Health + human rights Flashcards
(101 cards)
1
Q
What is human development?
A
used to describe a country improvement over time as well as increasing people’s opportunities
2
Q
What are welfare states?
A
- occurs in most developed countries -> where governments use taxes to fund a welfare states system
Promotes human wellbeing by redistributing resources for those in need
3
Q
Why is GDP a good measure of development?
A
- economic growth drives other types of development
- advances in health + life expectancy can only be delivered by economic growth
4
Q
Why is GDP not a good measure of development?
A
Doesn’t consider quality of life
5
Q
What is Bolivia like under Evo Morales?
A
- taxes have been raised on the profits of oil TNCs to over 80% + these have been used to reduce poverty
- has a focus on environmental + social progress
- nationalised oil + gas
6
Q
What is the Mathusian viewpoint on resources?
A
As population reaches resource limit -> Mathusian Catastrophe occurs -> war, famine etc
7
Q
What is the Happy Planet Index?
A
Happy Planet Index = life expectancy x experienced wellbeing / ecological footprint
8
Q
How do Costa Rica maintain a high life expectancy?
A
- Has an average life expectancy of 78.5
- Population benefits from government + private healthcare
- Residents eat well + exercise + have genetic characteristics for longevity
- Large pre-natal outreach
- Education programmes
9
Q
How are Costa Rican’s wellbeing maintained?
A
- Military abolished in 1948
- spending is instead spent on education
- all citizens have healthcare + access to education
- peace is a big theme (uni courses on it)
- big focus on relationships + community
- lots of spare time
10
Q
How is the ecological footprint maintained in Costa Rica ?
A
- Costa Rica has pioneered techniques in land managements, reforestation + fossil fuel alternatives
- Oil exporters pay a special tac -> used to pay locals to protect the environment -> this prevents illegal logging from being profitable
- areas suffering from deforestation converted into national parks
- 99% of energy is from renewable sources
11
Q
What was Hans Rosling’s view on development?
A
He felt the way to improve future goals such as health + human rights was through economic growth
- also argued that human rights was vital for economic growth and that these cannot exist without a good stable government
12
Q
How can access to education be measured?
A
- access to education
- attendence levels
- exam results
- how many years in school
- whether boys + girls have equal access to education
13
Q
What is human capital?
A
the total amount of skills and knowledge a country’s population has
14
Q
Why is education important for development?
A
Education is crucial to economic development as it increases the value of ‘human capital’ e.g skilled workforce
Education and levels of income are linked
15
Q
How is gender inequality shown across the world?
A
UNESCO found education still faces gender inequality
In sub-sahara Africa fewer girls finish both primary + secondary - 72% boys 66% girls
16
Q
What barriers are girls facing when trying to achieve education?
A
- In some places, school do not meet safety, hygiene or sanitation needs of girls
- Boys are more likely to go to school as they are the breadwinners
- Cultural views about women being mothers exist
17
Q
What has been done in Bangladesh to overcome the challenge to education?
A
- Employ women in every village to educate on family planning + contraception
- Government pay families to keep girls in school
18
Q
What has been the outcome for the development project focused on girl’s education in Bangladesh?
A
- No of babies per women has decreased from 8 to 2.2
- Life expectancy has increased
- More females have careers - increased economic growth
19
Q
How can health impact human development?
A
- Childhood diseases lead to stunting + poor cognitive development -> affects education
- diseases reduce capacity to work
- family members may have to spend long periods looking after ill family members due to poor health service
20
Q
What is social progress?
A
the idea that societies can improve over time in economic, human and environmental terms
Governments play a large role in this
21
Q
France - education + healthcare spending
A
HEALTH
- is predominatly state funded
- 4th highest spending as a % in G20
- families pay top up insurance of £150 a month
WELFARE
- high welfare + pension payments
EDUCATION
- high spending
- £8500 per student per year
22
Q
Saudi Arabia - education + healthcare spending
A
Autocratic state
HEALTH
- state funded
- high quality hospitals
WELFARE
- pensions are low
- only 1/3 of working people in employment
- only 22% of women work
EDUCATION
- education focused on religious teaching
- Saudi teachers are often poorly trained
- Expat schools much better -> gated as they can be bombed
23
Q
What are SDG’s?
A
Sustainable Development Goals
- 17 goals to promote development universally
24
Q
What are MDG’s?
