Colin F. Camerer and Ernst Fehr
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199262052
- eISBN:
- 9780191601637
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199262055.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Microeconomics
The work of the cross‐cultural behavioural experiments project presented in this book is rooted in the logic of game theory and the practices of experimental economics, and this chapter provides an ...
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The work of the cross‐cultural behavioural experiments project presented in this book is rooted in the logic of game theory and the practices of experimental economics, and this chapter provides an introduction to the fundamentals of behavioural game theory, and the procedures and conventions of experimental economics. It starts by defining the main social preference terms used – self‐interest, altruism, reciprocity, inequity aversion, and then sketches game theory in broad terms and describes some basic features of experimental design in economics. Seven games that have proved useful in examining social preferences are introduced; these are the Prisoner's Dilemma Game, the Public Goods Game, the Ultimatum Game, the Dictator Game, the Trust Game, the Gift Exchange Game, and the Third‐Party Punishment Game). The games are defined formally, indicating the aspects of social life that they express, and describing behavioural regularities found in experimental studies; these behavioural regularities are then interpreted in terms of preferences for reciprocity, inequity aversion, or altruism. The final sections of the chapter describe some other games anthropologists might find useful, and draw conclusions.Less
The work of the cross‐cultural behavioural experiments project presented in this book is rooted in the logic of game theory and the practices of experimental economics, and this chapter provides an introduction to the fundamentals of behavioural game theory, and the procedures and conventions of experimental economics. It starts by defining the main social preference terms used – self‐interest, altruism, reciprocity, inequity aversion, and then sketches game theory in broad terms and describes some basic features of experimental design in economics. Seven games that have proved useful in examining social preferences are introduced; these are the Prisoner's Dilemma Game, the Public Goods Game, the Ultimatum Game, the Dictator Game, the Trust Game, the Gift Exchange Game, and the Third‐Party Punishment Game). The games are defined formally, indicating the aspects of social life that they express, and describing behavioural regularities found in experimental studies; these behavioural regularities are then interpreted in terms of preferences for reciprocity, inequity aversion, or altruism. The final sections of the chapter describe some other games anthropologists might find useful, and draw conclusions.
James A. Morone and Lawrence R. Jacobs (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195170665
- eISBN:
- 9780199850204
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195170665.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
America may be one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but its citizens rank near the bottom in health status. Americans have lower life expectancy, more infant mortalities, and higher ...
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America may be one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but its citizens rank near the bottom in health status. Americans have lower life expectancy, more infant mortalities, and higher adolescent death rates than most other advanced industrial nations—and even some developing countries. Though Americans are famous for tolerating great inequality in wealth, the gross inequities in the health system are less well recognized. In this book, a group of health policy experts chart the stark disparities in health and wealth in the United States. The authors explain how the inequities arise, why they persist, and what makes them worse. Growing income inequality, high poverty rates, and inadequate health-care coverage: all three trends help account for the U.S.'s health troubles. The corrosive effects of market ideology and government stalemate, the contributors argue, have also proved a powerful obstacle to effective and more egalitarian solutions. A call for a populist uprising to end the stalemate over health reform, the book outlines concrete policy proposals for reform—tapping bold new ideas as well as incremental changes to existing programs.Less
America may be one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but its citizens rank near the bottom in health status. Americans have lower life expectancy, more infant mortalities, and higher adolescent death rates than most other advanced industrial nations—and even some developing countries. Though Americans are famous for tolerating great inequality in wealth, the gross inequities in the health system are less well recognized. In this book, a group of health policy experts chart the stark disparities in health and wealth in the United States. The authors explain how the inequities arise, why they persist, and what makes them worse. Growing income inequality, high poverty rates, and inadequate health-care coverage: all three trends help account for the U.S.'s health troubles. The corrosive effects of market ideology and government stalemate, the contributors argue, have also proved a powerful obstacle to effective and more egalitarian solutions. A call for a populist uprising to end the stalemate over health reform, the book outlines concrete policy proposals for reform—tapping bold new ideas as well as incremental changes to existing programs.
Lawrence D. Brown
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195170665
- eISBN:
- 9780199850204
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195170665.003.0046
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter argues that diminishing the scope of inequality in U.S. health care has little to do with comprehensive, enfolding policy that routs inequality. Rather, it has much to do with ...
