Doing (and undoing) privilege: evaluating how public policy drives health inequities

In an era marked by persistent health inequities, this commentary moves beyond the conventional focus on disadvantage and individual-level interventions to present novel conceptual and analytical thinking that illuminates the role of structurally entrenched advantage. We present a multi-level conceptualisation of privilege through which the structural drivers of health inequities can be examined and the reciprocal relationship between privilege and public policy explored, shedding light on how these forces shape and reinforce one another. Building on that foundation, we propose an innovative research agenda that scrutinises the ideas, mechanisms, and outcomes of resource accumulation and distribution in public policy. We aim to lay the groundwork for developing and evaluating policy interventions through a new lens to address the root causes of inequities in health, paving the way for more equitable and healthy societies.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Critical Public Health
Published
2025-03-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2025.2474078
Citations
5
Primary Topic
Employment and Welfare Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
14.08

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Doing (and undoing) privilege: evaluating how public policy drives health inequities

Sharon Friel, Amy Carrad, Melanie Pescud, Patrick John Harris et al.
5 citations
Critical Public Health
Employment and Welfare Studies
14.08
article

Doing (and undoing) privilege: evaluating how public policy drives health inequities

Sharon Friel, Amy Carrad, Melanie Pescud, Patrick John Harris, Ashley Schram, Megan Arthur, Fran Baum, Lucie Rychetnik, Nicholas Frank, Steven E. Allender, Belinda Townsend
article en
5 citations

Abstract

In an era marked by persistent health inequities, this commentary moves beyond the conventional focus on disadvantage and individual-level interventions to present novel conceptual and analytical thinking that illuminates the role of structurally entrenched advantage. We present a multi-level conceptualisation of privilege through which the structural drivers of health inequities can be examined and the reciprocal relationship between privilege and public policy explored, shedding light on how these forces shape and reinforce one another. Building on that foundation, we propose an innovative research agenda that scrutinises the ideas, mechanisms, and outcomes of resource accumulation and distribution in public policy. We aim to lay the groundwork for developing and evaluating policy interventions through a new lens to address the root causes of inequities in health, paving the way for more equitable and healthy societies.

Critical Public HealthVol. 35(1)
Australian National University (AU), The University of Sydney (AU), Deakin University (AU), The University of Western Australia (AU), Liverpool Hospital (AU), The University of Adelaide (AU)
Medical Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Employment and Welfare Studies
14.08
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.