Political Economy of Public Health

Public health has been defined by the institute of medicine as "What we as a society do to ensure the conditions in which people can be healthy." (Emphasis added). Although it is possible to make populations healthy without broad participation of society, these top-down strategies are limited in 21st-century epidemiology characterized by complex, multisectoral problems like obesity, injury, violence, substance use, and environmental degradation. Countermeasures are all likely to be politically contested. By focusing on the genesis of political will through engagement strategies, the course enlarges the toolkit of public health professionals. The course discusses ways the future of public health can institutionalize regular and consistent solutions to complex public health problems.