Power Structures and Health Equity: Analyzing Structural Determinants of Healthcare Access and Outcomes
A special issue of Societies (ISSN 2075-4698). This special issue belongs to the section "The Social Nature of Health and Well-Being".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 April 2026 | Viewed by 353
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue of Societies focuses on examining the structural determinants of health inequities through social science and interdisciplinary lenses. Its scope encompasses research investigating how institutional power dynamics, social structures, and systemic factors influence healthcare access, patient-provider relationships, and health outcomes across diverse populations. The purpose of this collection is twofold: first, to advance theoretical frameworks that conceptualize health as fundamentally shaped by social forces beyond individual choice; and second, to identify actionable pathways toward transforming healthcare systems to better serve marginalized communities. The issue will prioritize research utilizing qualitative methodologies and community-engaged approaches that center the voices and lived experiences of those most affected by health disparities. Contributors are encouraged to examine both the mechanisms through which structural inequities manifest in healthcare settings and innovative interventions that successfully address these systemic barriers.
This collection will supplement existing research by foregrounding structural approaches that connect individual health experiences to broader institutional arrangements and power relations. By bringing social science theory into conversation with public health research, the issue will offer conceptual frameworks that can help scholars, practitioners, and policymakers develop more comprehensive understandings of health equity challenges and their potential solutions. The Special Issue will contribute to emerging scholarship on structural competency in healthcare by providing empirical examples of how structural forces shape clinical encounters and by highlighting community-based interventions that address the root causes of health disparities rather than merely their symptoms.
Contributions have to follow one of the three categories of papers (article, conceptual paper, or review) of the journal and address the topic of the Special Issue.
Prof. Dr. Brittany C. Slatton
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- structural determinants of health
- health equity
- patient–provider dynamics
- healthcare access
- qualitative health research
- community-engaged research
- health disparities
- institutional barriers
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