ABSTRACT
The political economy of health encompasses every aspect of human life, literally from ‘cradle to grave’. Levels of healthcare provision can determine survival rates of both newborns and their mothers. In parts of the developing world naming ceremonies do not take place until a full year after birth, reecting the relatively low survival rates of many infants in particularly impoverished communities. Life expectancy at birth ranges from nearly ninety in Monaco down to under fty in Chad (CIA World Factbook 2014 estimates). Although the global average for life expectancy continues to rise there are huge variations regarding both access to healthcare and how aging populations are perceived and cared for. The factors inuencing an individual’s health during their lifetime are a mix of that person’s patterns of behaviour combined with what level of government intervention and assistance there is in the healthcare sector. While some health determinants may be genetically inherited the manner in which one’s life is led is playing an increasingly signicant role in terms of both longevity and also quality of life. Moreover, broader aspects of the global economy, from patterns of trade and consumption to the manner in which foodstus are labelled and marketed, are also crucial elements in determining both an individual’s options as well as choices in relation to their health.
