TY - JOUR
T1 - Case studies on employment-related health inequalities in countries representing different types of labor markets
AU - Kim, Il Ho
AU - Muntaner, Carles
AU - Chung, Haejoo
AU - Benach, Joan
PY - 2010/1/1
Y1 - 2010/1/1
N2 - The authors selected nine case studies, one country from each cluster of their labor market inequalities typology, to outline the macro-political and economic roots of employment relations and their impacts on health. These countries illustrate variations in labor markets and health, categorized into a global empirical typology. The case studies illustrated that workers' health is significantly connected with labor market characteristics and the welfare system. For a core country, the labor market is characterized by a formal sector. The labor institutions of Sweden traditionally have high union density and collective bargaining coverage and a universal health care system, which correlate closely with positive health, in comparison with Spain and the United States. For a semi-periphery country, the labor market is delineated by a growing informal economy. Although South Korea, Venezuela, and El Salvador provide some social welfare benefits, a high proportion of irregular and informal workers are excluded from these benefits and experience hazardous working conditions that adversely affect their health. Lastly, several countries in the global periphery-China, Nigeria, and Haiti-represent informal work and severe labor market insecurity. In the absence of labor market regulations, the majority of their workers toil in the informal sector in unsafe conditions with inadequate health care.
AB - The authors selected nine case studies, one country from each cluster of their labor market inequalities typology, to outline the macro-political and economic roots of employment relations and their impacts on health. These countries illustrate variations in labor markets and health, categorized into a global empirical typology. The case studies illustrated that workers' health is significantly connected with labor market characteristics and the welfare system. For a core country, the labor market is characterized by a formal sector. The labor institutions of Sweden traditionally have high union density and collective bargaining coverage and a universal health care system, which correlate closely with positive health, in comparison with Spain and the United States. For a semi-periphery country, the labor market is delineated by a growing informal economy. Although South Korea, Venezuela, and El Salvador provide some social welfare benefits, a high proportion of irregular and informal workers are excluded from these benefits and experience hazardous working conditions that adversely affect their health. Lastly, several countries in the global periphery-China, Nigeria, and Haiti-represent informal work and severe labor market insecurity. In the absence of labor market regulations, the majority of their workers toil in the informal sector in unsafe conditions with inadequate health care.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77949830418&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2190/HS.40.2.f
DO - 10.2190/HS.40.2.f
M3 - Article
C2 - 20440969
AN - SCOPUS:77949830418
SN - 0020-7314
VL - 40
SP - 255
EP - 267
JO - International Journal of Health Services
JF - International Journal of Health Services
IS - 2
ER -