Economic Policies to Address Poverty as a Fundamental Determinant of Health: Existing Evidence and Future Directions

Poverty is a fundamental driver of health, influencing access to resources and contributing to chronic stress and poor health. There has been substantial recent growth in the literature on the impacts of economic policies as upstream interventions to address poverty and reduce health inequities. This review synthesizes evidence on US income support policies with varying design features and populations served, e.g., tax policies, minimum wage, and guaranteed income programs. Drawing on robust quasi-experimental and experimental studies, findings suggest that policies increasing income, particularly the Earned Income Tax Credit, can meaningfully improve maternal, infant, and mental health and alleviate food insecurity. For many policies, however, there is insufficient research; for some, such as the minimum wage, evidence is mixed. Methodological challenges include data limitations, exposure misclassification, and policy co-occurrence. Future research should leverage longitudinal approaches, examine policy interactions, address equity of impact, and strengthen partnerships with policymakers to inform effective, equitable poverty alleviation strategies to improve health.