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This chapter argues that diminishing the scope of inequality in U.S. health care has little to do with comprehensive, enfolding policy that routs inequality. Rather, it has much to do with incremental measures won by myriad coalitions that work their way slowly down lists of inequities that are, literally, infinite. Incrementalism in U.S. health policy is not that it is the best, or even a very good, approach, but rather that it is, politically, as good as it gets.Less
This chapter argues that diminishing the scope of inequality in U.S. health care has little to do with comprehensive, enfolding policy that routs inequality. Rather, it has much to do with incremental measures won by myriad coalitions that work their way slowly down lists of inequities that are, literally, infinite. Incrementalism in U.S. health policy is not that it is the best, or even a very good, approach, but rather that it is, politically, as good as it gets.
Eric Rakowski
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198240792
- eISBN:
- 9780191680274
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198240792.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
Although option luck affects the size of people's holdings and their ability to cope with calamity, brute luck is often the more important arbiter of people's material and psychological well-being. ...
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Although option luck affects the size of people's holdings and their ability to cope with calamity, brute luck is often the more important arbiter of people's material and psychological well-being. However, it gives rise to inequities. This chapter takes up the problems posed by bad brute luck in two of its most conspicuous forms — illness and injury. The situation to which normal adults fall when they are afflicted with diseases or injured in accidents for no fault of their own are a case in point. To the extent that they have not increased the probability of their falling prey to a particular disease or being injured, they have unquestionably suffered bad brute luck.Less
Although option luck affects the size of people's holdings and their ability to cope with calamity, brute luck is often the more important arbiter of people's material and psychological well-being. However, it gives rise to inequities. This chapter takes up the problems posed by bad brute luck in two of its most conspicuous forms — illness and injury. The situation to which normal adults fall when they are afflicted with diseases or injured in accidents for no fault of their own are a case in point. To the extent that they have not increased the probability of their falling prey to a particular disease or being injured, they have unquestionably suffered bad brute luck.
Llewellyn J. Cornelius and Donna Harrington
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- August 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199739301
- eISBN:
- 9780190222499
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199739301.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Research and Evaluation
This book draws heavily on current discussions regarding social justice, equity, health disparities, and social determinants of health to provide a framework for researchers to use, both to engage in ...
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This book draws heavily on current discussions regarding social justice, equity, health disparities, and social determinants of health to provide a framework for researchers to use, both to engage in social justice research as well as to evolve as social justice practitioners. This research book includes a framework of the continuum of social justice research, a presentation on how to provide an active voice for the community in the design and execution of research, examples of social justice data sources along with how researchers have used those data to measure social inequities, and an overview of how to analyze data, using the social justice research framework. The book also includes several in-depth case scenarios that highlight how social justice research has been used to document, monitor, and evaluate inequities encountered by under-served populations.Less
This book draws heavily on current discussions regarding social justice, equity, health disparities, and social determinants of health to provide a framework for researchers to use, both to engage in social justice research as well as to evolve as social justice practitioners. This research book includes a framework of the continuum of social justice research, a presentation on how to provide an active voice for the community in the design and execution of research, examples of social justice data sources along with how researchers have used those data to measure social inequities, and an overview of how to analyze data, using the social justice research framework. The book also includes several in-depth case scenarios that highlight how social justice research has been used to document, monitor, and evaluate inequities encountered by under-served populations.
Johanna Hanefeld
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198703358
- eISBN:
- 9780191772603
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198703358.003.0005
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter reflects health inequities from the perspective of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It highlights the difficulties facing those working with extremely limited (often unstable) ...
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This chapter reflects health inequities from the perspective of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It highlights the difficulties facing those working with extremely limited (often unstable) resources and data, and considers the challenges this situation poses for the idea that popular theories of health inequities can be internationally applied. Where health inequities have been a focus of discussion in LMICs, they have primarily been articulated as inequities in access to health services and/or treatments (in contrast to the focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in high-income settings). However, this is now changing with the international spread of NCDs, requiring broader efforts to address social determinants. Despite this, the chapter argues that the challenges to addressing health inequities in LMICs are unlikely to be best served by exporting research, ideas, and interventions from high-income settings. Rather, health inequities may be more effectively challenged via social justice (or rights-based) movements.Less
This chapter reflects health inequities from the perspective of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It highlights the difficulties facing those working with extremely limited (often unstable) resources and data, and considers the challenges this situation poses for the idea that popular theories of health inequities can be internationally applied. Where health inequities have been a focus of discussion in LMICs, they have primarily been articulated as inequities in access to health services and/or treatments (in contrast to the focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in high-income settings). However, this is now changing with the international spread of NCDs, requiring broader efforts to address social determinants. Despite this, the chapter argues that the challenges to addressing health inequities in LMICs are unlikely to be best served by exporting research, ideas, and interventions from high-income settings. Rather, health inequities may be more effectively challenged via social justice (or rights-based) movements.