A
Millennium Development Goals
- ran from 2000-2015
- created by UN
- aimed to improve the lives of people in developing countries through a global response
- 8 goals
25
What are 2 examples of MDG's?
- to 1/2 proportion of people suffering from hunger
- reduce by 2/3 the under 5's mortality rate
- eliminate gender disparity in primary + secondary education
26
What were drawbacks to the MDGs?
- only 1 of the goals achieved
- some countries (China) had large success whilst there was limited progress in South Asia + Africa
- Conflict set back some progress
27
Difference between MDGs + SDGs?
SDGs have a bigger focus on sustainable development
28
Describe an example of a non-secular governance ( SHARIA LAW)
When law + religion are interwined.
Sharia law is a religious Islamic view in law which covers inheritance, marriage, contracts + criminal punishments
Some countries use Sharia law to justify an authoritarian approach
29
Give an example of when a non-secular government has restricted reduction in gender disparity?
Sharia law - has been used to restrict women's rights + to jusifty the poor treatment of women.
Death penalty is also justified under Sharia Law
30
What is an example of governance which uses the model of sustainability?
BOLIVIA
Morales lead to the creation of the 2009 Constitution focused on the Law of Mother Earth
Includes
- Mother Nature has rights
- Government has duty in protecting mother Nature e.g thorough removal of WMDs
This is an approach to put nature first in the response to climate change
31
What is a communist model of governance?
- Prominent industries are state-owned
- working conditions + pay more regulated
However
- less economic growth (less focus on profits)
- To maintain one-part control, governments would restrict freedom of speech and human rights
e.g China
32
What is an authoritarian government?
Where descions are made by the government or one person alone. e.g dictatorships
- have a bad human rights record
NORTH KOREA
- persecution of anyone who questions the government
- execution/ torture of prisoners
33
What is a democratic political system?
Allows people to vote out a government that is doing a bad job
34
What are the different versions of democracy?
Full democracy
- political freedom fully protected + respected
Flawed democracy
- elections are fair and civil liberities protected but they are problems e.g media may not be free
Hybrid regimes
- elections are not free + fair, corruption widespread
35
What is an example of a democratic state where human rights violations still occur? INDIA
Large human rights violations such as
- 70% of prison population awaiting trial
- security forces act with impunity
36
What is an example of regional health differences?
North- South divide
Blackpool has a life expectancy of 53.3 years
Richmond-Upon-Thames has a life expectancy of 71.9 years
- more access to private health care
- better lifestyle (gym, access to better foods)
37
What is an example of health differences between indigenous and non-native people?
AUSTRALIA
Aboriginal life expectancy for men is currently estimated to be 10.6 years lower than that of non-indigneous men and 9.5 years lower for women
Indigenous
- live in remote areas - limited access to healthcare
- High smoking rates - indigenous people only recently exposed to addictive substances
- Type 2 diabetes more prevalent (less education on foods/diet)
Non-native people
-better access to healthcare
- better education
38
What is the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)
- established in 2002
- created to help achieve MDG 2+3
- invests in early childhood education + aims to develop a sound educational system (focused on poorest + most disadvantages children)
39
What views do IGOs often promote?
Neo-liberal views
40
What are neo-liberal views?
Views in favour of:
- reduced state intervention
- free-marker capitalism
- freedom for private businesses to trade
- promotes free trade
- privatising state assets e.g water
41
What are the drawback of the IGOs neo-liberal views?
- benefits buisnesses + TNCs more than ordinary people
- focuses on industrialisation, trade jobs -> misses out rural areas
- focuses on economic growth at expense of environment
42
What role does the IMF play in development?
The IMF aims to encourage global financial stability
- monitors global economy
- advises governments on how to improve economic situation
- gives loans to countries with economic problems
43
What role does the World Bank play in development?
Provides loans + grants to developing countries to invest in areas like health, education etc
- countries are expected to pay back for loans
44
What role does the World Trade Organisation (WTO) play in development?
Helps negotiate trade agreements + settle trade disputes
- sets rules about how countries should trade with each other e.g promote free trade by remove as many barriers as possible
45
What is the Universal Deceleration of Human Rights (UDHR)?
30 articles that define basic human rights
Foundation for modern human rights
Not all countries signed it (Soviet Union, South Africa, Saudi Arabia)
46
Are the UDHR still fit for purpose?
