Health, Equity and Democracy

Session Submission Type: Created Panel

Session Description

Many commentators have explained the 2016 election through the lens of disaffected voters and the mobilizing threats of diversity and status loss for whites. Another, related, explanation considers the political psychological aspects of status loss, perceptions of declining health on political accountability. The papers in this session all examine various aspects of the relationships between democratic engagement and health. Collectively, the papers explore the relationship between public health and voting in 2016, consider how political trust is an important factor in the health-democracy link, evaluate how perceptions of status loss relate to public support for policies that might ameliorate inequality, and assess how loss of health care (through Medicaid retrenchment) contributes to participatory outcomes. The papers together will advance a dialogue on how health and health inequity--including demographic change in the United States--impact democratic perceptions and behavior.

Sub Unit

• Theme Panel

Cosponsor

• Division 48: Health Politics & Health Policy

Individual Presentations

• Public Health in Red Counties in the 2016 Presidential Election - Eunju Kang, National Defense University

• How Healthy is Our Democracy? Public Health and Political Trust - Gina Yannitell Reinhardt, University of Essex; Dragana Vidovic, University of Essex

• The Politics of Welfare Retrenchment: Evidence from Mass Medicaid Disenrollment - Vladimir Kogan, Ohio State University

Chair

• Herschel Nachlis Dartmouth College

Discussants

• Jacqueline M. Chattopadhyay University of North Carolina at Charlotte

• Miranda Elyse Yaver University of California, Los Angeles