(iPoster) Rurality, Isolation, and Remoteness: A Comparative Politics Look into Remoteness

• In Event: Poster Sessions: Health Politics and Policy & Wartime Violence, Armed Actors, and Civilian Agency
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Health Politics and Policy

Abstract

Rurality, isolation, and remoteness are core concepts in comparative politics broadly and, especially, in comparative health politics. Yet, these are slippery concepts which can be described by a number of features including population density, proximity to a population center, connectedness via roads or railway, and accessibility to key infrastructure like hospitals. Without clear definitions and consensus on the dimensions of these concepts, comparing countries using geographic variables can be difficult. This review attempts to synthesize existing conceptualizations of the geographic variables “rural”, “remote”, and “isolated” within comparative health politics literature. The paper offers a perspective on how to effectively wield the terms “rural”, “remote”, and “isolated” as variables when comparing Western democracies and challenges researchers to consider multiple dimensions of these terms in future work.

Authors

• Katherine Cooney, University of Michigan

• Olivia A Rockwell, University of Michigan