The Heterogeneous Effects of Illiberal World Society on Child Health, 1960–2024

ABSTRACT Objective This study theorizes how and empirically analyzes the extent linkages to illiberal world culture shape child mortality. Methods I test these arguments using fixed‐effects panel regression models of worldwide country‐year data from 1960 to 2024. Results Affiliations with illiberal intergovernmental organizations and the global density of these organizations are associated with declines in child mortality. In contrast, a higher global proportion of autocracies is associated with increased child mortality. Conclusion Illiberal world‐cultural structures have heterogeneous consequences for child health. These findings offer a new explanation for cross‐national and longitudinal variation in child mortality and explore the boundaries of the emerging literature on the post‐liberal turn in world society.