Moral economy and moral capital: A new approach to understanding health systems

作者：Patrick Bartosch, Chrystal Jaye, Peter Crampton · 发表于：Social Science & Medicine · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117016 · 被引用次数：10 · 研究领域：Healthcare Systems and Reforms、Global Maternal and Child Health、Global Health Care Issues

Healthcare systems can be considered moral economies in which moral capital in the form of expectations toward norms, values, and virtues are exchanged and traded. Moral capital, as a concept, is an extension of Bourdieu's forms of symbolic, and in particular, cultural capital. This research set out to identify forms of moral capital evident in the accounts of health professionals and patients within the distinctive healthcare systems of Germany, New Zealand, and the Unites States. Here, we provide an overview of 15 forms of moral capital that were identified. An important form of moral capital is equality. The global coronavirus pandemic has illuminated inequalities in healthcare systems across the world. We suggest considering moral capital as a useful tool to reform healthcare systems and make the provision of healthcare a more equitable enterprise.