chapter 6: politics, social justice, and health Flashcards
groups of individuals mobilized around a common cause (form when individuals see or experience challenges around health)
social movements
refers to a situation in which all citizens share equal access to treatment and a fair allocation of resources regardless of their social status (proven to be top priority for Canadians)
social justice
what does a lack of social justice lead to
increase illness, disease, and mortality
what does a just health care system lead to
increase community democracy and foster healthier lives
what is the difference between social justice and individual justice
individual justices only applies to obligations that exist between individuals and social justice is the notion that civil society is founded on the basis of a social contract
what are the four dominant theories
libertarian perspective, classical utilitarians, marxist perspective, and Rawlsian theory of social justice
libertarian perspective
- supports the creation of institutions
- social justice should not disrupt the market order
- distribution of resources are seen as fair
- individual have a right to acquire or transfer property
- state should have minimal role, a very nominal social contract that rejects any claim of health care as a right
- don’t see the need for the state to intervene in the lives of people who were born disadvantaged
Friedrich Hayek (libertarian perspective)
judging individual outcomes based on conscious or deliberate action is logical, but to apply this principle at a societal level is ineffective
Robert Nozick (libertarian persepctive)
- claims that social justice is an entitlement
- believes that individuals have a right to own property and argues for minimal state involvement and sees state attempts to redistribute resources as unmerited
property may be acquired, as long as it is previously unowned. theft, coercion, and fruad are unacceptable
justice in acquisition
property may be transferred, as long as no theft, force, or fraud occur in the transfer of said property
justice in transfer
violations of the first two principles of justice are to be rectified
rectification
classic utilitarians
- believe that the foundation of society is built around the mutual expectations and advantages of voluntary relationships
- doesn’t endorse health care as a basic human right but doesn’t rule out the possibility that health care may be universally offered if driven by social policy (as long as it would be of maximum benefit to the majority of its members)
John Stuart Mill (classic utilitarians)
argued that the delivery of societal goods should be for the “greatest net balance of satisfaction” which suggests that utility should be shared accordingly to deliver to greatest good to the maximum number of people
critics of classic utilitarians argue that
vulnerable populations are often affected at a greater rate, they may be further marginalized when they have to acquiesce for the goods of those in privileged classes
marxist perspective
- their core is the right of subsistence, which are essential to sustain life
- would describe health care system acts as a mode of production involving labour and collective ownership
rights to material resources
should be positive and mutually beneficial, we as individuals benefit from a gauranteed minimum level of welfare, we also have an obligation to ensure basic living standards
individuals duties to the natural rights of others
this position is also often championed by libertarians, an exception being the rigid guidelines around property rights that exclude ownership of any property that functions as a productive property
individuals should serve the common interest
individuals may need to abandon interests that conflict with collective equity or aim to subvert social and economic equalities
John Rawls
reinvented the concept through a “thought experiment”, creating a theoretical account of the social contract, individuals would agree on how a just society is defined
- individuals would have to determine society’s distribution of four primary goods: wealth and income, rights and liberties, opportunities for advancement, and self-respect
original theory of social justice
- each person should have equal right to the most extensive system of personal liberties compatible with a system of total liberty for all
- social and economic inequality should be arranged so that they benefit the least advantaged in society the most and everyone in society has a fair and equal opportunity to obtain the social positions that permit them to make decisions about inequalities
Rawlsian theory of social justice
- provides for an entitlement to health care
- health care as fundamental in a free and equal society
- social and economic inequality should be arranged to benefit those who are least well off
the idea posits that inequality within a just society can only exist if it is “of greatest benefit to the least advantaged members of society”
the difference principle
society is obligated provide the general means necessary to underwrite fair equality of opportunity and our capacity to take advantage of our basic rights and liberties, and thus be normal and fully cooperating members of society over a complete life
fair equality of opportunity
health activism
- occurs when a marginalized group believes it is necessary to confront systemic inequities in the distribution of power and resources related to health
- used to accomplish broad, long-term goals
- a more democratic process driven by the life experience of lay people/celebrities
- can be viewed as a bottom-up social movement
health advocacy
- concentrates on education and functions within existing systems and the biomedical paradigm
- founded on experts within a system questioning existing principles and practices based on their knowledge and experience
