Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Various Approaches to Inequity: A Review of Literature

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Inequity in Indian Health Care

Part of the book series: India Studies in Business and Economics ((ISBE))

Abstract

This chapter reviews various theoretical and empirical studies related to health care. It covers both Indian and various countries’ experience. The countries other than India include European countries, African nations, American and Latin American countries and Asian nations. Various dimensions across geographical regions, healthcare inputs and input utilization and health outcome aspects have been synthesized through this review chapter.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adelson, Naomi. (2005). The embodiment of inequity health disparities in aboriginal Canada. Canadian Journal Of Public Health 96 (2): 545–561.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allin, S., M. Grignon, and J. Le Grand. 2010. Subjective unmet need and utilization of health care services in Canada: What are the equity implications? Social Science and Medicine 70: 465–472.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allin, S., Hernandez-Quevedo, C. and Masseria, C. 2009. Measuring equity of access to health care. In Performance measurement for health system improvement: experiences, challenges and prospects, ed. P. Smith. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allin, S., and J. Hurley. 2009. Inequity in publicly funded physician care: What is the role of private prescription drug insurance? Health Economics 18: 1218–1232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allin, Sara, Cristina Masseria, Corinna Sorenson, Irene Papanicholas and Elias Mossialos. (2007). Measuring Inequalities in access to health care. A review of indices, research note, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, European Commission Directorate General, “Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Unit E 1” - Social and Demographic Analysis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Almeida Lígia Moreira, José Peixoto Caldas, Diogo Ayres-de-Campos, and Sónia Dias. 2014. Assessing maternal healthcare inequities among migrants: a qualitative study. Cad. Saúde Pública, Rio de Janeiro, 30 (2): 333–340, fev.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anwar Iqbal, Herfina Y. Nababan, Shabnam Mostari, Aminur Rahman and Jahangir A.M. Khan. 2015. Trends and inequities in use of maternal health care services in Bangladesh, 19912011, PLoS ONE 10 (3): e0120309.doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120309.

  • Babaie, Mohammad Hasan. 2012. Inequities in health and health care between provinces of Iran: promoting equitable health care resource allocation. PhD thesis, University of Salford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Balsa, Ana I., M´aximo Rossi, and Patricia Triunfo. 2011. Horizontal inequity in access to health care in four South American cities, Revista de Econom´ıadel Rosario. 14 (1): Enero—Junio 2011. 31–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, Ross, and Pauline Barnett. 2004. Primary health care in New Zealand: problems and policy approaches. Social Policy Journal of New Zealand, 21, pp. 49–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baru, Rama, Arnab Acharya, Sanghmitra Acharya, A. K. Shiva Kumar, and K. Nagaraj. 2010. Inequities in access to health services in India: Caste, class and region. Economic & Political Weekly (EPW), xlv (38): pp. 49–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beeston, C., G. McCartney, J. Ford, E. Wimbush, S. Beck, W. MacDonald, and A. Fraser. 2014. Health inequalities policy review for the scottish ministerial task force on health inequalities. Edinburgh: NHS Health Scotland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boccolini, Cristiano Siqueira and Paulo Roberto Borges de Souza Junior. 2016. Inequities in Healthcare utilization: Results of the Brazilian National Health Survey. International Journal for Equity in Health 15 (150): 1–8. doi: 10.1186/s12939-016-0444-3.

  • Bose, Montu, and Arijita Dutta. 2015. Inequity in hospitalization care: A study on utilization of healthcare services in West Bengal, India. International Journal of Health Policy and Management 4 (1): 29–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braveman, P., and S. Gruskin. 2003. Defining equity in health. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 57: 254–258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buisman, Leander R., and Pilar García-Gómez. 2015. Inequity in inpatient healthcare utilisation 10 years after Apartheid. Development Southern Africa 32 (2): 193–208. doi:10.1080/0376835X.2014.984374.

  • Chen, Z., and K. Roy. 2009. Calculating concentration index with repetitive values of indicators of economic welfare. Journal of Health Economics 28: 169–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Doorslaer, Eddy, Cristina Masseria and Xander Koolman. 2006. Inequalities in access to medical care by income in developed countries, CMAJ 174 (2): 177–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van de Poel, Ellen, Eddy Van Doorslaer and Owen O’Donnell. 2011. Measurement of inequity in health care with heterogeneous response of use to need, TI 2011-155/3, Tinbergen Institute Discussion Paper, Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam, Gustav Mahlerplein, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. http://www.tinbergen.nl.

