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Social Policy, Social Capital, and Self-Rated Health: Synergistic or Trade Off?

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  • Naoki Akaeda

Abstract

Although previous international comparative research has focused on social policy and social capital as crucial factors in promoting self-rated health, notable gaps remain. First, few studies have explored the interaction effect of these factors on self-rated health. Second, in terms of the proxies of social policy, earlier publications may mingle the levels and distribution of welfare provisions. To overcome these limitations, this study adopts three dimensions of welfare transfers as proxies of social policy to analyze the cross-level interaction effects of welfare transfers and social capital on self-rated health. For the analysis, this study utilizes data from the Luxembourg Income Study Database, the World Values Survey, and the European Values Study including multiple rounds. An international comparative analysis revealed that transfer share may strengthen the health impact of social trust, whereas low-income targeting may weaken the correlations between two types of civic participation, in particular, Olson-type and Putnam-type associations, and self-rated health.

Suggested Citation

  • Naoki Akaeda, 2025. "Social Policy, Social Capital, and Self-Rated Health: Synergistic or Trade Off?," LIS Working papers 904, LIS Cross-National Data Center in Luxembourg.
    • Handle: RePEc:lis:liswps:904
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