ABSTRACT
Particularly in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, questions of health and healthcare have rapidly been afforded increased saliency in academic and political discourse. This introductory chapter contends that any thoroughgoing examination of these concerns, or effort to redress pertinent problems therein, necessitates comprehending their inexorably political-economic character. Accordingly, it establishes the rationale for the volume as a whole by making the case for revitalizing the political economy of health and healthcare as a germane, vibrant field of study in the context of contemporary global capitalism. This account is developed across four sections. First, by elucidating its primary methodological commitments and consequent lines of investigation, the chapter delineates the broad contours of political economy as a discipline of scholarly inquiry. Second, it concentrates on the novel implications of this acumen for the study of health and healthcare and distinguishes political-economic analysis from existing approaches, such as mainstream economics and studies of the social determinants of health. Third, it presents an overview of the scope and structure of the volume and reflects on pertinent topics of significance not included in its pages. Finally, the chapter turns to deliberate on the desired epistemological and political implications of the volume.
