Edward Elgar Publishing Reforming Healthcare Systems: 1-2 (Elgar Mini Series)

Healthcare is one of modern society's most crucial arenas - costly, important and controversial. This comprehensive research review brings together more than fifty scholarly articles on both healthcare systems in general and health reform in particular. The editors have carefully selected papers by leading academics which will enhance our understanding of the central feature of social and political life. The articles are distinguished by their clear prose and wide disciplinary range. This book is an essential reference resource for students, and practitioners interested in this topical field. Review ‘Why is healthcare reform a pervasive global phenomenon? Why do policymakers continually reform their healthcare systems? Why do ideas for reform, such as market mechanisms, which often have little basis in evidence, continue to hold appeal? This impressive and wide-ranging two volume collection of published articles has no ready answers but it offers valuable insights to aid understanding and policy learning. The editors are to be congratulated on provoking debate about the purpose, nature and value of health system reform. Policymakers are well-advised to consult this collection before embarking on massive “redisorganisation” which delivers limited results.’ -- David J. Hunter, Durham University, UK About the Author Edited by Theodore Marmor, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy and Political Science, Yale University, US and Claus Wendt, Professor of Sociology of Health and Healthcare Systems, University of Siegen, Germany and External Fellow, Mannheim Center for European Social Research, Germany