Social Capital, Structural Conditions, and Mortality: A Study of Nonmetropolitan Counties in Mississippi *

ABSTRACT In this study, we examine the extent to which structural conditions that favor investment in social capital affect mortality across nonmetro counties in Mississippi. To this end, we focus on four county structural conditions: (1) place of resi-dence within county boundaries, (2) civic infrastructure, (3) eco-nomic conditions, and (4) county regional location. The results clearly indicate that structural conditions that favor investment in socia1 capital lead to lower mortality. Specifically, concentration of disadvantage conditions has an independent effect on mortality. That is, its effect operates independentIy of other structural condi-tions. In contrast, the effects of place of residence and civic infra-structure do not operate independently from county economic conditions. The results also indicate that county regional location has no effect on mortality across nonmetro counties in Missis-sippi. Although residents in metropolitan (metro) counties have greater access to economic and health resources than those in nonmetropoli-tan (nonmetro) counties, mortality rates adjusted by age, race, and gender tend to be lower in nonmetro than metro coun'ies (Miller, Stokes and Clifford 1987). According to McLaughlin, Stokes, and Nonoyama (2001:594), potentially greater social cohesion in non-metro counties might account for this paradox. The argument is that embedded in a socially-cohesive environment are resources, such a