The effects of disappearing social safety nets on inequalities in health

In this special section, we are pleased present four papers that focus on an increasingly important and urgent topic: how diminishing levels of social welfare provision are hampering countries’ abilities to tackle the social determinants of health, thus contributing to growing health inequalities. As a group, and in keeping with the journal’s remit, the papers explore these themes using a range of different foci and methodologies. These include a three-country macro-level comparative study; expert interviews that enable analyses of how racial inequalities were perpetuated in one city during the Covid-19 pandemic; a qualitative study of the impact of declining social welfare provision on experiences of health and illness among those living with ME/CFS; and a theoretical study of how sociology compares with other disciplines when approaching the study of priority setting and rationing (PSR) in health care.