social movements
- collective actions that transform the values and institutions of a society
- social movements challenge the boundaries between state and society, public and private, and the dominant definitions of knowledge and science in the health field
- aims to shift culture and knowledge, not just public policy
- may engage in the narrow lobbying and representation often associated with interest groups
interest groups
- rise from a sense of shared identity and use a variety of tactics to pursue their members’ agenda
- get bound up in social movements and becomes vehicles of representation of identities and goals of social movements
naming phase
identifies the problem, enables people to see that they share a problematic situation and fosters a sense of collective identity
blaming phase
sets out a series of relationships and begins to suggest who is to blame for the state of affairs
claiming phase
transitions from blaming someone or something to making claims for change to end whatever hurt or injustice has been identified
Idle No More
social movement that represents changing patterns of engagement among Indigenous peoples. aims to retain their culture and identities while reinforcing links among Indigenous people worldwide
a sense that successes are within reach
deprivation
features of external political environment that affect the ability of movements to challenge authorities
political opportunity structures
three ideas why we allow social movements and its influence in the society
- political parties may lack a clear mandate
- representation for certain interests and demonstrate their dedication to these issues
- expertise, interests groups may have more knowledge on certain topics
a concerted and organized class of social movements that has consistently challenged political and scientific authority (bottom-up), highly successful in effecting social change, challenges the way we think about individuals and collective identity
health social movements (HSMs)
three categories of HSMs
health access movements, constituency-based health movements, and embodied health movements
focus on equitable access to medical care and improved provision of health care services
health access movements
focus on health inequalities among groups and may be based on structures of identification like race, ethnicity, or gender
constituency-based health movements
focus on the experience of disease and illness, addressing etiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention
embodied health movements
a contemporary ideology focused on the importance of health and wellness
healthism
medical labels are attached to everyday experiences that were previously understood as a normal part of life (have accelerated in recent years)
the imperative of medicalization
sickness and health are viewed as equal occurrences, even healthy individuals are viewed as potentially ill
illness is now as “normal” as health
our cultural narrative emphasizes the importance of health in determining our livelihood (natural, organization foods and medicines are viewed as morally superior)
health as a moral compass for human experience
politicians capitalizing on the issue of health for personal benefit, politics prey on public’s fixation on health care by continually making it an issue and resulting in our society feeling more ill
the politicization of health
the political unit within which power and authority reside
state
group of persons who direct the political affairs of a state, but it can also mean the type of rule by which a state is run, aka political system
government
the efforts to control or influence the conduct and policies of government
politics
four major political systems
democracy, monarchy, authoritarianism, totalitarianism
holds power, restricts or prohibits popular participation in governance
authoritarianism
all features of authoritarianism but are even more repressive “North Korea”
totalitarianism
non-democratic political systems ruled by an individual or a group of individuals, not freely elected by their populations and discourage individual freedom of thought and action
authoritarianism and totalitarianism
power resides in a single family that rules from one generation to the next
monarchy
monarch (king or queen) claims a divine right to rule and exercises high degree of power
absolute monarchy
monarch serves a symbolic/ceremonial role and exercises little real power, limited by the law of the Constitution “United Kingdom”
constitutional monarchy
citizens govern themselves either directly or indirectly, people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (direct) or choose government officials to do so (representative)
democracy
professional advocates that work to influence political decisions on behalf of individuals and organizations
lobbyists
the attempt by a group to influence a political outcome
lobbying
five principles of social justice
access to resources, equity, participation, diversity, and human rights
summarize the four perspectives on social justice
libertarian - emphasize rights to social and economic liberty
utilitarian - what produces the most benefit for society as a whole
marxist - commitment to promote human equality
Rawl - fair opportunity/fairness
Andrew Wakefield
in 1998, he published a study reporting the occurrence of inflammation in the colon in children with a neurodevelopment disorder
a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection, spreads by contact with certain bodily fluids of an affected person, most commonly during unprotected sex
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
late stage of HIV infection that occurs when the body’s immune system is badly damaged because of the virus
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
a mark of shame or disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person
stigma
