Health And The Income Inequality Hypothesis

Author : Nick Eberstadt
Publisher : American Enterprise Institute
Page : 60 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0844771694

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Health and the Income Inequality Hypothesis by Nick Eberstadt Pdf

Few would take exception to the proposition that an improvement in the material well-being of the poor would enhance not only their living standards but their health as well. A number of influential recent studies, however, purport to show that inequality in income -- not poverty per se -- is bad for people's health. This "inequality hypothesis" is meant to apply to everyone, regardless of wealth or social standing, and predicts that the risk of illness depends upon whether one lives in a society that is stratified or egalitarian. Thus, according to this hypothesis, while the poor may suffer the most from inequality, the better off and even the rich suffer as well. The enthusiasm many researchers and observers feel for this theory goes well beyond what might be justified by the evidence. The inequality hypothesis too often relies upon limited or unrepresentative data, hazily expounded causality, elementary econometric fallacies, and results that cannot be replicated. A very persuasive (although less publicly heralded) body of scholarship that challenges the inequality hypothesis is currently emerging. For example, by controlling for relevant variables -- such as household income, maternal characteristics, education, and race -- the relationship between income inequality and the health of infants and adults diminishes or disappears completely. This strongly suggests that income distribution is far less powerful a determinant of population health than the inequality hypothesis holds. Book jacket.

Author : Nick Eberstadt
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 45 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Income distribution
ISBN : OCLC:652272251

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Health and the Income Inequality Hypothesis by Nick Eberstadt Pdf

Author : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,Health and Medicine Division,Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice,Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 583 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2017-04-27
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780309452960

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Communities in Action by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,Health and Medicine Division,Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice,Committee on Community-Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States Pdf

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Author : Dennis Raphael
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 32 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Community health services
ISBN : 9780968853986

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Poverty, Income Inequality, and Health in Canada by Dennis Raphael Pdf

Author : Owen O'Donnell,Pedro Rosa Dias
Publisher : Emerald Group Publishing
Page : 536 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2013-12-12
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781781905548

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Health and Inequality by Owen O'Donnell,Pedro Rosa Dias Pdf

This volume contains methodological and empirical research on the measurement and causes of health inequality from leading experts in health economics and economic inequality. It is essential reading for researchers working on health inequality and provides an immediate reconnaissance of the frontiers for those entering this exciting field.

Author : Mel Bartley
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 49,6 Mb
Release : 2016-12-05
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780745691138

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Health Inequality by Mel Bartley Pdf

At a time when social inequalities are increasing at an alarming rate, this new edition of Mel Bartley's popular book is a vital resource for understanding the extent of health inequalities and why they are proving to be persistent despite decades of growing knowledge and policies on the issue. As in the first edition, by examining influences of social class, income, culture and wealth as well as gender, ethnicity and other factors in identity, this accessible book provides a key to understanding the major theories and explanations of what lies behind inequality in health. Bartley re-situates the classic behavioural, psycho-social, and material approaches within a life-course perspective. Evaluating the evidence of health outcomes over time and at local and national levels, Bartley argues that individual social integration demands closer attention if health inequality is to be tackled effectively, revealing the important part that identity plays in relation to the chances of a long and healthy life. Health Inequality will be essential reading for students taking courses in the sociology of health and illness, social policy and welfare, health sciences, public health and epidemiology and all those interested in understanding the consequences of social inequality for health.

Author : National Research Council,Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education,Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences,Committee on Future Directions for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Institutes of Health
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 225 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2001-03-09
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780309072960

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New Horizons in Health by National Research Council,Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education,Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences,Committee on Future Directions for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research at the National Institutes of Health Pdf

New Horizons in Health discusses how the National Institutes of Health (NIH) can integrate research in the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences to better understand the causes of disease as well as interventions that promote health. It outlines a set of research priorities for consideration by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), with particular attention to research that can support and complement the work of the National Institutes of Health. By addressing the range of interactions among social settings, behavioral patterns, and important health concerns, it highlights areas of scientific opportunity where significant investment is most likely to improve nationalâ€"and globalâ€"health outcomes. These opportunities will apply the knowledge and methods of the behavioral and social sciences to contemporary health needs, and give attention to the chief health concerns of the general public.

