Sponsor
Hatfield School of Government. Public Affairs and Policy Ph. D. Program
First Advisor
Mark S. Kaplan
Date of Publication
Summer 7-30-2014
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Public Affairs and Policy
Department
Public Affairs and Policy
Language
English
Subjects
Health care reform -- United States, National health insurance -- United States, National health insurance -- Europe, National health insurance -- Canada, Social values -- United States, Medical policy -- Economic aspects -- United States
DOI
10.15760/etd.1928
Physical Description
1 online resource (ix, 201 pages)
Abstract
A number of theoretical explanations seek to describe the factors that have led to the position of the United States as the last industrialized Western nation without a universal health care program. Theories focus on institutional arrangement, historic precedent, and the influence of the private sector and market forces. This study explores another factor: the role of underlying social values. The research examines differences in values among ten European countries, the United States and Canada, and analyzes the associations between the values that have been seen to contribute the individualism-collectivism dynamic in the United States. The hypothesis that equality and generalized trust are positively associated with universalism is only partially true. Equality is positively associated (B = .301, p < .001), while generalized trust is negatively associated with universalism (B = -.052, p < .001). Not only do Americans show lower levels of support for income equality and universalism than Europeans, but the effect of being American holds even after controlling for socio-demographic and religious variables (B = .044, p < .01). When the model tests the association of equality and trust on universalism in each region, it explains approximately 17 percent of the variance of universalism for the United States, and approximately 13 percent in Europe and Canada.
Rights
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/12469
Recommended Citation
Palmedo, P. Christopher, "Equality, Trust and Universalism in Europe, Canada and the United States: Implications for Health Care Policy" (2014). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 1929.
https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.1928