Donna M. Wilson and Deepthi Mohankumar
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199599400
- eISBN:
- 9780191739170
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199599400.003.0076
- Subject:
- Palliative Care, Patient Care and End-of-Life Decision Making, Palliative Medicine Research
This chapter highlights groups that are under-served and otherwise disadvantaged at the end of life. It focuses on people who live in rural or remote areas. Despite some important benefits to living ...
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This chapter highlights groups that are under-served and otherwise disadvantaged at the end of life. It focuses on people who live in rural or remote areas. Despite some important benefits to living and dying outside metropolitan areas, rural/remote persons are often disadvantaged as they reach the end of life, and in many different ways. Although it is impossible to highlight all global issues, the chapter summarizes relevant current research and emphasizes key aspects of rural/remote inequity for attention. Some comparative points about urban under-served groups are also made, as it would be unfair to categorize all people who live in or near cities as having better end-of-life care chances than rural/remote persons.Less
This chapter highlights groups that are under-served and otherwise disadvantaged at the end of life. It focuses on people who live in rural or remote areas. Despite some important benefits to living and dying outside metropolitan areas, rural/remote persons are often disadvantaged as they reach the end of life, and in many different ways. Although it is impossible to highlight all global issues, the chapter summarizes relevant current research and emphasizes key aspects of rural/remote inequity for attention. Some comparative points about urban under-served groups are also made, as it would be unfair to categorize all people who live in or near cities as having better end-of-life care chances than rural/remote persons.
Anna Lora-Wainwright
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824836825
- eISBN:
- 9780824871093
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824836825.001.0001
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Asian Cultural Anthropology
Numerous reports of “cancer villages” have appeared in the past decade in both Chinese and Western media, highlighting the downside of China's economic development. Less generally known is how people ...
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Numerous reports of “cancer villages” have appeared in the past decade in both Chinese and Western media, highlighting the downside of China's economic development. Less generally known is how people experience and understand cancer in areas where there is no agreement on its cause. Who or what do they blame? How do they cope with its onset? This book offers a bottom-up account of how rural families strive to make sense of cancer and care for sufferers. It addresses crucial areas of concern such as health, development, morality, and social change in an effort to understand what is at stake in the contemporary Chinese countryside. Encounters with cancer are instances in which social and moral fault lines may become visible. The book is an exploration of the social inequities endemic to post-1949 China and the enduring rural–urban divide that continues to challenge social justice in the People's Republic of China. In-depth case studies present villagers' “fight for breath” as both a physical and social struggle to reclaim a moral life, ensure family and neighborly support, and critique the state for its uneven welfare provision. The book depicts their suffering as lived experience, but also as embedded in domestic economies and in the commodification of care that has placed the burden on families and individuals.Less
Numerous reports of “cancer villages” have appeared in the past decade in both Chinese and Western media, highlighting the downside of China's economic development. Less generally known is how people experience and understand cancer in areas where there is no agreement on its cause. Who or what do they blame? How do they cope with its onset? This book offers a bottom-up account of how rural families strive to make sense of cancer and care for sufferers. It addresses crucial areas of concern such as health, development, morality, and social change in an effort to understand what is at stake in the contemporary Chinese countryside. Encounters with cancer are instances in which social and moral fault lines may become visible. The book is an exploration of the social inequities endemic to post-1949 China and the enduring rural–urban divide that continues to challenge social justice in the People's Republic of China. In-depth case studies present villagers' “fight for breath” as both a physical and social struggle to reclaim a moral life, ensure family and neighborly support, and critique the state for its uneven welfare provision. The book depicts their suffering as lived experience, but also as embedded in domestic economies and in the commodification of care that has placed the burden on families and individuals.
Timothy Evans, Margaret Whitehead, Finn Diderichsen, Abbas Bhuiya, and Meg Wirth (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195137408
- eISBN:
- 9780199863983
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195137408.001.0001
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This book is concerned with the research and policy analysis of the Global Health Equity Initiative (GHEI). It gives a truly global perspective on health equity, with contributors from each country. ...