- articles were set out by the west + some articles are in direct conflict with religious vires followed by Middle East
- there is no way to enforce them
- not legally binding
Key rights include
3 - right to life
4 - no slavery
5 - no torture
47
What is the European Convention of Human Rights ( ECHR)?
- adopted in 1950 by council of Europe
47 member states
- established a legal framework for protection of human rights
- all member include this within national laws
- 14 articles
48
Why are human rights problematic in post-colonial states?
- human rights had no role in colonial governments, so little history of them
- post-colonial poverty lead to a focus on economic growth rather than human rights
- Post colonial borders do not respect geography of people + so many ethnic minority groups may have been persecuted
49
What is the GENEVA CONVENTION?
Series of laws to protect + safeguard combatants, members of armed forces, the wounded, sick + civillians.
- defines what counts as a war crime
- few cases have ever been brought to trial
- 141 countries still use torture
50
What is an example of the geneva convention being broken? GUTANTANAMO BAY
- violation of rule 5
- reports of torture in the US prison (located in South America)
- hot boxing common ( prisoners left in a box to dehydrate + burn)
51
What was the SREBRENICA MASSACRE?
- violations of 1-5
- in 1995
- 7,000 murdered
- worst mass killing in Europe since WW2
- Bosian Muslims were killed by Serbian armies in a UN safe zone
Serb leader was convicted of genocide 20 years after the massacre
52
What is the corruption perception index?
CPI is the most widely used corruption measure
- measures how corrupt each country's public sector is perceived to be
Corruption is higher in authoritarian states
5% of world GDP is spent on corruption
53
How does corruption affect development?
Prevents development in many ways
- money lost to corruption could be spent on infrastructure/ education
- also threatens human rights enforcement as politicians may bribe police etc
54
What does the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) focus on to improve lives of ASTI people?
- Preventing racial discrimination (protects ASTI people against it)
- Social justice (recognises the rights of ASTI people to land for cultural support)
55
Why were ASTI people discriminated against?
Were not considered Australian citizens until 1967
- forced to live on reserves (could not own land until 1975)
- had no vote
- many children were taken by authorities to be raised in s 'civil society'
- 20% of school age children no enrolled in education
- may be due to mistrust of government
56
How can Gender Equality be measured?
GII - Gender Inequality Index
- Australia's progress towards gender equality includes legal reforms, increased female leadership, reduced gender pay gap etc
57
Why is gender inequality an issue in Afghanistan?
Between 1996-2001 a large proportion of the country was controlled by the Taliban
- the Taliban enforce strict rules surrounding what women are allowed to do e.g cannot access education
58
What happened in 2001 in Afghanistan? and how did this affect gender inequality there?
in 2001, the Taliban regime collapsed following a US-led military intervention
- following this progress was made in improving women's rights -> by 2012 3.2 million girls were attending education (this progress was originally slow as Taliban laws had to be removed)
In 2021- Taliban REGAINED control + Afghanistan government collapsed leading to increase in violence and discrimination experienced by women -> now have imposed a ban on women attending secondary school
59
What is torture?
When someone deliberately inflicts mental or physical pain on another person for a specific reason
60
Torture in Iran
Many are at risk for torture for different reasons
- some for political reasons
- others for behaving in a way the government views as 'unacceptable' e.g listening to western music
Iranian authorities use brutal torture to control the population
61
What is top-down development?
- large in scale
- carried out by governments, IGOs
- Imposed upon locals
- well funded
62
What is bottom-up development?
Usually small in scale
- NGOs involved
- will consult local communities and ask what they need
-limited funding
63
What are the types of aid?
BILATERAL AID
- given from 1 country to another
MULTILATERAL
- given from an IGO
- often involves loans
EMERGENCY AID
- short term aid to cope from natural disasters
- given from governments + NGOs
64
What are the motives for aid?
- genuine desire to improve human welfare
- political ties
- way to gain economic access for buisnesses and assit with trade deals
- as a way to strengthen political alliances
65
What is an example of using both bottom- up + top-down aid aid? HAITI
HAITI
- After 2010 earthquake high amounts of aid was received by Haiti
- Oxfam was initially focused on humanitarian work + then began to focus on reconstruction projects + growth projects ( Bottom-up)
- Us government donated billions for infrastructure rebuilding (top-up aid)
$10 billion was raised to help relief effort
66
What concerns where there surrounding Haiti's aid?
