This groundbreaking Handbook brings together the two timely subject matters of political economy of health and health care into one comprehensive book. Containing up-to-date discussions on these key topics, it provides an interdisciplinary approach and a better understanding of health policy making. Highlighting the key theoretical and empirical debates in academia and policy across a variety of scholarly groups, this Handbook shows the differing methods and principles applied while sharing the common goal of understanding the institutional mechanisms, constraints and determinants that influence decision-making. Split into six thematic parts, the expert contributors discuss the design of health care systems, political markets, financing and policy reforms, and healthcare during pandemics, as well as providing insightful lessons to be learnt for the future. Scholars and professionals interested in an in-depth state-of-the-art companion to the main issues under discussion of the effects of the design in our health systems, along with the constraints that they face, will find this Handbook an excellent resource.

The healthcare sector is one of the fastest growing areas of social and public spending worldwide, and it is expected to increase its government shares of GDP in the near future. Truly global in its scope, this book presents a unified, structured understanding of how the design of a country's health institutions influence its healthcare activities and outcomes. Building on the 'public choice' tradition in political economy, the authors explore how patient-citizens interact with their country's political institutions to determine the organisation of the health system. The book discusses a number of institutional influences of a health system, such as federalism, the nature of collective action, electoral competition, constitutional designs, political ideologies, the welfare effects of corruption and lobbying and, more generally, the dynamics of change. Whilst drawing on the theoretical concepts of political economy, this book describes an institution-grounded analysis of health systems in an accessible way. We hope it will appeal to both undergraduate and graduate students studying health economics, health policy and public policy. More generally, it can help health policy community to structure ideas about policy and institutional reform.

The healthcare sector is one of the fastest growing areas of social and public spending worldwide, and it is expected to increase its government shares of GDP in the near future. Truly global in its scope, this book presents a unified, structured understanding of how the design of a country's health institutions influence its healthcare activities and outcomes. Building on the 'public choice' tradition in political economy, the authors explore how patient-citizens interact with their country's political institutions to determine the organisation of the health system. The book discusses a number of institutional influences of a health system, such as federalism, the nature of collective action, electoral competition, constitutional designs, political ideologies, the welfare effects of corruption and lobbying and, more generally, the dynamics of change. Whilst drawing on the theoretical concepts of political economy, this book describes an institution-grounded analysis of health systems in an accessible way. We hope it will appeal to both undergraduate and graduate students studying health economics, health policy and public policy. More generally, it can help health policy community to structure ideas about policy and institutional reform.