ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we consider a much more pervasive role for social finance; beyond the funding of health(care) services. Here, social finance is conceptualised as a stimulant to the determinants of health and, thus, as an enabler for reducing health inequalities. This potential is particularly important as the need for other non-healthcare means of acting on health has long been recognised. Even in advanced economies of the world, health inequalities persist and, in some jurisdictions, are even widening. Firstly, therefore, we characterise the nature of health inequalities, the theories used to understand their causes and progress in the various means proposed for their alleviation. Thereafter, the potential of microcredit and impact bonds to act as an alternative, public health, means of acting on health – particularly of the least well-off – is considered.
