Social Movements and the Transformation of American Health Care

Few contemporary social problems in the U.S. affect more people daily than those within the American health care system. Social Movements and the Transformation of American Health Care is the first collection of essays to examine dynamics of change in health care institutions through the lens of contemporary theory and research on collective action. Gathering scholars from medicine, health policy, history, sociology, and political science, the book considers health-related social movements from four distinct levels, concentrating on movements seeking changes in the regulation, financing, and distribution of health resources; changes in institutions in public health, bio-ethics, and other fields; interactions between social movements and professions; and the cultural dominance of the medical model, and the difficulties for framing and legitimizing new issues in health care it poses. At a time when American health care is long overdue for major changes, this book takes an essential look at movements, policies, and institutions to identify the common constraints and opportunities for reform within the health care system.

JB: Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health; Research Associate Professor in the Institute of Gerontology, School of Medicine; Adjunct Associate Professor of Organizational Studies, College of Literature, Science and Arts, University of Michigan
SL: Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Michigan
MZ: Professor (Emeritus) Sociology, Social Work and Management, University of Michigan. He has authored or edited twenty-one books, and more than seventy articles. Among other honors, he is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.