Public Health and the American State

Explores how public health concerns and political agendas influenced each other in the US over the past century This book offers an insightful discussion of the complex relationship between public health, US democracy and power during the so-called American century. It sheds light on the intricate history of the US public health system, examining how the development of the federal government has shaped its trajectory. By exploring the intertwined roles of politics, race and socio-economic factors, the contributors uncover the challenges and contradictions of public health in the US from the Spanish Flu to Covid-19. They also investigate the connections between public health and America's aspirations as a global power, as well as its domestic implications for social cohesion and institutional legitimacy. The focus on the American century provides a critical historical timeframe for an in-depth understanding of the connections between public health, people and power, on both the domestic and global stages. Gaetano Di Tommaso is Postdoctoral Researcher at the Roosevelt Institute for American Studies (RIAS), The Netherlands. Dario Fazzi is Assistant Professor of US and Environmental History at Leiden University and Senior Researcher at the Roosevelt Institute for American Studies (RIAS), The Netherlands. Giles Scott-Smith is Professor of Transnational Relations and New Diplomatic History and Dean of Leiden University College at Leiden University, The Netherlands.