Welfare generosity and population health among Canadian provinces: a time-series cross-sectional analysis, 1989–2009

Abstract

Findings show that the expenditures approach can be effectively applied within the context of Canadian provinces, and that targeted spending on health, social services and education has salutary effects.

Effect of provincial spending on social services and health care on health outcomes in Canada: an observational longitudinal study

“…18 Multiple studies have indicated that improving population health requires consideration of government spending beyond health care. Because of model and data set differences across studies, direct comparisons are not possible, but broadly, increased social spending (either as welfare generosity, a share of total gross domestic product or a proportion of health spending) is favourably associated with health outcomes such as life expectancy, infant mortality, potential years of life lost, obesity prevalence, acute myocardial infarction and mental health days off work.…”

“…Because of model and data set differences across studies, direct comparisons are not possible, but broadly, increased social spending (either as welfare generosity, a share of total gross domestic product or a proportion of health spending) is favourably associated with health outcomes such as life expectancy, infant mortality, potential years of life lost, obesity prevalence, acute myocardial infarction and mental health days off work. [3][4][5][6]18 Our study differs from previous studies in terms of both the length of time observed and the number of control variables utilized, but the relation between social spending and health outcomes holds.…”

The effect of women in government on population health: An ecological analysis among Canadian provinces, 1976–2009

“…Using cross-sectional time-series data among twelve OECD countries, Bolzendahl and Brooks (2007) find that a single standard unit change in the level of women’s political representation results in approximately a 1% increase in welfare state spending. Recent epidemiological research confirms the importance of government spending to population health ( Beckfield & Bambra, 2016 ; Ng & Muntaner, 2015 ). When countries devote a more significant share of their economies to social welfare expenditures, population health and health inequalities tend to improve and narrow, respectively ( Beckfield and Bambra, 2016 , Dahl and van der Wel, 2013 ; Ng & Muntaner, 2015 ).…”

“…Recent epidemiological research confirms the importance of government spending to population health ( Beckfield & Bambra, 2016 ; Ng & Muntaner, 2015 ). When countries devote a more significant share of their economies to social welfare expenditures, population health and health inequalities tend to improve and narrow, respectively ( Beckfield and Bambra, 2016 , Dahl and van der Wel, 2013 ; Ng & Muntaner, 2015 ). Government spending shapes and influences population health through various public policies and programs that meet basic needs, manage common risks, and redistribute health-promoting resources.…”

“…Canadian provinces are sub-national jurisdictions with sufficient political autonomy to generate different social, economic, and health outcomes. The number of women in government, government expenditures, and mortality rates all vary across provinces and over time ( Dunn, 2016 ; Ng & Muntaner, 2015 ).…”