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This book is concerned with the research and policy analysis of the Global Health Equity Initiative (GHEI). It gives a truly global perspective on health equity, with contributors from each country. Reflecting the purpose of the GHEI itself, this book aims to contribute to the building of global capacity to measure, monitor, and interpret developments in health equity at national and international levels to underpin action. A conscious effort is made to focus analysis on inequities in health status, rather than access to health services, and on health inequities within countries, rather than the more often discussed inequities between countries. Insights about health equity from fields of epidemiology, demography, economics, and social science are brought to life in country studies from Bangladesh, Chile, China, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. The book is organized around four key elements that structure a systematic response to inequities in health: establishing and strengthening share values, describing the health divide and analyzing causes, tackling the root causes of inequities in health, and reducing the negative consequences of ill health and building more equitable health care systems. The last part offers insights into developing the policy response to inequities in health from a global perspective.Less
This book is concerned with the research and policy analysis of the Global Health Equity Initiative (GHEI). It gives a truly global perspective on health equity, with contributors from each country. Reflecting the purpose of the GHEI itself, this book aims to contribute to the building of global capacity to measure, monitor, and interpret developments in health equity at national and international levels to underpin action. A conscious effort is made to focus analysis on inequities in health status, rather than access to health services, and on health inequities within countries, rather than the more often discussed inequities between countries. Insights about health equity from fields of epidemiology, demography, economics, and social science are brought to life in country studies from Bangladesh, Chile, China, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam. The book is organized around four key elements that structure a systematic response to inequities in health: establishing and strengthening share values, describing the health divide and analyzing causes, tackling the root causes of inequities in health, and reducing the negative consequences of ill health and building more equitable health care systems. The last part offers insights into developing the policy response to inequities in health from a global perspective.
Nancy Krieger
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195383874
- eISBN:
- 9780199893607
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195383874.001.0001
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
Epidemiology is often referred to as the science of public health. However, unlike other major sciences, its theoretical foundations are rarely articulated. While the idea of epidemiologic theory may ...
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Epidemiology is often referred to as the science of public health. However, unlike other major sciences, its theoretical foundations are rarely articulated. While the idea of epidemiologic theory may seem dry and arcane, it is at its core about explaining the people's health. It is about life and death. It is about biology and society. It is about ecology and the economy. It is about how myriad aspects of people's lives—involving work, dignity, desire, love, play, conflict, discrimination, and injustice—become literally incorporated into our bodies and manifest in our health status, individually and collectively. And it is about essential knowledge critical for improving the people's health and minimizing inequitable burdens of disease, disability, and death. Tracing the history and contours of epidemiologic from ancient societies on through the development of—and debates within—contemporary epidemiology worldwide, this book shows how epidemiologic theory has long shaped epidemiologic practice, knowledge, and the politics of public health. Outlining an ecosocial theory of disease distribution that situates both population health and epidemiologic theory in societal and ecologic context, it offers a more holistic picture of how we embody the human experience.Less
Epidemiology is often referred to as the science of public health. However, unlike other major sciences, its theoretical foundations are rarely articulated. While the idea of epidemiologic theory may seem dry and arcane, it is at its core about explaining the people's health. It is about life and death. It is about biology and society. It is about ecology and the economy. It is about how myriad aspects of people's lives—involving work, dignity, desire, love, play, conflict, discrimination, and injustice—become literally incorporated into our bodies and manifest in our health status, individually and collectively. And it is about essential knowledge critical for improving the people's health and minimizing inequitable burdens of disease, disability, and death. Tracing the history and contours of epidemiologic from ancient societies on through the development of—and debates within—contemporary epidemiology worldwide, this book shows how epidemiologic theory has long shaped epidemiologic practice, knowledge, and the politics of public health. Outlining an ecosocial theory of disease distribution that situates both population health and epidemiologic theory in societal and ecologic context, it offers a more holistic picture of how we embody the human experience.
Richard J. Wolitski, Ron Stall, and Ronald O. Valdiserri (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195301533
- eISBN:
- 9780199863815
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195301533.001.0001
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
Most public health students, academicians, and practitioners readily recognize the association between racial/ethnic minority status and the disproportionate burden of preventable disease in the ...