2 years after the earthquake 500,000 people were still living in temporary shelters
- foreign governments pledged $5.6 billion with the condition that it was spent within the first 18 months -> however on 40% has been spent
Haiti's government + NGOs did not have the capacity to spend the money effectively
THIS WAS A FAILURE OF AID
67
What was the Rwandian genocide?
- around 700,00 died
- US decided finanical cost of intervention was too high and so acted very late
- although there were UN peacekeepers in Rwanada many decided to leave after the murder of 10 soliders
- if they acted earlier 300,00 could have been saved
Following this the right to protect was created in legislation (when is best to intervene)
68
How was the IRAQ war justified?
2003
- was in part justified by a need to bring a democracy to the people of Iraq with the hope this would bring stability + prosperity
Life before the war:
- Sudan Hassein was in power (brutal leader, no freedom of speech, lots of torture/ kidnappings)
- strict sanctions meant Iraq was very isolated
69
How did bad planning affect Iraq following the IRAQ war?
Iraqi people were not consulted on a new democratic systems - only exiles Iraqis
- new system created ethnic divides
- military was disbanded to prevent a power grab (milita groups then formed from angry ex-soliders -> went on to form ISIS)
- US cleared out all party members linked to Sudan Hassein -> no longer a functioning government, was badly managed + thousands become unemployed (no police, no education staff etc)
70
Why has corruption flourished in a democratic Iraq?
- no real voting system was implemented
- state resources are syphoned away from the people -> money goes straight to politicians
-> oil was privatised during the US invasion -> state no longer receives money from oil
- internal corruption is major barrier to developments
71
Why does Iran look to destabilise a democratic Iraq?
- US is involved in Iraq and Iran wants to fight this involvement + create a buffer zone to the US (proxy conflict)
- Iran is run by Shia's and they want Shia's in power in Iraq as well ( funded by militants)
- want Iraq weak enough to never pose a threat
72
Future of Iraq
Al Sadar is growing in popularity -> very similar views to Sudan Hassein
- Iraq is a target of ISIS -> want to take over power
- militas have strongholds in political groups -> similar views
- violent protests have occured across the country - 600 killed
73
How was the Iraq war justified?
Reasons for war:
- 'help the oppressed people' -> stop Sudan Hassein attacking his own people
- War on terror
- Preventing use of weapons of mass destruction
What was it really about?
- Invasion for oil -> western companies can now set up in Iraq (it was previously nationionlised)
74
What is the Responsibility to Protect?
??
75
Probelms with Responsibility to Protect?
- the UN has failed to prevent action in any way using this
- was set up to fail, veto cards prevent any policies getting through as everyone protects their allies
76
What is the UN Security Council?
Consists of 15 members, including 5 permanent members with veto power (USA, UK, China, Russia, France) with 10 rotating members (representing each area of the world)
77
What is a trade embargo?
restrictions on a specific country against the movement of goods or people.
An embargo is often against a country with controversial policies or who trade openly in dangerous good or weapons (UN or EU embargos are for the last reason)
78
What is military aid?
Money, weapons or advice that is given to developing countries to help protect borders, fight terrorism
79
What is the difference between direct military action and indirect military action?
DIRECT
- armed forces from one sovereign state engage in a conflict with another
- often done as part of a coalition e.g several states together
INDIRECT
- military equipment provided to another sovereign state
80
What is military action?
As a last resort countries will look to either take direct military action
- whereby a country will directly attack another country or through indirect military action
- where a country will look to train individuals and support the military
81
What is Amnesty International?
NGO
Founded in 1961
Headquarter in London
A mass-membership organisation funded by members + supporters that promotes direct military action such as protests + campaigns
82
What is Human Rights Watch ?
NGO
Founded in 1978
Headquarters in New York
Largely funded by wealthy individuals
-> puts pressure on government to take action + intervene
83
Why might there not be intervention from IGOs + NGOs even if the case for intervention is strong?
- NGOs have little power to intervene
- the UN has no military force of its own -> relies on member states to provide it
- the geography of the location may make intervention hard
- geopolitical considerations
-> risk that intervention could lead to wider conflict
84
What is development aid?
known as overseas aid this money (aid) given to developing countries to support long term economic, political + social development
85
What is sovereignty?
The legal right to govern a physical territory
86
How do Western governments intervene indirectly to improve human rights?
they may offer aid to help economic + social development but attach conditions which seek to improve human rights
- may also do this is in trade negotiations
This can be seen as interfering with sovereignty though
87
Why is the Niger Delta being exploited?
