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

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.

The main results of the study are:

• A substantial number of measures that are supposed to promote health equity had been initiated at the national level in Finland, Norway and Sweden
• Cooperation between the ministries was, in general, well-functioning
• Knowledge about and implications of the WHO’s Health in All Policies were mainly lacking, except in Finland, while the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals were well-known in all three countries
• General factors that might promote or hinder cooperation between ministries were identified