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Most public health students, academicians, and practitioners readily recognize the association between racial/ethnic minority status and the disproportionate burden of preventable disease in the United States. However, much less attention has been directed toward health disparities that affect gay and bisexual men. Until recently, the relative invisibility of this group, homophobia, and a lack of empirical data have hampered attempts to identify and characterize health disparities in this population. This book represents a comprehensive effort to review and synthesize evidence of health disparities among gay and bisexual men. It examines the evidence documenting health disparities across a wide range of health problems including mental health, suicide, alcohol use, tobacco use, drug use, violent victimization (hate crimes and intimate partner violence), sexual abuse, sexually transmitted infections, hepatitis, and HIV and AIDS. This book identifies individual and societal factors that contribute to these disparities and articulates how these “syndemics” or co-occurring and interacting epidemics may arise as a result of developmental experiences that are common to the lives of many gay and bisexual men in contemporary American society. Specific consideration is given to health care issues and the unique concerns and experiences of racial/ethnic minorities, younger men, and older men. Most important, this book identifies key directions for future research and articulates much-needed strategies for eliminating the multiple health disparities experienced by gay and bisexual men in the United States.Less
Most public health students, academicians, and practitioners readily recognize the association between racial/ethnic minority status and the disproportionate burden of preventable disease in the United States. However, much less attention has been directed toward health disparities that affect gay and bisexual men. Until recently, the relative invisibility of this group, homophobia, and a lack of empirical data have hampered attempts to identify and characterize health disparities in this population. This book represents a comprehensive effort to review and synthesize evidence of health disparities among gay and bisexual men. It examines the evidence documenting health disparities across a wide range of health problems including mental health, suicide, alcohol use, tobacco use, drug use, violent victimization (hate crimes and intimate partner violence), sexual abuse, sexually transmitted infections, hepatitis, and HIV and AIDS. This book identifies individual and societal factors that contribute to these disparities and articulates how these “syndemics” or co-occurring and interacting epidemics may arise as a result of developmental experiences that are common to the lives of many gay and bisexual men in contemporary American society. Specific consideration is given to health care issues and the unique concerns and experiences of racial/ethnic minorities, younger men, and older men. Most important, this book identifies key directions for future research and articulates much-needed strategies for eliminating the multiple health disparities experienced by gay and bisexual men in the United States.
Katherine Marshall
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199827978
- eISBN:
- 9780199933020
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199827978.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter argues that while the links between both ideas and practice that touch on religion and development are legion, an exploration of what that really means, intellectually and in practice, ...
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This chapter argues that while the links between both ideas and practice that touch on religion and development are legion, an exploration of what that really means, intellectually and in practice, is still tentative and quite fragmented. The limitations in systematic investigation of the topic have several explanations. A prime reason is the breadth and complexity of the institutions and issues involved. Special sensitivities around the religion development nexus is another. Perhaps most significant is the historically shaped segmentation of language, relationships, and perspectives among different types of institutions. Despite much overlap and many synergies, the two worlds (development and faith) have largely operated in separate universes, with different institutional, intellectual, and ideological frames. The resulting disconnects and frictions can result in wasted resources and in the kind of tensions that sap will and operational efficiency. They dampen the potential energy and ingenuity that can come from creative partnerships among these different institutions. They matter above all because they represent missed opportunities in the global effort to confront the challenges of global poverty and inequity.Less
This chapter argues that while the links between both ideas and practice that touch on religion and development are legion, an exploration of what that really means, intellectually and in practice, is still tentative and quite fragmented. The limitations in systematic investigation of the topic have several explanations. A prime reason is the breadth and complexity of the institutions and issues involved. Special sensitivities around the religion development nexus is another. Perhaps most significant is the historically shaped segmentation of language, relationships, and perspectives among different types of institutions. Despite much overlap and many synergies, the two worlds (development and faith) have largely operated in separate universes, with different institutional, intellectual, and ideological frames. The resulting disconnects and frictions can result in wasted resources and in the kind of tensions that sap will and operational efficiency. They dampen the potential energy and ingenuity that can come from creative partnerships among these different institutions. They matter above all because they represent missed opportunities in the global effort to confront the challenges of global poverty and inequity.
Judith Healy and Martin McKee
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780198516187
- eISBN:
- 9780191723681
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198516187.003.0005
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
The poorer health of lower income groups is well documented. While health care services are only one among many determinants of health, access to health care is important in reducing poverty and ...
