The public health effect of economic crises and alternative policy responses in Europe: an empirical analysis

The effect of unemployment on self-reported health and mental health in Greece from 2008 to 2013: A longitudinal study before and during the financial crisis

“…As we have shown, psychosocial theories frequently assume that stress during periods of economic downturns is a central feature of increased unemployment and that stress affects physiological regulations that can lead to health problems (Jahoba, 1981;1982, Warr, 1987Kawachi, and Wamala, 2006;Catalano et al, 2011;Goldman-Mellor et al, 2010). Financial crisis can harm mental health unless it is ameliorated by public health policies (Stuckler et al, 2009b). Unfortunately, this was not the case for Greece, where state funding for mental health decreased by 20% between 2010 and 2011 and by a further 55% between 2011 and 2012 (Anagnostopoulos and Soumaki, 2013).…”

Economic Hardship and Well-Being: Examining the Relative Role of Individual Resources and Welfare State Effort in Resilience Against Economic Hardship

“…At the same time, studies hint at a variation in the extent to which economic hardship affects well-being; some people are more resilient in the face of economic hardship than others. To explain this variation, studies have largely focused on the cushioning impact of material or pecuniary resources, and particularly welfare states' ability to buffer the negative consequences of economic hardship (Stuckler et al 2009;Visser et al 2014).…”

“…3 When studying how these selected immaterial protective buffers lead people to be resilient in the face of economic hardship, the competing role of material buffers as provided by the welfare state cannot be left untouched. While welfare state effort alleviates the negative consequences of economic shocks (Stuckler et al 2009), it can be argued that resources accruing from civil society are equally efficient in cushioning the negative impact of experienced hardship (Popenoe 1988). The 'crowding out' hypothesis emphasizes that in providing support, the welfare state undermines the quality of traditional support mechanisms, such as social networks, religious institutions, and civil society at large (Fukuyama 2001).…”

Hard times or good times? Inequalities in the health effects of economic change

“…Examining the relationship between macroeconomic conditions and deaths in countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Grundtham and Rhum (2006) observed that all-cause and cause-specific mortality increase when labour markets strengthen, but that the procyclical fluctuation in mortality is much stronger in countries with lower public social expenditures (Gerdtham and Ruhm 2006). Stuckler and colleagues observed similar findings across the 26 countries of the European Union (Stuckler, Basu et al 2009). …”