Courtney McNamara and Clare Bambra, in their article published in the International Journal of Social Determinants of Health and Health Services, examine the impact of the global polycrisis on health inequalities. The authors employ a political economy of health framework to explore how interlinked economic, environmental, health, and political crises create cascading effects that exacerbate existing disparities in public health. By applying the concept of polycrisis—a term describing the entanglement of multiple global crises—the article highlights the urgent need for research and policy interventions that address the structural determinants of health in an era of mounting global instability.
Building upon a growing body of literature on health inequalities, McNamara and Bambra analyse how past crises, including the 2007–2008 financial crisis, climate-related disasters, pandemics, and geopolitical conflicts, have contributed to widening health disparities. The article argues that these crises do not occur in isolation but interact in ways that deepen vulnerabilities, disproportionately affecting marginalised communities. Through a critical review of existing research, the authors demonstrate that health inequities are not only social and economic in nature but also politically determined. The study concludes by outlining potential mitigation strategies and future research directions to counteract the unequal health impacts of the global polycrisis.