Author(s)

; ;

Publisher

Publication Year

ISBN: 9781771860642

Categories: , , , , ,

 
View more details about this title
on the publisher's website:

Scandinavian Common Sense

Policies to Tackle Social Inequalities in Health

When some claim austerity is the only answer to today’s economic woes, a close look at the best practices in Scandinavia and Finland gives pause for thought.

Cited as models for their egalitarian social and health policies, these countries also have thriving economies where the gap dividing rich from poor is smaller than elsewhere. Despite their quasi mythic status, the policies implemented to combat inequalities in health are neither well known nor understood.

Policies discussed in Scandinavian Common Sense include education, housing, conciliation of work and family life, daycare, sustainable development and more. For these policies to be part of political debate, be it in Quebec, Canada, the United States or elsewhere, they must be in the public domain. That is the purpose of this book.

Contributors

Marie-France Raynault

Marie-France Raynault (MD, MSc Epidemiology, FRCP(c), FCAHS) is a medical doctor specialized in public health. She heads the Département de médecine préventive et santé publique at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal. She also heads the Lea Roback Research Centre, which she co-founded. Throughout her career, her main interest has been the health of the poor.

Dominique Côté

Dominique Côté (MA Sociology) is a researcher in health and social services. Her Master’s thesis on the family and work-life balancing policies of the Nordic countries. She is a research officer at the Lea Roback Research Centre.

Sébastien Chartrand

Sébastien Chartrand (PhD Sociology) studied community organizations in Sweden at Stockholm University. He also worked as a research officer for the Lea Roback Research Center. Now he teaches in Germany.

Chapter Title Contents Contributors Pages Year Price

Preview

The introduction outlines the book’s goal of examining the strengths of the Nordic model by studying and evaluating the strengths of these countries’ public policies; it states that … ; ; 6 $0.60

Preview

The existence of social inequalities in health is now recognized as a very real and world-wide problem; this chapter examines systematic determinants of health, which are socially produced and … ; ; 13 $1.30

Preview

Social inequalities in health may now be clearly recognized, but this is not true of strategies for reducing them. This chapter describes two pioneering initiatives aimed at reducing social … ; ; 7 $0.70

Preview

Even between countries with comparable overall levels of wealth, and thus of human and material resources, international comparisons reveal great disparities between indicators of poverty and … ; ; 7 $0.70

Preview

The Nordic model — that is, the modes of governance specific to Scandinavia and Finland — is examined in this chapter. All Nordic policies that in one way or another reduce social … ; ; 18 $1.80

Preview

This chapter examines the family policies of the Nordic countries, which emphasize financial support measures, allocation of parental leave, and work-life balance. ; ; 10 $1.00

Preview

Housing conditions can have major impacts on physical and psychological health; as such, efforts to reduce social inequalities in health include fighting for access to decent housing. This … ; ; 6 $0.60

Preview

By definition, gender equity helps reduce social inequalities. Incontrovertibly women are enriched, both financially and as citizens, when they are included on an equal footing with men in all … ; ; 9 $0.90

Preview

Education has a predominant place in the Nordic countries, and it is free, of high quality, and accessible to all. This chapter examines the nature and tenets of education policies and the … ; ; 17 $1.70

Preview

This chapter focuses on the basic principles of policies of social inclusion in general, and policies for including handicapped persons, immigrants, and the homeless in particular. It covers … ; ; 17 $1.70

Preview

This chapter tackles sustainable development at the local level and highlights some projects undertaken under municipal mandates. This study is limited to the Nordic capitals — Stockholm, … ; ; 23 $2.30

Preview

This chapter outlines some critical perspectives on the Nordic model. In public health, as in economics, the complex interaction of many factors must be taken into account; therefore it is useful … ; ; 9 $0.90

Preview

The conclusion reiterates key findings and ideas from this study. It concludes that the social policies of the Nordic countries are worth exploring as they serve as inspiring examples for Quebec … ; ; 4 $0.40