The Never Ending Cycle....and Blog Question

The cycle of poverty, health and development most certainly impacts political, social and economic issues on a global scale. This much is certain. However, it is important to keep in mind, that there is a lower threshold above which economic disparities within a population cease to have real meaning from a development perspective. What I am implying is that in a 3rd world nations, simple hygienic issues such as clean water most certainly affects the health levels of their citizens, whereas, in developed nations, these issues are obsolete. In this sense, it is appropriate to allocate global resources wisely and fairly distribute them amongst countries most in need. From an economic perspective, money and programs to increase health levels in a developing country most certainly has to come from global health non-profits or charity from other countries, hence affecting economy on a global scale. Furthermore, the advent of transnational economic integration and the emergence of a global marketplace has changed the nature of health determinants as well as allocation of resources.
With regards to the issues of politics, policy makers are key players to predict priorities, identify important global health issues for advocates and implementers. The Global Health Council and Foreign Assistance Program are just a couple of examples within the US of programs that help review America’s financial assistance to other countries worldwide.
Socially, as evidenced by Wilkinson’s journal entry in BMJ (Wilkinson RG. Socioeconomic determinants of health. Health inequalities: relative or absolute material standards? BMJ. 1997 Feb 22;314(7080):591-5), disparities in material possessions across nations did not seem to impact health determinants, whereas within societies, there seems to be a relative correlation b/w these disparities and health outcomes. This is interesting in that there is a strong psychosocial factor that comes into play here. You are comfortable having less than your neighbor….as long as you don’t know about it. So, clearly, those less fortunate within a society are at a disadvantage with regards to health care and feel it. This may promote a feeling of alienation from society, which again, as Wilkinson points out, has a negative impact on health. Those people who participate in society, tend to be ‘healthier’ individuals than those who are not.