Life expectancy has increased in the modern world, but health inequalities are large and seem to be growing steadily, including in countries with the most advanced welfare states. This one-day-long symposium, involving many of those working as part of DRIVERS’ work on Income & Social Protection, was organised by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and aimed to move closer to understanding why this is the case.
Clare Bambra (Durham University) outlined six theories of health inequalities: artefact, health selection, behavioural/cultural, materialist, psycho-social and life-course, concluding that some of these may be more important than others in explaining why health inequalities are increasing despite the existence of developed welfare states.
Espen Dahl (Oslo and Akershus University College) described arguments that disadvantaged groups are harmed by generous welfare arrangements (‘they tend to benefit middle and upper income groups rather than the poor’, ‘they reduce incentive to enter employment’, and ‘they prevent parents from instilling a work ethic in their children’. He contrasted these arguments with the results of a study examining SILC data, which showed that: 1) educational inequalities in health are smaller in countries with generous welfare arrangements, 2) educational inequalities in unemployed people are smaller in countries with generous arrangements, 3) advantaged groups benefit less but are not harmed, and 4) welfare resources seem to compensate for lack of resources.
Presentations are available to download. Over the coming two years, DRIVERS will help extend even further our knowledge and understanding of the issues at stake, developing recommendations for policy, research, and practice.
