers and children in the oPt. The study uncovered that an inadequate level of parents' education contributes to higher inequalities, more specifically the circumstance variable "mother's education" indicates that the higher level of education attained by mother leads to the corresponding higher rate of access for overall healthcare services. Thus, the results obtained from this study provide the policy makers with a practical and analytical tool for policy analysis, to implement a proper reference to achieve progress in eliminating inequities in circumstances and opportunities for children.

Keywords

Access, Inequality, Human Opportunity Index, Dissimilarity Index, Healthcare Access

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 31. 5. 2021

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: prof. Cinzia Di Novi

Palacký University Olomouc

Faculty of Science

Master programme / field:
Geography / International Development Studies