title: Philosophical problems with social research on health inequalities.
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.
authors.affiliation: Research in Health & Social Care Section, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing, King's College London, University of London, UK. steven.wainwright@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Wainwright
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Forbes
mesh_terms: D015276:Health Care Rationing; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D019359:Knowledge; D012107:Research Design; D012923:Social Class; D012935:Social Justice; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors