The Routledge Handbook of the Political Economy of Health and Healthca

Description

This handbook provides a comprehensive and critical overview of the gamut of contemporary issues around health and healthcare from a political economy perspective. Its contributions present a unique challenge to prevailing economic accounts of health and healthcare, which narrowly focus on individual behaviour and market processes. Instead, the capacity of the human body to reach its full... Read more

This handbook provides a comprehensive and critical overview of the gamut of contemporary issues around health and healthcare from a political economy perspective. Its contributions present a unique challenge to prevailing economic accounts of health and healthcare, which narrowly focus on individual behaviour and market processes. Instead, the capacity of the human body to reach its full potential and the ability of society to prevent disease and cure illness are demonstrated to be shaped by a broader array of political economic processes. The material conditions in which societies produce, distribute, exchange, consume, and reproduce – and the operation of power relations therein – influence all elements of human health: from food consumption and workplace safety, to inequality, healthcare and housing, and even the biophysical conditions in which humans live.

This volume explores these concerns across five sections. First, it introduces and critically engages with a variety of established and cutting-edge theoretical perspectives in political economy to conceptualise health and healthcare – from neoclassical and behavioural economics, to Marxist and feminist approaches. The next two sections extend these insights to evaluate the neoliberalisation of health and healthcare over the past 40 years, highlighting their individualisation and commodification by the capitalist state and powerful corporations. The fourth section examines the diverse manifestation of these dynamics across a range of geographical contexts. The volume concludes with a section devoted to outlining more progressive health and healthcare arrangements, which transcend the limitations of both neoliberalism and capitalism.

This volume will be an indispensable reference work for students and scholars of political economy, health policy and politics, health economics, health geography, the sociology of health, and other health-related disciplines.

Chapters 1 & 8 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons [CC BY NC ND] 4.0 license.

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Editor(s)

Biography

David Primrose is Lecturer in Health Policy and Planning at the Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data, University of Sydney, Australia

Rodney Loeppky is in the Department of Political Science, York University, Canada.

Robin Chang is in the Department of Political Science, York University, Canada.

Critics' Reviews

‘A smorgasbord of insights into the world of healthcare, it is a celebration of the very best of political economy with its capacity to make sense of economic and social issues with immediate relevance for the health and well-being of humans.’

Fran Collyer, Professor of Sociology, University of Wollongong, and President RC08 International Sociological Association

‘This book, containing a commendably broad array of chapters by international experts, takes stock of these main strands of research and the insights they offer. Right up-to-date, it looks at the key political economic lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking to the future, it identifies what changes to political economic arrangements would be conducive to creating healthy societies. It is an eye-opener and a must-read.’

Frank Stilwell, Emeritus Professor of Political Economy, University of Sydney

‘This handbook is a vital contribution to our understanding of an impressive range of topics and critical perspectives. It diagnoses urgent shortcomings in the current system and offers constructive approaches for reducing health harms.’

Susan K. Sell, Professor of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University, and Emeritus Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University

‘The Routledge Handbook of the Political Economy of Health and Healthcare makes a superb contribution to the necessary and inevitable literature of what went wrong with the institutions responsible for the COVID-19 crisis.’

Robert Chernomas, Professor of Economics, University of Manitoba

The Routledge Handbook of the Political Economy of Health and Healthcare

Description

Table of Contents

Editor(s)

Biography

Critics' Reviews

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