Name: Flip your thinking on AIDS in Africa
Uploaded: 2007-07-12T06:19:00Z
Duration: 15 min 21 s
Description: Emily Oster re-examines the stats on AIDS in Africa from an economic perspective and reaches a stunning conclusion: Everything we know about the spread of HIV on the continent is wrong.

Emily Oster re-examines the stats on AIDS in Africa from an economic perspective and reaches a stunning conclusion: Everything we know about the spread of HIV on the continent is wrong.

Flip your thinking on AIDS in Africa

The familiar story about HIV in Africa—millions infected, poverty as the root cause, and education campaigns as the solution—misses critical truths. Data show that despite rising awareness, sexual behavior in Africa barely changed as the epidemic worsened. New analysis using mortality rates reveals that official infection estimates may be dramatically overstated, possibly by tens of millions. Economic factors like trade and export changes, not just health campaigns, play a surprising role in infection rates.