  • Erreygers, Guido. 2009. Correcting the concentration index. Journal of Health Economics 28 (2): 504–515.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Union agency for fundamental rights, FRA. 2013. Inequalities and multiple discrimination in access to and quality of healthcare, Schwarzenbergplatz 11—1040 Vienna—Austria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flatø, Hedda, and Huafeng Zhang. 2016. Inequity in level of healthcare utilization before and after universal health coverage reforms in China: Evidence from household surveys in Sichuan Province. International Journal for Equity in Health. 15: 96. doi: 10.1186/s12939-016-0385-x.

  • Fleurbaey, Marc, and Erik Schokkaert. 2007. Unfair inequalities in health and health care, Core Discussion Paper 2007/90, November. https://www.uclouvain.be/cps/ucl/doc/core/documents/coredp2007_90.pdf.

  • Government of Canada. 2016. The direct economic burden of socio-economic health inequalities in Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, April 11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hassanzadeh, Jafar, Abolfazl Mohammadbeigi, Babak Eshrati, Abbas Rezaianzadeh, and Abdolreza Rajaeefard. 2013. Determinants of inequity in health care services utilization in Markazi province of Iran. Iran Red Crescent Medical Journal 15 (5): 363–370. Epub 2013 May 5.

    Google Scholar 

  • John, Odaga. 2004. Health inequity in Uganda: The role of financial and non-financial barriers. Health Policy and Development 2 (3): 192–208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kakwani, N., A. Wagstaff, and E. Vandoorslaer. 1997. Socioeconomic inequalities in health: Measurement, computation, and statistical inference. Journal of Econometrics 77: 87–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Katterl, R. 2011. Socioeconomic status and accessibility to health care services in Australia, research round up, 22. Adelaide: Primary Health Care Research & Information Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kien Duy, V., H. Van Minh, K. Bao Giang, L. Weinehall, and N. Ng. 2014. Horizontal inequity in public health care service utilization for non-communicable diseases in urban Vietnam. Global Health Action 2014, 7: 24919—http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/gha.v7.24919.

  • Kim, Eunkyoung, Soonman Kwon and Ke Xu. 2013. Has income-related inequity in health care utilization and expenditures been improved? evidence from the korean national health and nutrition examination survey of 2005 and 2010. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health 46: 237–248. http://dx.doi.org/10.3961/jpmph.2013.46.5.237.

  • King, William. 2014. Is there evidence of social inequity in healthcare for coronary heart disease? an electronic-cohort analysis using record-linked, routine data. PhD thesis, Cardiff University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lam, K. K. 2014. Inequalities in health and healthcare: A study of internal migrants in shenzhen, China. (Thesis). University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR. Accessed from http://dx.doi.org/10.5353/th_b5435627.

  • Legrand, J. 1991. Equity and choice: an essay in economics and applied philosophy. London: HarperCollins Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, Weon-Young, and Ian Shaw. 2014. The impact of out-of-pocket payments on health care inequity: the case of national health insurance in South Korea. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health 11: 7304–7318. doi: 10.3390/ijerph110707304.

  • Leu, Robert E., and Martin Schellhorn. 2004. The evolution of income-related inequalities in health care utilization in Switzerland over time, Discussion Paper No. 1316, Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit, Institute for the Study of Labor, September, IZA, P.O. Box 7240 53072 Bonn, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levy, Jennifer, Donna Ansara, and Andi Stover. 2013. Racialization and Health Inequities in Toronto. Toronto Public Health.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lima-Costa, Ma Fernanda, Juliana V. M. Mambrini, Sérgio V. Peixoto, Deborah C. Malta and James Macinko. 2016. Socioeconomic inequalities in activities of daily living limitations and in the provision of informal and formal care for non-institutionalized older Brazilians: National Health Survey, 2013. International Journal for Equity in Health 15 (137): 1–8. doi: 10.1186/s12939-016-0429-2.

  • Lopes, Claudia Souza, Natália Hellwig, Gulnar de Azevedo e Silva and Paulo Rossi Menezes. 2016. Inequities in access to depression treatment: Results of the Brazilian National Health survey—PNS. International Journal for Equity in Health 15: 154 doi: 10.1186/s12939-016-0446-1.

