Social Policy & Society 5:1, 53-62 Printed in the United Kingdom
Health Status and the Worlds of Welfare
Clare Bambra
Centre for Public Policy and Health, Durham University

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One of the most substantial additions made by the ‘three worlds of welfare’
thesis to the
welfare state modelling business is that comparisons should examine what
welfare states
actually do rather than how much they are afforded or which services they
provide. This
paper extends this basic principle by comparing the health outcomes
(measured in terms
of infant mortality rates) of welfare states and welfare state regimes. It
examines whether
there are significant differences in health status between the ‘three
worlds of welfare’ and
to what extent a relationship exists between health and decommodification.
It concludes
by reflecting upon the implications for the ‘three worlds of welfare’.