Maternal mortality in developing countries: applicability of Amartya Sen's theoretical perspectives

Abstract

Maternal mortality is a serious problem faced by developing countries and has been identified as a key millennium development goal. This paper empirically tested the efficacy of Amartya Sen's human development perspectives to combat maternal mortality. Path analysis was used to test the empirical model. Test results found full support of the theoretical model. The findings have significant implications for reducing maternal mortality through social development efforts that improve reproductive capability.

Keywords:

• maternal mortality
• developing countries
• Amartya Sen
• human development

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr Pillai for the data and guidance in developing this manuscript.