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The poorer health of lower income groups is well documented. While health care services are only one among many determinants of health, access to health care is important in reducing poverty and social exclusion. Should health services target lower income groups? This is a contentious issue since the founding assumption of a national health care system is that collective services would reach everyone and produce better health for all. But a universal health service should make more effort to reach the worst off in society. Health systems should monitor and improve their responses to low-income people in terms of access and quality.Less
The poorer health of lower income groups is well documented. While health care services are only one among many determinants of health, access to health care is important in reducing poverty and social exclusion. Should health services target lower income groups? This is a contentious issue since the founding assumption of a national health care system is that collective services would reach everyone and produce better health for all. But a universal health service should make more effort to reach the worst off in society. Health systems should monitor and improve their responses to low-income people in terms of access and quality.
Gerald M. Oppenheimer and Ronald Bayer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195307306
- eISBN:
- 9780199863976
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195307306.003.0004
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter first portrays the rationing of care in the pre-antiretroviral era, as doctors and nurses confronted claims by administrators and colleagues that treating people with HIV represented a ...
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This chapter first portrays the rationing of care in the pre-antiretroviral era, as doctors and nurses confronted claims by administrators and colleagues that treating people with HIV represented a waste of limited resources. It captures the sense of despair or outrage among clinicians who faced financial obstacles to providing what they believed was appropriate care. It discusses the hope and anguish experienced by doctors and nurses when the personal fortunes of some patients permitted their access to new, powerful anti-HIV available in the United States and Europe, while other, less privileged patients continued to suffer and die. Finally, the chapter traces the sense of dismay among clinicians over President Thabo Mbeki; the government that bore the mantle of victory over apartheid had itself become the most important obstacle to providing life-extending treatment to millions with HIV in South Africa.Less
This chapter first portrays the rationing of care in the pre-antiretroviral era, as doctors and nurses confronted claims by administrators and colleagues that treating people with HIV represented a waste of limited resources. It captures the sense of despair or outrage among clinicians who faced financial obstacles to providing what they believed was appropriate care. It discusses the hope and anguish experienced by doctors and nurses when the personal fortunes of some patients permitted their access to new, powerful anti-HIV available in the United States and Europe, while other, less privileged patients continued to suffer and die. Finally, the chapter traces the sense of dismay among clinicians over President Thabo Mbeki; the government that bore the mantle of victory over apartheid had itself become the most important obstacle to providing life-extending treatment to millions with HIV in South Africa.
Gerald M. Oppenheimer and Ronald Bayer
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195307306
- eISBN:
- 9780199863976
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195307306.003.0007
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This introductory chapter describes the apartheid regime, particularly as it shaped the health care system. It provides readers with an understanding of what it was like for the men and women they ...
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This introductory chapter describes the apartheid regime, particularly as it shaped the health care system. It provides readers with an understanding of what it was like for the men and women they will encounter in Shattered Dreams to grow up under apartheid, struggle against it, and experience its violent last years. It also offers a portrait of what a racially divided health care system was like, with its deep inequalities and absurdities. It was this health care system that would be handed on to the new democratic government that came to power in 1994, just as the AIDS epidemic began its explosive rise.Less
This introductory chapter describes the apartheid regime, particularly as it shaped the health care system. It provides readers with an understanding of what it was like for the men and women they will encounter in Shattered Dreams to grow up under apartheid, struggle against it, and experience its violent last years. It also offers a portrait of what a racially divided health care system was like, with its deep inequalities and absurdities. It was this health care system that would be handed on to the new democratic government that came to power in 1994, just as the AIDS epidemic began its explosive rise.
Nancy Krieger
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195383874
- eISBN:
- 9780199893607
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195383874.003.0007
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
Chapter 7 introduces a newer variant of social epidemiologic theory: ecologically-informed approaches, especially the ecosocial theory of disease distribution, first proposed by this book's author in ...
