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The potential power of social policy programmes: income redistribution, economic resources and health
Author(s) -
Lundberg Olle,
Fritzell Johan,
Åberg Yngwe Monica,
Kölegård Maria L.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
international journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 1369-6866
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2397.2010.00727.x
Subject(s) - redistribution (election) , welfare state , economic inequality , poverty , redistribution of income and wealth , population health , population , social determinants of health , welfare , social policy , economics , social welfare , public health , health policy , economic growth , public economics , political science , inequality , health care , sociology , medicine , unemployment , politics , market economy , mathematical analysis , demography , mathematics , nursing , law
Lundberg O, Fritzell J, Åberg Yngwe M, Kölegård ML. The potential power of social policy programmes: income redistribution, economic resources and health Int J Soc Welfare 2010: ••: ••–••© 2010 The Author(s), Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and International Journal of Social Welfare. This Supplement includes a number of articles dealing with the role of social policy schemes for public health across the life course. As a key social determinant of health, poverty and its consequences have historically been at the forefront of the public health discussion. But also in rich countries today, economic resources are likely to be important for health and survival, both on an individual and an aggregate level. This introductory article serves as a background for the more specific analyses that follow. The focus is on why income and income inequality could have an effect on individual and population health. We discuss relationships between the individual and population levels and between income and health, and some of the possible mechanisms involved. We also present arguments for why welfare state institutions may matter.