Employmentweb_low

theoretical Model
effects of the distribution of political power (called "power
relations") on health inequalities through intermediary forces.
The model begins with the interaction between political power
relations and policy-making. The idea is that a redistribution of
political power relations creates new policies concerning the labour
market and the welfare state. These new policies are a form of
economic redistribution, since they change the way the labour
market functions, which in turn affects employment conditions. For
example, when a new political party gains power, its members may
implement different public policies that have different public health
outcomes (Navarro & Shi, 2001; Navarro et al., 2006). Political power
relations, therefore, are critical to the redistribution of economic
resources and thus to the level of equality present in society.
The main actors in the realm of political power relations, however,
do not only redistribute resources and change policy, thus affecting
social stratification; they also have an impact on the life experiences
of different social groups through their influence over access to
healthcare, social services, and working conditions including
exposure to hazards. Social inequalities in health are therefore
fundamentally the result of what might be called a "political economy
of health" (Navarro & Muntaner, 2004; Navarro, 2002).
The key causal force here is the power that government and civil
society have over the labour market and welfare state policies. Their
influence over the labour market is broad-ranging, with jurisdiction
extending across labour regulations, collective bargaining and the
power of trade unions. With respect to the welfare state, political
power-holders determine the level of distribution to be achieved by
social policy. Control over both institutions is fundamental to
understanding employment relations, given that workers' welfare
depends on both the functioning of the labour market and the social
protection policies implemented by the state. Both serve to modify
social stratification and therefore social inequalities.
In our framework, labour regulation refers both to the specific
regulation of the labour market (employment protection legislation)
and to welfare state benefits related to a salaried relationship, such
as health care benefits for those involuntarily leaving the labour
market, or income security measures for the unemployed. Collective
bargaining refers to one of the ways in which labour/capital relations
can be conducted (see Section 6.1). Several studies have found that
the most important factor in explaining pay dispersion is the level of
wage-setting, i.e., whether wages are set at the level of the
individual, the plant, the industry, or the entire private sector. The
concentration of unions and the share of the labour force covered by
“no workers without rights”. union rally in
Barcelona (spain).
source: antonio rosa (2005)
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