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Chapter 7 introduces a newer variant of social epidemiologic theory: ecologically-informed approaches, especially the ecosocial theory of disease distribution, first proposed by this book's author in 1994. To situate ecosocial theory, the chapter briefly reviews ecology's origins and current conceptual debates in the field. It then explicates key aspects of ecosocial theory, which systematically links social and biological processes across levels and diverse spatiotemporal scales, paying heed to lifecourse and historical generation, to political economy, and to interrelationships between—and accountability for—diverse forms of social inequality. A central emphasis is on embodiment, referring to how we literally incorporate, biologically, in societal and ecologic context, the material and social world in which we live. Also germane are the cumulative interplay of exposure, susceptibility and resistance, as well as accountability and agency: both for social disparities in health and research to explain these inequities. Parallels to political ecology are also discussed.Less
Chapter 7 introduces a newer variant of social epidemiologic theory: ecologically-informed approaches, especially the ecosocial theory of disease distribution, first proposed by this book's author in 1994. To situate ecosocial theory, the chapter briefly reviews ecology's origins and current conceptual debates in the field. It then explicates key aspects of ecosocial theory, which systematically links social and biological processes across levels and diverse spatiotemporal scales, paying heed to lifecourse and historical generation, to political economy, and to interrelationships between—and accountability for—diverse forms of social inequality. A central emphasis is on embodiment, referring to how we literally incorporate, biologically, in societal and ecologic context, the material and social world in which we live. Also germane are the cumulative interplay of exposure, susceptibility and resistance, as well as accountability and agency: both for social disparities in health and research to explain these inequities. Parallels to political ecology are also discussed.
Nancy Krieger
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195383874
- eISBN:
- 9780199893607
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195383874.003.0008
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
Chapter 8 analyzes how people's health has been harmed—or helped—depending on epidemiologic theory employed. For “harm,” case examples are: (1) hormone therapy, cardiovascular disease, and breast ...
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Chapter 8 analyzes how people's health has been harmed—or helped—depending on epidemiologic theory employed. For “harm,” case examples are: (1) hormone therapy, cardiovascular disease, and breast cancer, with iatrogenic disease resulting from biomedical disregard for social determinants of health; (2) peptic ulcers, H. pylori, and allergies, contrasting psychosocial and biomedical extremes; (3) diabetes and Indigenous health, tracing theorizing from “thrifty genes” and racialized disease to reckoning with the transgenerational biological embodiment of social and ecological injustice; and (4) the impact of curtailing and depoliticizing relevant timeframes for analyzing temporal trends in health inequities. For “help,” they are: (a) improving public health surveillance systems; (b) exposing discrimination as a determinant of health inequities; and (c) new national policies and global recommendations to promote health equity. Looking ahead, the chapter argues that the science of epidemiology can be improved by consciously embracing, developing, and debating epidemiologic theories of disease distribution.Less
Chapter 8 analyzes how people's health has been harmed—or helped—depending on epidemiologic theory employed. For “harm,” case examples are: (1) hormone therapy, cardiovascular disease, and breast cancer, with iatrogenic disease resulting from biomedical disregard for social determinants of health; (2) peptic ulcers, H. pylori, and allergies, contrasting psychosocial and biomedical extremes; (3) diabetes and Indigenous health, tracing theorizing from “thrifty genes” and racialized disease to reckoning with the transgenerational biological embodiment of social and ecological injustice; and (4) the impact of curtailing and depoliticizing relevant timeframes for analyzing temporal trends in health inequities. For “help,” they are: (a) improving public health surveillance systems; (b) exposing discrimination as a determinant of health inequities; and (c) new national policies and global recommendations to promote health equity. Looking ahead, the chapter argues that the science of epidemiology can be improved by consciously embracing, developing, and debating epidemiologic theories of disease distribution.
ABBAS BHUIYA, MUSHTAQUE CHOWDHURY, FARUQUE AHMED, and ALAYNE M. ADAMS
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195137408
- eISBN:
- 9780199863983
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195137408.003.0016
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter describes the separate and joint health benefits arising from a rural development program designed to promote the rights and status of poor women, and a maternal child health program in ...
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This chapter describes the separate and joint health benefits arising from a rural development program designed to promote the rights and status of poor women, and a maternal child health program in rural Bangladesh. The case study is remarkable in that the interventions have been accompanied by reductions in inequities in health—differentials between socioeconomic and gender groups in child mortality have narrowed dramatically in the past two decades. Not only has mortality declined across all groups, but the greatest absolute and relative gains in child mortality were experienced by girls from the poorest households. This example of intervention research provides a valuable model with which to gather further empirical evidence on the ways to reduce socioeconomic and gender inequities in health.Less
This chapter describes the separate and joint health benefits arising from a rural development program designed to promote the rights and status of poor women, and a maternal child health program in rural Bangladesh. The case study is remarkable in that the interventions have been accompanied by reductions in inequities in health—differentials between socioeconomic and gender groups in child mortality have narrowed dramatically in the past two decades. Not only has mortality declined across all groups, but the greatest absolute and relative gains in child mortality were experienced by girls from the poorest households. This example of intervention research provides a valuable model with which to gather further empirical evidence on the ways to reduce socioeconomic and gender inequities in health.
