The political economy of austerity and healthcare: Expenditure changes in 27 European nations 1995–2011

Why have patterns of healthcare spending varied during the Great Recession? Using cross-national, harmonised data for 27 EU countries from 1995 to 2011, the authors evaluated political, economic, and health system determinants of recent changes to healthcare expenditure. Exposure to lending from international financial institutions, tax revenue falls, and decisions to implement cuts correlate more closely than underlying economic conditions or orientation of political parties with healthcare expenditure change in EU member states.