Does Food Inflation Cause Suicide in Turkey?

Year 2022, Volume: 18 Issue: 2, 96 - 108, 30.12.2022

Elif Erbay , Gülşah Şentürk

Abstract

This study focuses on the relationship between the suicide rate and food inflation using a panel dataset in 26 NUTS-2 regions in Turkey during 2008-2019. We also analyse the effects of several socioeconomic factors, including the unemployment rate, real GDP per capita, the divorce rate, the proportion of low-educated individuals, and the number of physicians. Our estimated results show that food inflation affects the suicide rate of males and females differently. An increase in food inflation decreases the female suicide rate while it leads to a rise in the male suicide rate. A possible explanation for this finding may be that Turkish society's social roles attributed to females and males are entirely different. While an increased divorce rate hurts the male suicide rate, a rise in real GDP per capita decreases the female suicide rate. These findings are consistent with Durkheim's theory of suicide and are thought to guide future economic and social policies..

Keywords

Suicide, Inflation, Food Prices, Panel Data Analysis

Gıda Enflasyonu Türkiye'de İntihara mı Yol Açıyor?

Abstract

Bu çalışma, 2008-2019 döneminde Türkiye'de 26 NUTS-2 bölgesinde bir panel veri seti kullanarak intihar oranı ve gıda enflasyonu arasındaki ilişkiye odaklanmaktadır. Ayrıca işsizlik oranı, kişi başına düşen reel GSYİH, boşanma oranı, düşük eğitimli bireylerin oranı ve doktor sayısı gibi çeşitli sosyoekonomik faktörlerin etkilerini de analiz ediyoruz. Tahmini sonuçlarımız, gıda enflasyonunun kadın ve erkeklerin intihar oranını farklı şekilde etkilediğini göstermektedir. Gıda enflasyonundaki artış kadın intihar oranını düşürürken erkek intihar oranını artırmaktadır. Bu bulgunun olası bir açıklaması, Türk toplumunun kadın ve erkeğe atfedilen toplumsal rollerinin tamamen farklı olması olabilir. Artan boşanma oranı erkek intihar oranını olumsuz etkilerken, kişi başına düşen reel GSYİH'deki artış kadın intihar oranını azaltmaktadır. Bu bulgular Durkheim'ın intihar teorisi ile tutarlıdır ve gelecekteki ekonomik ve sosyal politikalara rehberlik edeceği düşünülmektedir.

Keywords

İntihar, Enflasyon, Gıda Fiyatları, Panel Veri Analizi

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