Cailin O'Connor
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- August 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198789970
- eISBN:
- 9780191880124
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198789970.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Political Philosophy
The central aim of this book is to explore the ways in which social categories—especially gender, but also categories like race and religion—interact with and contribute to social solutions to ...
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The central aim of this book is to explore the ways in which social categories—especially gender, but also categories like race and religion—interact with and contribute to social solutions to problems of coordination and resource division. In particular, this book uses formal frameworks—game theory and evolutionary game theory—to explore the cultural evolution of conventions that piggyback on seemingly irrelevant factors like gender and race. As I argue, these frameworks elucidate a variety of topics. In particular, these frameworks help show how inequity can emerge from simple processes of cultural change. In groups with gender and racial categories, the process of learning conventions of coordination and resource division is such that under a wide array of situations some groups will tend to get more and others less. One theme that runs throughout the book is that surprisingly minimal conditions are needed to robustly produce phenomena related to inequity that we usually think of as psychologically complex. It takes very little to generate a situation in which social categories (like gender) are almost guaranteed to emerge. The preconditions under which models move toward outcomes that look like discrimination are, again, very minimal. Once inequity emerges in these models, it takes very little for it to persist indefinitely. Thus, we need to think of inequity as part of an ever-evolving process. It is not something we can expect to fix and be done with. Along these lines, the picture I present is ultimately one where those concerned with social justice must remain vigilant against the dynamic forces that push toward inequity.Less
The central aim of this book is to explore the ways in which social categories—especially gender, but also categories like race and religion—interact with and contribute to social solutions to problems of coordination and resource division. In particular, this book uses formal frameworks—game theory and evolutionary game theory—to explore the cultural evolution of conventions that piggyback on seemingly irrelevant factors like gender and race. As I argue, these frameworks elucidate a variety of topics. In particular, these frameworks help show how inequity can emerge from simple processes of cultural change. In groups with gender and racial categories, the process of learning conventions of coordination and resource division is such that under a wide array of situations some groups will tend to get more and others less. One theme that runs throughout the book is that surprisingly minimal conditions are needed to robustly produce phenomena related to inequity that we usually think of as psychologically complex. It takes very little to generate a situation in which social categories (like gender) are almost guaranteed to emerge. The preconditions under which models move toward outcomes that look like discrimination are, again, very minimal. Once inequity emerges in these models, it takes very little for it to persist indefinitely. Thus, we need to think of inequity as part of an ever-evolving process. It is not something we can expect to fix and be done with. Along these lines, the picture I present is ultimately one where those concerned with social justice must remain vigilant against the dynamic forces that push toward inequity.
TIMOTHY EVANS, MARGARET WHITEHEAD, FINN DIDERICHSEN, ABBAS BHUIYA, and MEG WIRTH
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195137408
- eISBN:
- 9780199863983
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195137408.003.0001
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter introduces the issue of unacceptable disparities in health that exist between different groups within societies: between poor, middle-income and rich groups, between urban and rural, and ...
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This chapter introduces the issue of unacceptable disparities in health that exist between different groups within societies: between poor, middle-income and rich groups, between urban and rural, and between black and white/ethnic populations within countries. It sets the scene for the rest of the book by outlining the meaning of “health equity” and its converse, “inequities in health”; why the issue is considered a major challenge to public health, and how countries could go about measuring and tackling observed inequities. It draws on evidence in the subsequent chapters from thirteen countries around the globe. The challenge, as seen throughout this book, is not merely the promotion of health, but a fair chance for all to achieve it.Less
This chapter introduces the issue of unacceptable disparities in health that exist between different groups within societies: between poor, middle-income and rich groups, between urban and rural, and between black and white/ethnic populations within countries. It sets the scene for the rest of the book by outlining the meaning of “health equity” and its converse, “inequities in health”; why the issue is considered a major challenge to public health, and how countries could go about measuring and tackling observed inequities. It draws on evidence in the subsequent chapters from thirteen countries around the globe. The challenge, as seen throughout this book, is not merely the promotion of health, but a fair chance for all to achieve it.
