Growth Inequality Poverty And Pro Poor Health Policy

Improving health is a key concern of all societies, a crucial aspect for individuals but at the same time, it can contribute to higher economic growth and welfare. Thus health care has always been a complicated policy issue and cannot be separated from other issues that impinge on health such as growth, inequality, poverty etc. With a special reference to the Republic of Armenia, this book discusses the problem of achieving and sustaining redistributive health care in the context of inequality and low incomes and presents the pro-poor aspects of health policies in most important aspects.

Accessible and edited by authors based at a top institution, this book provides readers with an excellent summary in an easy-to-read style of this burgeoning field of research. In this volume Bennett, Gilson and Mills have gathered together essays written by academics and experts in the fields of health policy and economic development, each underscoring the need for political commitment to meet the needs of the poor and the development of strategies to build this commitment, covering: evidence regarding the links between health, economic development and household poverty evidence on the extent to which health care systems address the needs of the poor and the near poor innovative measures to make health care interventions widely available to the poor. Current and topical, this book is of great relevance to policy makers and practitioners in the field of international health and development and researchers engaged with global health and poverty as well as being ideal reading for students of international health and development.

Is economic growth killing the poor? The Institute for Health and Social Justice brings us the answers in Dying for Growth. An extraordinary collection of fourteen hard-hitting case studies from Haiti to the US, Dying for Growth exposes the interests behind a system that consigns a fifth of the world's population to live (and die) on less than a dollar a day. Rooted in the lives of people waging heart-wrenching struggles against a new, systemic form of poverty, these studies don't just document inequality -- they pinpoint its underlying causes.Looking at the effects of international restructuring strategies on the poor, the increasing control trans-national corporations exert over world health, and the impact of U.S. drug policy on global inequality, Dying for Growth debunks the myths of global capitalism, including: Myth: Throwing loans at developing nations will cure poverty.Fact: As shown in Sickness Amidst Recovery: Public Debt and Private Suffering in a Peruvian Shanty Town, loans can make things worse.Myth: Getting rid of big government automatically improves the standard of living.Fact: Cutting services can lead to calamity, as detailed in Neoliberal Economic Policy, State Desertion and the Russian Health Crisis. Myth: The free market is a panacea.Fact: There's nothing liberating about modern capitalism, as demonstrated in 'Todo Bajo Control': The Costs of 'Free' Trade to Mexican Maquiladora Workers.Dying for Growth concludes with an extensive section on alternatives to standard models. Included is a chapter on health and revolution in Cuba, The Threat of a Good Example, and a plan for action, Pragmatic Solidarity: What You Can Do.With passionrarely found in works of comparable analytic rigor, Dying for Growth tells the stories of people trapped in the machine of growth, and compels readers to recognize that the problem of inequality is not one of insufficient resources, nor even of inefficiency -- the problem is power.

Poverty, inequality and health: an international perspective raises new and critical issues about health inequalities. It is unique in that it provides that first truly international perspective on this problem, with contributions from the developed and developing world. The outcome of a Public Health Forum organized by the London School of Hygeine and Tropical Medicine, this book brings together material from internationally recognized contributors from a wide range of disciplines and countries. The chapters reflect this diversity, ranging from the micro- to the macro-level, from aetiology to intervention. Topics covered include: - the over-arching concepts linking economic and social forces and health status - the extent to which ethical concerns lie at the heart of the issue of inequalities in health and attempts to ameliorate them - macro-level features of inequalities in health within between countries - an overview of the main body of work on inequalities in health in developed countries and those in transition within Europe - specific pathways and mechanisms at the individual level that link povertu and inequality to health status - the interaction of social and biological influences on health status throughout life - specific disease-specific links - issues of policy and interventions aimed at reducing inequalities in health The book brings together people from very varied disciplines to discuss an area of clear international interest and global importance. As such it will be of value to the broad public health audience as well as research epidemiologists, international policy analysts and policy makers and those concerned with economic developed and health.

In the last two decades of the 20th century, we witnessed a dramatic growth in social inequalities within and among countries. This has had a most negative impact on the health and quality of life of large sectors of the populations in the developed and underdeveloped world. This volume analyzes the reasons for this increase in inequalities and its consequences for the well-being of populations. Scholars from a variety of disciplines and countries analyze the different dimensions of this topic.

Investment in health is a strategically important and often underestimated component of economic development. This study sets out a systematic approach to improving health in poor countries. For emerging countries, substantially improved health outcomes are a prerequisite to breaking out of the poverty cycle. This book on poverty and health, jointly published by the OECD and WHO, sets out the essential components of a broad-scope "pro-poor" health approach for action within the health system and beyond it. It is for development practitioners in the area of health issues.

Is there a tradeoff between raising growth and reducing inequality and poverty? This paper reviews the theoretical and empirical literature on the complex links between growth, inequality, and poverty, with causation going in both directions. The evidence suggests that growth can be effective in reducing poverty, but its impact on inequality is ambiguous and depends on the underlying sources of growth. The impact of poverty and inequality on growth is likewise ambiguous, as several channels mediate the relationship. But most plausible mechanisms suggest that poverty and inequality reduce growth, at least in the long run. Policies play a role in shaping these relationships and those designed to improve equality of opportunity can simultaneously improve inclusiveness and growth.

The quality of life in a society is one of the most powerful determinants of health: poverty and unemployment, poor housing and lack of education, child poverty and problems in early childhood development all take their toll. Researchers are now discovering that it's not the richest countries that have the best health: it's the most egalitarian. Monica Townson warns that failure to address social and economic inequality will have a serious impact on the health of Canadians. Inequalities have been increasing over the past decade as rates of poverty, unemployment and homelessness have risen. The gap between rich and poor in Canada is widening and Townson maintains this has dangerous implications for our health. "Health and Wealth" looks at the effects of inequality in Canada and discusses the kinds of co-ordinated efforts that would be needed at all levels of government to achieve better health for all citizens.