Economic, Social and Political Inequalities’ Impact on Health in the CIS Countries and the USA: Comparative Analysis

The purpose of this paper is to examine and compare the impact of various types of inequalities on health differentials in the USA and CIS to define whether the given outcomes fit existing theories related to health. To reach that goal, we review the major existing theoretical explanations of the impact of inequalities on health, provide some major empirical research conducted in US and CIS countries to test these theories, elaborate on the conceptualizations of various types of inequality, provide a comparison between the researched countries, and outline the commonalities and specifics of the impact of inequalities to conduct future research. Special emphasis in the outlined prospective research is placed on the subjective assessments of one’s status and wellbeing, which are largely shaped by the culture of a given country and region.