Economic relationships and health inequalities : improving public health recommendations

Sayer, A. and McCartney, G. (2021) Economic relationships and health inequalities : improving public health recommendations. Public Health, 199. pp. 103-106. ISSN 0033-3506

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Abstract

Policy recommendations, which aim to reduce health inequalities in society, often focus upon improving the incomes, working conditions and physical environments of the most deprived groups. We agree with these recommendations but argue that they are insufficient to reduce health inequalities because they fail to address the economic relationships between social groups that lead to health inequalities and which perpetuate them over time. A comprehensive programme to reduce health inequalities will require policies that address the numerous ways in which economic resources flow from poorer groups to richer groups through the design of the economy. In this commentary we describe key economic relationships between social groups that lead to inequalities, namely rent, interest, capital gains, profit, monopoly and speculation. Addressing these causes of economic inequality in recommendations to reduce health inequalities should be considered by future research in this area.

Item Type:

Journal Article

Journal or Publication Title:

Public Health

Additional Information:

This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Public Health. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Public Health, 199, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2021.08.017

Uncontrolled Keywords:

/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2739

Subjects:

?? economicshealth inequalitiespolicyrecommendationsarticleeconomic inequalityeconomicshumanprofitpublic healthpublic health, environmental and occupational health ??

Departments:

Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences > Sociology

ID Code:

161068

Deposited By:

ep_importer_pure

Deposited On:

15 Oct 2021 15:15

Refereed?:

Yes

Published?:

Published