Cancelled - Health inequalities in Europe: Why so persistent?

11 March 2020 - Coronavirus: update
All public events at the WZB have to be cancelled with immediate effect. This measure will be effective until 20 July 2020. It is based on today's decision by the Governing Mayor of Berlin to introduce a range of urgent measures for Berlin's research institutions to counter the further spread of the Corona-virus.

Johan P. Mackenbach, University Medical Center Rotterdam

Inequalities in health between people with lower and higher socioeconomic status are found all over the world, even in European countries with highly developed welfare systems. These inequalities are very large, and show no clear tendency of narrowing. But why do poor people continue to live in worse health and tend to die earlier? In his presentation, Johan P. Mackenbach will show the results of a series of comparative studies of health inequalities in 20 European countries, which help identify the factors determining the magnitude of health inequalities while offering plausible reasons for why they persist. His presentation will draw on his recent book ‘Health Inequalities: Persistence and change in European welfare states’ published last September by Oxford University Press.

Discussant: Verena Vogt, TU Berlin
Moderated by: Jan Paul Heisig, WZB

Johan P. Mackenbach is Professor of Public Health, Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Netherlands. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on health inequalities and has authored or co-authored more than 500 scientific and general interest publications.

Verena Vogt is junior professor for health care services research and quality management in the ambulatory care sector at the Berlin University of Technology.

Jan Paul Heisig is head of the Research Group “Health and Social Inequality” at the WZB.