ABSTRACT
When people are asked to value and rank the importance of different life spheres health often is placed at the top. In other words, people in general seem to state that having ‘good health’ is the most profound component to live a decent life and a prerequisite to fare well over the life course. In addition, scholars from various disciplines often argue for the central importance of health. Hence in Amartya Sen’s (1985, 1992) capability approach, and in his work on justice and equality, health always plays a key role. In the recent influential work by Hall and Lamont (2009) on how to organise a good society and what constitutes a successful society they argue that population health is the most profound outcome.
