Health and Megacities: A Neglected Dimension of U.S. Health Policy

Award Year: 1999	Investigator: Victor Rodwin	Budget: $243,654	Categories: Urban Health, Comparative Healthcare Systems
Abstract: This project undertakes a comparative analysis of public health infrastructure, health care delivery systems, and health in the four principal mega-cities of the industrially advanced world. Dr. Rodwin examines how: the use of the city as a unit of analysis can advance the comparative study of health care systems, inter-city comparisons of health outcomes can provide a better understanding of similarities and differences, and intra-city comparisons of health information can be used to help set health priorities and assess public health programs. A conceptual framework is developed and indicators selected for comparing public health infrastructure, health systems, and health in New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo. Based on the results of his review of the literature, data analyses, and interviews with local officials and experts, Dr. Rodwin compares health outcomes and system performance and identifies best practices and other opportunities for cross-national learning that have the potential for improving U.S. health policy.