Muntaner C, Lynch J, et al. 1999. The social class determinants of income inequality and social cohesion. International Journal of Health Services. 1999;29:699-732.
This article is a response to an article by Richard Wilkinson in which he commented on a previous article by the authors. These authors argue that public health research theorizing that income inequality negatively affects health through social cohesion ignores the importance of other dimensions of class relationships. Wilkinson defines social cohesion as participation in public affairs, civic responsibility, or involvement in public life. He further includes individual psychology as a key element of social cohesion, such as emotions, stress, helplessness, and disrespect.
These authors suggest that Wilkinson's definition overlooks that social class determines the type of social cohesion that emerges in communities and that Wilkinson' proposed indicators (e.g., voting participation, newspaper readership, or number of cultural voluntary associations) exclude or minimize forms of social cohesion in working-class communities. They conduct analyses that suggest that social cohesion concepts should take into consideration social class variation. Organizational membership among working class individuals could include union membership, for example. If the concept overlooks social class, working class communities could be assessed to be less cohesive than they actually are.
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