Sweden has experienced an accelerating increase in economic inequalities, attributed in part to the financialization of the economy. This process underscores the increasing significance of wealth and debt in households’ economic situation.
This project aims to understand the relationships between the political economic framework, the financial sector, household net worth, and individual health. These relationships are mediated by actors within each level such as the central bank, mortgage lenders, and the households which take on mortgage debt for housing needs or have investments in the financial markets. This project seeks to analyze these connections and their implications for health and public health inequalities.
The project will utilize existing administrative data to estimate the debt and net wealth of Swedish households and its effect on household members health. Epidemiological methods will be employed to explore the association between wealth and health inequalities, discern the causal effects of debt on health, and understand the role of risk-taking and housing needs within the existing political economic framework.
Investigating how structural changes, such as the deregulation of credit markets, contribute to economic inequalities through wealth accumulation can inform the development of a political economic framework aimed at addressing these increasing disparities. In an era of higher interest rates, difficulties in debt repayment are associated with stress related problems and mental health outcomes such as suicidal ideation, anxiety, and depression. Elucidating the mechanism that causes these problems can aid in designing safeguards and interventions that can alleviate these health problems.
Project information
Project members
- Agneta Cederström, Principal Investigator
- Andrea Dunlavy
- Gerard J van den Berg
- Karl Gauffin
- Olof Mpumwire Östergren
Project period
2025 – 2028
Project funder
Forte