Mind the Gap: A Review of The Health Gap: The Challenge of an Unequal World by Sir Michael Marmot
Journal of Economic Literature
vol. 56,
no. 3, September 2018
(pp. 1080-1101)
Abstract
The Health Gap documents the large and persistent health gaps that exist across and within relatively rich countries today. Marmot argues that in developed countries, poor health does not cause low incomes; rather, low socioeconomic status leads to poor health, but not because of proximate factors like differential health care access, which can explain only a small portion of these gaps. Therefore, to eliminate health gaps, policy should focus on the deep causes of disease: poverty, education, and occupational mobility, among others. While Marmot's ethical arguments are quite compelling, his recommendations are too strong given the current evidence. Policies need to be based on a clearer understanding of why things work, when, and for whom.Citation
Lleras-Muney, Adriana. 2018. "Mind the Gap: A Review of The Health Gap: The Challenge of an Unequal World by Sir Michael Marmot." Journal of Economic Literature, 56 (3): 1080-1101. DOI: 10.1257/jel.20171383Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H51 National Government Expenditures and Health
- I10 Health: General
- I13 Health Insurance, Public and Private
- I15 Health and Economic Development
- I18 Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
- I28 Education: Government Policy