  • Mohammadbeigi, Abolfazl, Shahram Arsangjang, Narges Mohammadsalehi, Zohreh Anbari, Ebrahim Ghaderi. 2015. Education related inequity in oral health care. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care 4 (1).

    Google Scholar 

  • Mondal, Swadhin. 2014. Health Policy Changes And Their Impact On Equity In Health Financing In India, ISID Working Paper 163, March, Institute for Studies in Industrial Development,4, Institutional Area, Vasant Kunj Phase II, New Delhi 110 070.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mossialos, Elias, Adam Oliver. (2005). An overview of pharmaceutical policy in four countries: France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management 20 (4): 291–306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, C.J.L., E.E. Gakidou, and J. Frenk. 1999. Health inequalities and social group differences: what should we measure? Bulletin of the World Health Organization 77: 537–543.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mutangadura, Gladys, Adrian Gauci, Bartholomew Armah, Elizabeth Woldemariam, Daniel Ayalew, and Biniam Egu. 2007. Health inequities in selected African countries: Review of evidence and policy implications. Proceedings of the African Economic Conference 2007, pp. 507–536, November 15–17, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    Google Scholar 

  • O’donnell, O., E. Van Doorslaer, A. Wagstaff, and M. Lindelow, 2008. Analyzing health equity using household survey data: A guide to techniques and their implementation. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oliver, A., and E. Mossialos. 2004. Equity of access to health care: Outlining the foundations for action. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 58: 655–658.

    Google Scholar 

  • Or, Zeynep, Florence Jusot and Engin Yilmaz. 2008. Impact of health care system on socioeconomic inequalities in doctor use. European Union Working Group on Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health, Working Paper, IRDES—September, www.irdes.fr, pp. 1–22.

  • Van Ourti, Tom. (2004). Measuring horizontal inequity in Belgian health care using a Gaussian random effects two part count data model. Health Economics 13 (7): 705–724.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peltzer Karl, Jennifer Stewart Williams, Paul Kowal, Joel Negin, James Josh Snodgrass, Alfred Yawson, Nadia Minicuci, Liz Thiele, Nancy Phaswana-Mafuya, Richard Berko Biritwum, Nirmala Naidoo and Somnath Chatterji. 2014. Universal health coverage in emerging economies: Findings on health care utilization by older adults in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, the Russian Federation, and South Africa, Global Health Action 7: 25314. http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/gha.v7.25314.

  • Phiri, Jane, and John E Ataguba. 2014. Inequalities in public health care delivery in Zambia. International Journal for Equity in Health 13: 24. http://www.equityhealthj.com/content/13/1/24.

  • Roberts, M.J. 2004. Getting health reform right: a guide to improving performance and equity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, (Pere) Lynne, Kirsten Smiler and Hilary Stace. 2013. Improving Māori Health And Reducing Inequalities Between Māori And Non-Māori: Has The Primary Health Care Strategy Worked For Māori? An Evaluation Of The Period 2003–2010, Health Services Research Centre,Victoria University Of Wellington, Health Research Council Of New Zealand/Te Kaunihera Rangahau Hauora O Aotearoa, and the Ministry Of Health/Manatū Hauora, September.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saito, Eiko, Stuart Gilmour, Daisuke Yoneoka, Ghan Shyam Gautam, Md Mizanur Rahman, Pradeep Krishna Shrestha, and Kenji Shibuya. 2016. Inequality and inequity in healthcare utilization in urban Nepal: A cross-sectional observational study. Health Policy and Planning 31: 817–824 doi:10.1093/heapol/czv137, 7 February.

  • Scheil-Adlung, Xenia. 2015. Global evidence on inequities in rural health protection: new data on rural deficits in health coverage for 174 countries. In International Labour Office, Social Protection Department—GenevaILO, ed. Xenia Scheil-Adlung.

    Google Scholar 

  • Secretary’s Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. 2010. Objectives for 2020, Healthy People 2020: An Opportunity to Address Societal Determinants of Health in the United States, Office of Disease Prevention & Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. 2002. Why health equity? Health Economics 11: 659–666.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shinjo, Daisuke, and Toshiharu Aramak. 2012. Geographic distribution of healthcare resources, healthcare service provision, and patient flow in Japan: A cross sectional study. Social Science & Medicine 75 1954–1963.

