Foreword

In 2018, Janet Currie visited the Institute for Fiscal Studies and delivered its Annual Lecture.1 The lecture focused on Janet's latest research work, investigating socio-economic differences in health and mortality, and the extent to which access to health care early in life matters for mortality and other health outcomes in the short and longer term, as children grow up and become adults. In her lecture, Janet compares inequality in mortality in the US, Canada and France, as well as across states in the US, to investigate the value of publicly provided health insurance for children in tackling inequalities in health outcomes and in increasing health outcomes for all. Her work clearly demonstrates the power and value of looking across countries to understand trends in inequality and the role of institutions in shaping them.