Author : National Research Council,Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education,Committee on Population,Panel on Understanding Divergent Trends in Longevity in High-Income Countries
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 194 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2011-06-27
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780309217101

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Explaining Divergent Levels of Longevity in High-Income Countries by National Research Council,Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education,Committee on Population,Panel on Understanding Divergent Trends in Longevity in High-Income Countries Pdf

During the last 25 years, life expectancy at age 50 in the United States has been rising, but at a slower pace than in many other high-income countries, such as Japan and Australia. This difference is particularly notable given that the United States spends more on health care than any other nation. Concerned about this divergence, the National Institute on Aging asked the National Research Council to examine evidence on its possible causes. According to Explaining Divergent Levels of Longevity in High-Income Countries, the nation's history of heavy smoking is a major reason why lifespans in the United States fall short of those in many other high-income nations. Evidence suggests that current obesity levels play a substantial part as well. The book reports that lack of universal access to health care in the U.S. also has increased mortality and reduced life expectancy, though this is a less significant factor for those over age 65 because of Medicare access. For the main causes of death at older ages -- cancer and cardiovascular disease -- available indicators do not suggest that the U.S. health care system is failing to prevent deaths that would be averted elsewhere. In fact, cancer detection and survival appear to be better in the U.S. than in most other high-income nations, and survival rates following a heart attack also are favorable. Explaining Divergent Levels of Longevity in High-Income Countries identifies many gaps in research. For instance, while lung cancer deaths are a reliable marker of the damage from smoking, no clear-cut marker exists for obesity, physical inactivity, social integration, or other risks considered in this book. Moreover, evaluation of these risk factors is based on observational studies, which -- unlike randomized controlled trials -- are subject to many biases.

Author : Kate Pickett,Richard G. Wilkinson
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 580 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Discrimination in medical care
ISBN : 0415443148

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Health and Inequality by Kate Pickett,Richard G. Wilkinson Pdf

Some groups of people are healthier than others. Overwhelmingly, for almost all kinds of morbidity and mortality, groups at the bottom of the social scale are less healthy than those at the top. But this simple observation describes a complex phenomenon that has become a major focus of research, teaching, intervention, and public policy and has led to recognition of the stark power of social determinants of population health. Why are poorer, less educated, lower-class groups less healthy than others? If inequalities in health are largely due to the social inequalities among people and their feelings about their position in relation to other people, then policies that encourage a more egalitarian society may be needed to close the health gap.Volume I assembles the basic evidence of health inequalities in different countries and different time periods, and focuses on the extent to which health inequalities result from social selection versus social causation. An essential work of reference for both scholars and practitioners hoping to understand (and mitigate or remove) inequalities in health.

Author : Angus Deaton
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 60 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2001
Category : African Americans
ISBN : UOM:39015051992819

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Relative Deprivation, Inequality, and Mortality by Angus Deaton Pdf

I present a model of mortality and income that integrates the 'gradient, ' the negative relationship between income and mortality, with the Wilkinson hypothesis, that income inequality poses a risk to health. Individual health is negatively affected by relative deprivation within a reference group, defined as the ratio to group mean income of the total 'weight' of incomes of group members better-off than the individual. I argue that such a model is consistent with what we know about the way in which social status affects health, based on both animal and human models. The theory predicts: (a) within reference groups, which may be as large as whole populations, mortality declines with income, but at a decreasing rate; the mortality to income relationship is monotone decreasing and convex. (b) If the upper tail of the income distribution is Pareto then, among the rich, there will be a negative liriear relationship between the logarithm of the probability of death and the logarithm of income, whose slope is larger the larger is Pareto's constant, itself often interpreted as a measure of equality. (c) A mean-preserving increase in the spread of incomes raises the risk of mortality for everyone. Between reference groups (e.g. states or countries) mortality is independent of the level of average income, but depends on the gini coefficient of income inequality, as does actual aggregate mortality across US states. Individual data from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study show that the relative deprivation theory provides a good account of the mortality gradient within states, but actually fails to account for interstate correlation between mortality and income inequality. Further analysis of the aggregate data shows that the effect of income inequality is not robust to the inclusion of other controls, particularly the fraction of blacks in the population. The fraction black is positively associated with white (male) mortality in both the individual and aggregate data and, once the fraction black is controlled for, there is no effect of income inequality on either male or female mortality. No explanation is offered for why white mortality should be higher in states with a higher proportion of blacks in the population.