    Google Scholar 

  • Somkotra, T., and L.P. Lagrada. 2008. Payments for health care and its effect on catastrophe and impoverishment: Experience from the transition to Universal Coverage in Thailand. Social Science and Medicine 67: 2027–2035.

    Google Scholar 

  • Son, Hyun H. 2009. Equity in health and health care in the Philippines, ADB Economics Working Paper Series No. 171, August; Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines www.adb.org/economics.

  • Steele, Leah S., Richard H. Glazier and Elizabeth Lin. 2006. Inequity in mental health care under canadian universal health coverage. Psychiatric Services 57 (3): 317–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Szwarcwald, Célia Landmann, Paulo Roberto Borges de Souza Júnior, Aline Pinto Marques, Wanessa da Silva de Almeida and Dalia Elena Romero Montilla. 2016. Inequalities in healthy life expectancy by Brazilian geographic regions: Findings from the National Health Survey, 2013. International Journal for Equity in Health 15 (141): 1–9, doi: 10.1186/s12939-016-0432-7.

  • d’Uva, Teresa Bago, Andrew M. Jones, and Eddy van Doorslaer. 2009. Measurement of horizontal inequity in health care utilisation using European panel data. Journal of Health Economics 28 (2): 280–289.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Jordan’s Principle Working Group. 2015. Without denial, delay, or disruption: Ensuring First Nations children’s access to equitable services through Jordan’s Principle. Ottawa, ON: Assembly of First Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trani, Jean-Francois, and Barbou des Rosieres, Cecile. 2012. “Measuring equity in disability and healthcare utilization in Afghanistan” Brown School Faculty Publications, Paper 39, http://openscholarship.wustl.edu/brown_facpubs/39.

  • Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH). 2011. Population health report 2011—tackling health inequities in vancouver coastal health. Canada: Vancouver.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wadee, H., L. Gilson, M. Thiede, O. Okorafor, D. McIntyre. 2003. Health care inequity in South Africa and the public-private mix, Technical Report, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), Geneva, Switzerland. http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/19442/.

  • Wagstaff, A., E. Van Doorslaer, H. Van Der Burg, S. Calonge, T. Christiansen, G. Citoni, U.G. Gerdtham, M. Gerfin, L. Gross, U. Hakinnen, P. Johnson, J. John, J. Klavus, C. Lachaud, J. Lauritsen, R. Leu, B. Nolan, E. Peran, J. Pereira, C. Propper, F. Puffer, L. Rochaix, M. Rodriguez, M. Schellhorn, G. Sundberg, and O. Winkelhake. 1999. Equity in the finance of health care: some further international comparisons. Journal of Health Economics 18: 263–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagstaff, A., F. Rutten, and E.K.A.V. Doorslaer. 1993. Equity in the finance and delivery of health care: An international perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagstaff, A. 2005. Decomposing changes in income inequality into vertical and horizontal redistribution and reranking, with applications to China and Vietnam, Washington, D.C, World Bank, Development Research Group World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wagstaff, A. 2009. Correcting the concentration index: A comment. Journal of Health Economics 28: 516–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watanabe, R., and H. Hashimoto. 2012. Horizontal inequity in healthcare access under the universal coverage in Japan; 1986–2007. Social Science and Medicine 75: 1372–1378.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitehead, M. 1991. The concepts and principles of equity and health. Health Promotion International 6: 217–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winetrobe, H., E. Rice, H. Rhoades, and N. Milburn. 2015. Health insurance coverage and healthcare utilization among homeless young adults in Venice, CA, Journal of Public Health January 28, pp. 1–9 doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdv001.

  • Yang, Wei. 2013. An analysis of inequities and inefficiencies in health and healthcare in China, A thesis submitted to the Department of Social Policy of the London School of Economics for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The London School of Economics and Political Science, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yao, Chao Shu, and Michael I. MacEntee. 2014. Inequity in oral health care for elderly canadians: Part 2. causes and ethical considerations, Journal of the Canadian Dental Association 80: e10.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Madras School of Economics, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

    Brijesh C. Purohit

Authors
  1. Brijesh C. Purohit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brijesh C. Purohit .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Purohit, B.C. (2017). Various Approaches to Inequity: A Review of Literature. In: Inequity in Indian Health Care. India Studies in Business and Economics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5044-2_2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5044-2_2

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-5043-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-5044-2

  • eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation