Tackling Health Inequalities: Lessons from International Experiences provides a unique perspective on health inequalities in Canada and elsewhere. This exciting new volume brings together experiences from seven wealthy developed nations — the United States, Australia, Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, Finland, Norway, and Sweden — to analyze their contrasting approaches to reducing avoidable health problems. Some nations are successfully responding to health inequalities, but Canada and the United States are not among them. Why is this, and what can we learn from other nations?
Through a political economy lens, Tackling Health Inequalities considers how societal structures and institutions shape the distribution of economic, political, and social resources that affect health disparities amongst the population. The volume then goes on to examine how governing authorities come to either confront or ignore these health inequalities and the conditions that create them. Through these illustrations, it encourages governing authorities that are tackling health inequalities to continue their efforts and directs those that are not — such as in Canada and elsewhere — towards what must be done.
This groundbreaking text shows the primary lessons from these international experiences: that citizens in Canada and elsewhere need to educate themselves about the importance of tackling health inequalities, and then build the political and social movements that will compel governmental authorities to take action. This volume will serve as a rich resource for professionals and general readers interested in health studies, nursing, social work, public policy, and political economy.
Preface Foreword, Alex Scott-Samuel Chapter 1: The Importance of Tackling Health Inequalities, Dennis Raphael Chapter 2: American Experiences, Stephen Bezruchka Chapter 3: Australian Experiences, Fran Baum, Matt Fisher, and Angela Lawless Chapter 4: British and Northern Irish Experiences, Katherine E. Smith and Clare Bambra Chapter 5: Canadian Experiences, Dennis Raphael Chapter 6: Finnish Experiences, Juha Mikkonen Chapter 7: Norwegian Experiences, Elisabeth Fosse Chapter 8: Swedish Experiences, Mona C. Backhans and Bo Burstrom Chapter 9: An Analysis of International Experiences in Tackling Health Inequalities, Dennis Raphael Chatper 10: Moving Forward: Applying the Lessons from International Experiences, Toba Bryant Appendix A: A Checklist for Whole-of-Government or Intersectoral Approach Glossary of Terms Contributor Biographies
Biography
Dennis Raphael is a Professor of Health Policy and Management at York University, whose areas of interest include topics in public policy, poverty, and social determinants of health.
"For Canada, this book will be an ideal text, and it will be a very good text for comparative health systems courses in other countries as well… Many courses tackling the issue of the political economy of health and health inequalities could make use of such a volume." — Dr. Carlos Quiñonez, University of Toronto
"As a public health nurse, attempting to reduce health disparities among groups within a community or population is challenging, as health is influenced by a multitude of factors. This resource is a great starting point for health care professionals who have ever questioned where to begin when tasked with addressing health inequalities." —Beverly Kim Bacani, RN, BScN
