Chapter 9

Question 1

Why is employment key to adult health?

Answer 1

• Key source of personal identity
• Workplaces allow people to build social networks and social support
• Employment shapes non-work responses and behaviours
• Employment conditions matter too

Question 2

Describe trends in the link between jobs and health

Answer 2

• Stable, well-paying jobs > unstable or poorly paying work
• Employment promotes health
• Life expectancy varies by occupation
• Patterns of employment reflect and reinforce the social gradient

Question 3

Describe the links between unemployment and health

Answer 3

• Quality of job tied to education
• Education and social class at birth
  Unemployment has negative effects on identity, physical and mental health

Question 4

Describe the 3 levels of causality

Answer 4

• May be individual level effects
• May be family level effects
• May be contextual effects

Question 5

Describe the roles of direct and buffering effects

Answer 5

• Direct effects: Income effects must be separated from other individual-level direct effects of unemployment
• Buffering: Having a loving family can buffer health impacts of unemployment

Question 6

Describe negative health effects of unemployment

Answer 6

• Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
• Suicide
• Use of prescription medication
• Increased smoking and alcohol consumption
• Opioid epidemic and fentanyl use

Question 7

What is globalization?

Answer 7

Complex interaction of contemporary factors that include rapid and inexpensive communications and transportation and systematic removal of barriers to travel, communication, transporting goods and services and moving money and other resources from one geographic place to another.

Question 8

Define knowledge economy

Answer 8

The belief in and pursuit by governments and companies of economic growth by seeking to capitalize on technical innovation and providing cutting edge goods and services

Question 9

What has globalization and the knowledge economy transition led to?

Answer 9

• Increased pressure for productivity
• More intensity of work
• Increased hours of work
• Decreased wages and benefits
• Degraded health

Question 10

What are the 4 additional factors affecting employment?

Answer 10

1. De-industrialization
2. De-unionization
3. De-skilling
4. Privatization

Question 11

What is deindustrialization?

Answer 11

how companies have sought out lower wage and lower taxation places to site manufacturing activities

Question 12

What is deunionization?

Answer 12

Employers’ successful efforts to exclude unions from workplaces is linked to manufacturing’s movement offshore

Question 13

Define deskilling

Answer 13

the increased use of automated processes and routines.

Question 14

How does privatization tie in here?

Answer 14

Governments and quasi-governmental bodies have aggressively privatized.

Contract with private companies (usually non-union) —> temporary cost reduction

Question 15

What is isostrain?

Answer 15

isolated, high strain work

Question 16

Why is isostrain bad?

Answer 16

Iso-strain is tied to metabolic syndrome

Question 17

What are the 2 explanatory models?

Answer 17

demand-control and effort-reward model

Question 18

Describe the demand-control model

Answer 18

Measure the relationship between the demands made of an employee and the capacity to meet those demands

Question 19

Describe the effort-reward model

Answer 19

Measure the relationship between the work effort of the employee and various rewards received including pay, bonuses, recognition, and workplace social support.

Question 20

When did Keynesianism get phased out?

Answer 20

1970s

Question 21

What is Keynesianism?

Answer 21

Modern governments need to intervene in order to ensure that employment remains at the highest sustainable level

Question 22

What is the current economic policy?

Answer 22

Monetarism

Question 23

What is monetarism?

Answer 23

controlling inflation

Question 24

How are monetarism and Neo-liberalism related?

Answer 24

Neo-liberalism stemmed from this

Question 25

What 3 criteria need to be met to count as unemployed?

Answer 25

recently out of work, actively seeking work and available to take a job if one is offered to you

Question 26

Describe how education and training for the workforce differs across countries?

Answer 26

- Most of Europe and Japan play active roles in training their employees - Canada and US due to free market less likely to do this

Question 27

What are the health effects of low quality jobs?

Answer 27

Lower quality jobs —> reinforce existing and generate new health problems through low income, monotonous work - Those in lower quality jobs at higher risk of metabolic syndromes

Question 28

What are family-friendly policies?

Answer 28

- Maternity/Paternity leave - Subsidized child care

Question 29

Describe working conditions in North America

Answer 29

Employees have little control over their work Lack of exercise on the job

Question 30

What's unique about working conditions in Japan?

Answer 30

Exercise on the job

Question 31

What's interesting about working conditions in Germany?

Answer 31

Employees can exercise control over their work

Question 32

How is Australia an exception to low wages and benefits in liberal regimes?

Answer 32

Australia has industry wide standards that have to be followed by employers, better levels of employee benefits and more consistent and fair treatment of workers

Question 33

Describe education and training of the workforce in North America

Answer 33

Employee and government responsible for training Training programs exist to make welfare recipients and those recently laid off more competitive but there is often a mismatch between market demand and program design

Question 34

Describe education and training of the workforce in Japan and Europe

Answer 34

Employers train employees

Question 35

Describe education and training of the workforce in Denmark

Answer 35

Continuous vocational training program

Question 36

How does unemployment insurance in Australia differ from North America?

Answer 36

Part of income tax system Payment is a right Activity Agreements are required, which involve training and an acceptable level of job seeking

Question 37

How does unemployment insurance work in Canada?

Answer 37

Harder to collect insurance Incentivizes low paid work Relies on contributions of employed people

Question 38

What are 2 lessons we can learn from looking at employment from the population health perspective?

Answer 38

Governments can influence employment levels Levels of employment heavily influence health outcomes

Question 39

What is the key difference between liberal regimes with high unemployment and precarious work compared to Keynesian economies?

Answer 39

Liberal regime countries with high unemployment and precarious work have poorer health and more musculoskeletal disorders and higher mental illness rates than countries that stuck to Keynesian economics.

Question 40

Describe Keynesian economics

Answer 40

Also known as demand-side economics Named after Keynes Companies can expand production if there is enough demand for products Increasing employment and wages is a prerequisite for growth Reduce interest rates and increase government spending Once near full employment is achieved, low interest rates and tightening of labour market increases both prices and wages, leading to inflation The government should then slowly increase interest rates and taxes and cut back on spending.

Question 41

Describe metabolic syndrome

Answer 41

Extra fat around mid-section, insulin resistance, increased blood pressure, which can result in increased risk of diabetes and heart disease