Edited by Johan P. Mackenbach and Martin McKee

2013

Four decades of divergent trends
and converging challenges

The diversity of Europe offers a remarkable natural laboratory for health policy. There are many examples of how countries have learnt from the experiences of others, with innovations first tried in one, and subsequently being adopted in others, such as compulsory seat-belt wearing, bans on smoking in public places, and the use of taxation to reduce hazardous drinking. However, there are also many examples of policies that, although shown to be successful, have not been taken up elsewhere.