Abstract
This paper offers a realist critique of social research on health inequalities. A conspectus of the field of health inequalities research identifies two main research approaches: the positivist quantitative survey and the interpretivist qualitative 'case study'. We argue that both approaches suffer from serious philosophical limitations. We suggest that a turn to realism offers a productive 'third way' both for the development of health inequality research in particular and for the social scientific understanding of the complexities of the social world in general.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 259 - 277 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Health Care Analysis |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2000 |