- Nigeria earns $10n billion a year from oil (however there is mass corruption in Nigeria)
- 2nd largest reserve in Africa
- Oil is exported out the country to be refined as they don't have the infrastructure to do it.
So it's refined in HICS -> so HIC gets richer -> TNCs don't want refines in Nigeria
88
What is the impact of oil extraction (environmental)?
NIGER DELTA
Oil spills are common + pollute groundwater, surface water + soil
Mangrove forests + rainforests are often burned/ damages
Burning of natural gas during oil extraction causes serious environmental + health problems
Delta Avengers -> criminal groups that drill into pipelines + steal oil are blamed by TNCs for environmental damage
89
What is the impact of oil extraction (social)?
NIGER DELTA
70% of people in the Niger Delta live below poverty line
- 90 million live in extreme poverty
Local schools + hospitals are underfunded
Less than 20% of the region is accessible by good roads
Poor sanitation + pollution make access to clean water very hard
90
How is the Niger Delta being exploited?
-TNCs such as Shell pay to access oil in the Niger Delta
-Shell then pay a tax on profits to NNPC (regulator + corporation company for Nigerian oil)
- So the NNPC earns money but also checks how it earns money
- Money ends up 'going missing' -> so public money is lost -> political elite + big TNCs get richer
91
What are the outcomes in the Niger Delta?
- NNPC, political elite + TNCs are becoming richer through corruption + loopholes
- Since 2000, the Niger Delta has been plagued by violence with attacks on pipelines
- More than 14,000 Nigerians took Shell to court in London to sue for damages caused by oil spills
Shell lost the case + had to pay for damages
92
What is Ebola?
Ebola is a serious infection found in parts of Africa
- caught by coming into contact with body fluids of an infected person/wild animal
93
What is known about outbreaks of Ebola?
In 2014, 2200 people died from it
Outbreaks used to be rural however it then reached the border region in West Africa -> where many people cross border for work
- Impacted areas have low literacy rates -> makes sense public health campaigns harder
Out break was worse due to mistrust of doctors in some countries as well as a lack of healthcare spending by governments
94
What aid was received for the Ebola outbreak?
-The WHO sent out teams of health workers to decide and manage cases of Ebola
- individual countries sent support such as building treatment centres
- longer development aid such as funding healthcare
- the campaign relied heavily on the US military to work with governments to build medical centres
THIS WAS A SUCCESS
95
What human rights violations have occured in Zimbabwe?
- protestors shot at
- tanks driven into the capital city, were president was captured + replaced
- significant human rights violations including unlawful killings, torture, punishment + prison
- corrupt government with violations against political opponent's
96
What is the impact of the human rights violations in Zimbabwe for politics ?
- 82% of government budget was allocated to government spending most of which was lost to corruption
- political opponents are fired or killed when fighting against abused human rights
- poverty levels are at 72%
97
What is the impact of the human rights violations in Zimbabwe for the environment?
- deforestation rates are increasing, most of this due to trees being cut down for firewood by the rural poor as they have no option for fuel
- tobacco farming is increasing in % of exports
-> this causes loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, water pollution etc
98
Why has there been a lack of military action in Zimbabwe?
- Zimbabwe is a former British colony which fought for its independence.
- Neighbouring African states argue that President Mugabe is no threat to global peace.
-It's unlikely that the UN Security Council would agree to military action
99
Why is Timor- Leste in need of aid?
- has struggled with instability + mass killings since gaining independence before it the was occupied by Indonesia
- has also struggled with starvation over 2 decades
- a 78% majority vote to become independent from Indonesia, miliats carried out attacks
100
Is the Timor-Leste becoming more stable?
- economy + infrastructure are improving
- in 2006, an attempted coup occured by 400 deserting soldiers took place -> conflict went on for several months and ended with the resignation of the prime minister
- conditions are still better
THERE WAS NO DEVELOPMENT AID OR INTERVENTION BY UN
101
How do IGOs provide development aid?
- provide loans and grants to help developing countries reduce poverty + increase economic growth
- Loans, grants + credits awarded for various development projects (education, healthcare)
CONCERNS:
- Conditionality - they have to meet certain conditions
- Environmental damage -> may prioritise economic development over environmental
Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAP) - can lead to less spending on education/ healthcare
-> can be linked to Tanzania water case study
