NORDCORP. Inequality Impacts: The income gradient in mortality - shape, social patterning, and trends

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The broad research area of socioeconomic inequalities in health has grown tremendously over the last decades. In this project we aim at studying the relation between income and mortality both from a macro and micro perspective with a clear focus on the co mparative perspective. The background of our proposal rests on two stylised facts: First, the relation between income and health has in previous research been found to be non-linear, so that we typically find a diminishing health return of higher incomes. Second, the changes of the distribution of income in most Western countries, including the Nordic ones, have during the last decades been towards increasing inequalities. Our overall project is divided into three interrelated subprojects. First, we will study the macro-association between income inequality, and poverty, and mortality rates among around 25 countries from 1980 to the present with comparative data. The overall research question is then to study if inequality and poverty, relative and/or a bsolute have a bearing on the risk of dying also among richer countries today. A question which has obvious implication for the growing income inequality found in the Nordic countries. The second sub-project relies on micro-data based on routine register s found in the Nordic countries basically covering total populations. We will here above scrutinize the shape of the income-mortality association and focus especially on how it has changed over time .A question which by no means should be seen as a method ological adventure but rather as key issue in the overall objective of studying the consequences of increasing inequalities. Our third sub-project aims at in more detail study the mortality risks for two population groups, namely migrants and individuals excluded from the labour market. The research activities include researcher training and we will organise a yearly scientific conference and a final high-level conference for policymakers and politicians.