ABSTRACT
One of the most striking manifestations of global inequality is the difference in health outcomes between rich and poor countries—and, increasingly, between rich and poor within national and sub-national borders. The chapter begins with a summary of some such inequalities and their economic drivers. It continues with a short description of the rise of health on the global policy agenda and changes in a complex policy landscape. The next section addresses the expanding literature on globalisation, neoliberalism, and health, emphasising the long history of structural adjustment and more recent changes in the global trade policy regime. The chapter then addresses the proliferation of ‘world-scale’ health inequalities by way of the concept of new cartographies of health and development. It concludes with some pessimistic observations about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on future trajectories of health and development. An inventory of useful websites for tracking developments in this fast-moving field is also provided.
