ABSTRACT
The welfare state mediates access to publicly-funded services such as housing, and support in the form of benefits during times of hardship. In so doing, the welfare state acts on the wider determinants of health and influences the degree of inequality that people experience. In the UK, the coalition government has embarked on an unprecedented, fundamental and rapid restructuring of the welfare state in response to the economic downturn. Although definitions vary, there is some agreement that the welfare state 'involves state responsibility for securing some basic modicum of welfare for its citizens', a central aspect of which is to act as a buffer against the consequences of labour market processes which generate inequalities. A key interest for those in public health has been the extent to which welfare state regimes differentially affect population health and health inequalities. Public health itself constitutes an important part of the welfare state outside the health care system, particularly in relation to local government.
