Health inequalities in European welfare states

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Claus Wendt
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2014 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 260360041

The existence of social inequalities in health is well established. The welfare state (social policy, healthcare, public health policy) can play an important role in mediating the effects of the social determinants of health; however, comparative studies have shown that health inequalities are actually amongst the largest in generous and inclusive welfare states. This project will focus on the following question: why do social inequalities in health persist in European welfare states and what can be done to reduce them? Expected outcomes and the impact of this project include the refinement, testing and development of social inequalities in health theory, the identification of policies and interventions with the potential of reducing health inequalities, and a new policy agenda on how health inequalities can be reduced most effectively. The project consists of six interrelated work packages delivered across three project phases. In the first phase, we will provide theoretical elaboration on the pathways whereby welfare states and healthcare systems influence the aetiology and reduction of social inequalities in health. In the second phase, we will explore and test these pathways using morbidity and mortality indicators. We will also use evidence review methods to examine the effects of macro policy interventions in reducing health inequalities. In the third phase, we will combine the work packages to produce country specific policy toolkits. The project will thus impact on both the academic and policy spheres. We will use a variety of cutting edge data sources at the micro and macro level and employ state-of-the-art statistical techniques, such as counterfactual policy analyses and multilevel models.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Norway, United Kingdom
• Participating Persons: Professorin Dr. Clare Bambra; Professor Dr. Terje Eikemo; Dr. Tim Huijts