The role of income and social protection for inequalities in health, evidence and policy implications

Three of the most important resources for health are addressed in DRIVERS, namely childhood conditions/early development, working life/working conditions, and income and economic resources. The work has been centred on welfare states, social protection policies, incomes and health in
different social strata. The empirical research undertaken focuses on two broad issues, namely 1) how income and poverty are related to health and mortality, and 2) the importance of different aspects of social protection policies for health in different social groups over the life course. The report also addresses the economic consequences of poor health and the extent to which these consequences can be buffered by the welfare state. New data sources have been employed to assess the importance of poverty, income and income inequalities on health inequalities and to explore how social policy institutions are linked to health inequalities across the EU Member States.

Authors: O. Lundberg, M. Åberg Yngwe, K. Bergqvist, O. Sjöberg

Find the report here.