Author : Ichiro Kawachi,S.V. Subramanian,Daniel Kim
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 295 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780387713106

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Social Capital and Health by Ichiro Kawachi,S.V. Subramanian,Daniel Kim Pdf

As interest in social capital has grown over the past decade—particularly in public health —so has the lack of consensus on exactly what it is and what makes it worth studying. Ichiro Kawachi, a widely respected leader in the field, and 21 contributors (including physicians, economists, and public health experts) discuss the theoretical origins of social capital, the strengths and limitations of current methodologies of measuring it, and salient examples of social capital concepts informing public health practice. Among the highlights: Measurement methods: survey, sociometric, ethnographic, experimental The relationship between social capital and physical health and health behaviors: smoking, substance abuse, physical activity, sexual activity Social capital and mental health: early findings Social capital and the aging community Social capital and disaster preparedness Social Capital and Health is certain to inspire a new generation of research on this topic, and will be of interest to researchers and advanced students in public health, health behavior, and social epidemiology.

Author : Roger Detels,Martin Gulliford,Quarraisha Abdool Karim,Chorh Chuan Tan
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 1717 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2017
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780198810131

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Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health by Roger Detels,Martin Gulliford,Quarraisha Abdool Karim,Chorh Chuan Tan Pdf

Sixth edition of the hugely successful, internationally recognised textbook on global public health and epidemiology, with 3 volumes comprehensively covering the scope, methods, and practice of the discipline

Author : Lisa F. Berkman,Ichirō Kawachi,M. Maria Glymour
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 641 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2014
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9780199395330

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Social Epidemiology by Lisa F. Berkman,Ichirō Kawachi,M. Maria Glymour Pdf

"Eleven fully updated chapters include entries on the links between health and discrimination, income inequality, social networks and emotion, while four all-new chapters examine the role of policies in shaping health, including how to translate evidence into action with multi-level interventions."

Author : Owen O'Donnell
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 145 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:1308969610

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Health and Inequality by Owen O'Donnell Pdf

We examine the relationship between income and health with the purpose of establishing the extent to which the distribution of health in a population contributes to income inequality and is itself a product of that inequality. The evidence supports a significant and substantial impact of ill-health on income mainly operating through employment, although it is difficult to gauge the magnitude of the contribution this makes to income inequality. Variation in exposure to health risks early in life is a potentially important mechanism through which health may generate, and possibly sustain, economic inequality. If material advantage can be exercised within the domain of health, then economic inequality will generate health inequality. In high income countries, the evidence that income (wealth) does have a causal impact on health in adulthood is weak. But this may simply reflect the difficulty of identifying a relationship that, should it exist, is likely to emerge over the lifetime as poor material living conditions slowly take their toll on health. There is little credible evidence to support the claim that the economic inequality in society threatens the health of all its members, or that relative income is a determinant of health.

Author : Philip Keefer,Stephen F. Knack
Publisher : World Bank Publications
Page : 44 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Crecimiento economico
ISBN : 8210379456XXX

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Polarization, Politics, and Property Rights by Philip Keefer,Stephen F. Knack Pdf

One strand of research argues that polarized societies find it difficult to reach political consensus on appropriate responses to crises. Another strand focuses on redistribution, asking whether income inequality stifles growth by increasing political incentives to redistribute. Which is right?