Social inequalities in health at different life stages

Welfare organizations and professionals

This theme looks at developments in social protection systems and their impacts on organizations and professional practices in the health, social and medical social fields. Several European and national projects are involved in this research. Examples include the participation of group members in the European Social Policy Network, ESPN (2019-2023) financed by the European Commission; the organization of a research group on disability, independence and inclusive society (CoRHASI) at the EHESP; participation in the research group “Welfare Organizations – medical social organization and practices” supported by IRESP and jointly led by CERMES 3, Arènes and Handéo; and a recent research project application in response to the IRSEP’s Autonomie 2021 call for projects on coordination support policies. Lastly, a new priority research programme (PRP) on independence with a budget of 30 million euros has been launched by the CNRS for the next six years, headed by Claude Martin.

User experiences and practices, social inequalities in health

This second umbrella theme relates to how policies, institutional and professional practices and routines affect the experience of users in the system, and the resulting social and health inequalities. The numerous research projects developed on this theme relate to different subjects: cancer care for people treated for severe mental disorders (CANOPEE); handling of user complaints within establishments (psychiatric services and care homes) (PROPLAINT); take-up and processing of applications for reimbursements in India’s health insurance system (SANAHIC); social, environmental and health inequalities and urban policies (GreenH-City); and more recently, the effects of the health crisis of spring 2020 and the COVID-19 epidemic on health, perception, practices, relations and social inequalities in the general population (SAPRIS), and on people’s living conditions (EPICOV).

Stages of life and socialization

The third theme of this area looks at transitions and policies concerning different stages of life, and more precisely the construction of social and health inequalities through inter-generational relations and their political and normative regulation. It centres on several projects concerning young people: the vision that teenagers and high school students have of the future and how they communicate with their parents and friends on this subject (AFFUT); local early childhood policies related to the issue of social and health inequalities (POTTERI); and a mapping of poverty affecting young people in Europe.

The Research Area organizes at least six seminars a year to present its members’ ongoing work.

solidarity, social protection, disability and loss of independence, childhood, youth, migration(s), mental health, health promotion, vulnerability, public policies, welfare organizations and professionals, user experience(s).