Income Inequality Hypothesis

Abstract

The income inequality hypothesis asserts that an individual's health is influenced not only by their own level of income, but by the level of inequality in the area in which they live. It has been an integral element of the social determinants of health literature. The hypothesis draws on several interrelated fields of study, including psychosocial research on chronic stress, social capital research on the strength of community ties, as well as work from political economy on the health effects of neoliberalism. New research has signaled the need for a more global approach to the hypothesis.