Conceptualizing and researching health equity in Africa through a political economy of health lens – Rwanda in perspective

Dennis Raphael and Morris Komakech

World Development Perspectives, 2020, vol. 19, issue C

Abstract: Research on promoting health equity by reducing health inequalities in Africa presents an emerging research frontier. Concepts from the political economy of health literature such as decommodification, stratification, class mobilization, and the relative responsibility ascribed to the state, marketplace, and family in defining the quality and distribution of economic and social resources, i.e., the social determinants of health, have relevance for the African health scene. We use Rwanda as an example to show how these considerations can inform research and policy action to promote health equity in Africa. Based on evidence of Rwanda’s generally better health and narrower health inequalities than other sub-Saharan African nations, we explore some of the political, economic, and social forces promoting health equity in Rwanda. We conclude that Rwandan actions are consistent with movement towards a welfare state that acts in the service of promoting health equity.

Keywords: Health equity; Health policy; Sub-Sahara Africa; Rwanda (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452292918301565
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:wodepe:v:19:y:2020:i:c:s2452292918301565

DOI: 10.1016/j.wdp.2020.100207

Access Statistics for this article

World Development Perspectives is currently edited by Ashwini Chhatre

More articles in World Development Perspectives from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().