Download full text
(478.2Kb)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-70738-8
Exports for your reference manager
Health inequalities in Europe: Does minimum income protection make a difference?
[journal article]
Abstract Poverty, a risk factor for ill health, could be alleviated by generous welfare states. However, do generous social policies also reduce the health implications of socio-economic inequalities? This study investigates how minimum income protection is associated with socio-economic health inequalities.... view more
Poverty, a risk factor for ill health, could be alleviated by generous welfare states. However, do generous social policies also reduce the health implications of socio-economic inequalities? This study investigates how minimum income protection is associated with socio-economic health inequalities. The author hypothesises that higher benefit levels are associated with lower health inequalities between income groups. Minimum income benefits support the people most in need, and therefore should improve the health of the lowest income groups, which in turn would reduce overall health inequalities. This hypothesis is tested with the European Social Survey (2002-2012) and the SaMip dataset using three-level multilevel models, covering 26 countries. The results show a robust relationship between benefit levels and individual self-rated health. However, the hypothesis of reduced health inequalities is not completely supported, since the findings for the cross-level interactions between income quintiles and benefit levels differ for each quintile.... view less
Keywords
Europe; difference in income; poverty; health consequences; inequality; socioeconomic factors; social security; social policy; minimum income
Classification
Social Security
Medical Sociology
Free Keywords
benefit levels; income-related health inequalities; minimum income protection; social assistance; European Social Survey (ESS), 2002-2012; Social Assistance and Minimum Income Protection Interim Data Set (SaMip)
Document language
English
Publication Year
2019
Page/Pages
p. 1-20
Journal
Current Sociology (2019)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392119890657
ISSN
1461-7064
Status
Postprint; peer reviewed
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications