Financial crisis, austerity, and health in Europe
The financial crisis in Europe has posed major threats and opportunities to health. We trace the origins of the economic crisis in Europe and the responses of governments, examine the effect on health systems, and review the effects of previous economic downturns on health to predict the likely cons...
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ftlondoneconom:oai:eprints.lse.ac.uk:49614 2024-05-19T07:42:53+00:00 Financial crisis, austerity, and health in Europe Karanikolos, Marina Mladovsky, Philipa Cylus, Jonathan Thomson, Sarah Basu, Sanjay Stuckler, David Mackenbach, Johan P McKee, Martin 2013-04 http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/49614/ https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60102-6 eng eng Elsevier Karanikolos, Marina, Mladovsky, Philipa orcid:0000-0001-7761-6928 , Cylus, Jonathan orcid:0000-0001-8269-1578 , Thomson, Sarah, Basu, Sanjay, Stuckler, David, Mackenbach, Johan P and McKee, Martin (2013) Financial crisis, austerity, and health in Europe. The Lancet, 381 (9874). pp. 1323-1331. ISSN 0140-6736 HC Economic History and Conditions RA Public aspects of medicine Article PeerReviewed 2013 ftlondoneconom https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60102-6 2024-04-23T23:41:12Z The financial crisis in Europe has posed major threats and opportunities to health. We trace the origins of the economic crisis in Europe and the responses of governments, examine the effect on health systems, and review the effects of previous economic downturns on health to predict the likely consequences for the present. We then compare our predictions with available evidence for the effects of the crisis on health. Whereas immediate rises in suicides and falls in road traffic deaths were anticipated, other consequences, such as HIV outbreaks, were not, and are better understood as products of state retrenchment. Greece, Spain, and Portugal adopted strict fiscal austerity; their economies continue to recede and strain on their health-care systems is growing. Suicides and outbreaks of infectious diseases are becoming more common in these countries, and budget cuts have restricted access to health care. By contrast, Iceland rejected austerity through a popular vote, and the financial crisis seems to have had few or no discernible effects on health. Although there are many potentially confounding differences between countries, our analysis suggests that, although recessions pose risks to health, the interaction of fiscal austerity with economic shocks and weak social protection is what ultimately seems to escalate health and social crises in Europe. Policy decisions about how to respond to economic crises have pronounced and unintended effects on public health, yet public health voices have remained largely silent during the economic crisis. Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland The London School of Economics and Political Science: LSE Research Online The Lancet 381 9874 1323 1331 |
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Open Polar |
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The London School of Economics and Political Science: LSE Research Online |
op_collection_id |
ftlondoneconom |
language |
English |
topic |
HC Economic History and Conditions RA Public aspects of medicine |
spellingShingle |
HC Economic History and Conditions RA Public aspects of medicine Karanikolos, Marina Mladovsky, Philipa Cylus, Jonathan Thomson, Sarah Basu, Sanjay Stuckler, David Mackenbach, Johan P McKee, Martin Financial crisis, austerity, and health in Europe |
topic_facet |
HC Economic History and Conditions RA Public aspects of medicine |
description |
The financial crisis in Europe has posed major threats and opportunities to health. We trace the origins of the economic crisis in Europe and the responses of governments, examine the effect on health systems, and review the effects of previous economic downturns on health to predict the likely consequences for the present. We then compare our predictions with available evidence for the effects of the crisis on health. Whereas immediate rises in suicides and falls in road traffic deaths were anticipated, other consequences, such as HIV outbreaks, were not, and are better understood as products of state retrenchment. Greece, Spain, and Portugal adopted strict fiscal austerity; their economies continue to recede and strain on their health-care systems is growing. Suicides and outbreaks of infectious diseases are becoming more common in these countries, and budget cuts have restricted access to health care. By contrast, Iceland rejected austerity through a popular vote, and the financial crisis seems to have had few or no discernible effects on health. Although there are many potentially confounding differences between countries, our analysis suggests that, although recessions pose risks to health, the interaction of fiscal austerity with economic shocks and weak social protection is what ultimately seems to escalate health and social crises in Europe. Policy decisions about how to respond to economic crises have pronounced and unintended effects on public health, yet public health voices have remained largely silent during the economic crisis. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Karanikolos, Marina Mladovsky, Philipa Cylus, Jonathan Thomson, Sarah Basu, Sanjay Stuckler, David Mackenbach, Johan P McKee, Martin |
author_facet |
Karanikolos, Marina Mladovsky, Philipa Cylus, Jonathan Thomson, Sarah Basu, Sanjay Stuckler, David Mackenbach, Johan P McKee, Martin |
author_sort |
Karanikolos, Marina |
title |
Financial crisis, austerity, and health in Europe |
title_short |
Financial crisis, austerity, and health in Europe |
title_full |
Financial crisis, austerity, and health in Europe |
title_fullStr |
Financial crisis, austerity, and health in Europe |
title_full_unstemmed |
Financial crisis, austerity, and health in Europe |
title_sort |
financial crisis, austerity, and health in europe |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/49614/ https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60102-6 |
genre |
Iceland |
genre_facet |
Iceland |
op_relation |
Karanikolos, Marina, Mladovsky, Philipa orcid:0000-0001-7761-6928 , Cylus, Jonathan orcid:0000-0001-8269-1578 , Thomson, Sarah, Basu, Sanjay, Stuckler, David, Mackenbach, Johan P and McKee, Martin (2013) Financial crisis, austerity, and health in Europe. The Lancet, 381 (9874). pp. 1323-1331. ISSN 0140-6736 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60102-6 |
container_title |
The Lancet |
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381 |
container_issue |
9874 |
container_start_page |
1323 |
op_container_end_page |
1331 |
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1799482583847796736 |