Getting Better / Clare Bambra.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bambra, C. (Clare), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Health services accessibility.

Public health--Decision making.

Public health.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (184 pages)

Place of Publication:

Bristol : Policy Press, 2025.

Summary:

This book focuses on health inequalities as a pressing societal issue, noting that those with social and economic advantages typically enjoy better health outcomes than more disadvantaged groups. It highlights growing gaps in health outcomes and presents the reduction of these inequalities as the 'holy grail' of public health. However, there is a dearth of research on what can be done to reduce health inequalities, at a population scale. The many articles, books and reports on the topic of health inequalities tend to describe or explain the problem, examine the short-term impacts of small-scale interventions, or critically assess policy efforts to reduce health inequalities. Our book addresses this gap by identifying successful examples in which sizeable, population-level, reductions in health inequalities have been achieved. In drawing these international and historical examples together, the book not only demonstrates that reducing health inequalities is possible but also identifies commonalities and lessons to be learned. The book examines four case studies: America's 1960s 'Great Society' reforms; Brazil's 1985+ democratic transition and anti-poverty efforts; the reunification of Germany in the 1990s; and England's early 2000s National Health Inequalities Strategy. Assessing the insights provided by these case studies collectively, the book identifies four key mechanisms for reducing health inequalities: welfare state expansion, improved healthcare access, reduced income inequality and enhanced democratic participation. The book also considers what happened in each case study country when health inequalities widened again, further underlining the importance of the four levelling mechanisms. It concludes by emphasising the need to cultivate political will to effectively address health inequalities, urging policymakers to adopt comprehensive strategies that strengthen social safety nets and health systems, politically enfranchise and engage citizens, and prioritise equitable outcomes.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-4473-7287-5