Cross-sectoral cooperation at the ministerial level –with afocus on health inequalities

Differences in health between social groups have increased in the Nordic countries during the last decades. Therefore, the governments have initiated a number of reforms. Yet, the health gap is still increasing.Lack of cooperation between different governmental departments might be an explanation. Our new study shows, however, that cross-sectoral cooperation is working well. The main problem might instead be a lack of comprehensive and effective measures.The purpose of this qualitative study was to assess the extent of cross-sectoral cooperation at the national ministerial level, with focus on reducing health inequalities and to identify factors that might promote or hinder such cooperation.