Power and Politics Flashcards
what does ethics deal with
What’s right and wrong, and maybe what’s socially acceptable
what principles are medical ethics based on?
explain in detail
Beauchamps and Childress in 1985 published their taxonomy of med ethics principles:
- Beneficience
- Non-malificience
- Justice
- Autonomy
They help to guide relationships between providers and consumers of healthcare.
Sometimes they conflict
what is utilitarianism? what scenarios would we not use these principles
A branch of consequentialism
It means things that does the most good/happiness and least unhappiness for the most number of people.
Hence morality is based on outcome (utility) instead of intended consequences
what ishedonic calculus and populism
utilitarianism- “ greatest good greatest number)
Populism- a political approach that strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.
How does utilitarianism related to global health? what is the problem with pure utilitarianism?
We have limited resources and hence we want to allocate our resource where it would have the greatest impact.
This isn’t good because the Neonatal Intensive care unit is least cost effective but we don’t stop saving kids (close down NICU) and use that money for vaccination and WASH across the world.
what ethics allows us to justify NOT closing the NICU down and using the money for worldwide vaccinations?
Distributive justice
what was John Stuart comment on social justice?
“Society should treat all equally well who have deserved equally well of it…”
in his book “Utilitarianism” in the 1700s
who came up with the idea of distributive justice? describe what he did?
John Rawls
He proposed the “Viel of ignorance” thought experiment.
Most people chose a society with equal opportunity for all instead of unlimited opportunity for a privilegeded few.
Hence people want equality of opportunity but some people still debate about equality of outcome
Define the Politics and politics
Politics:
- relates to political parties and the philosophy of government. It’s driven by politicians (elected)
- i.e philosophy of governing
politics:
- as being that process of us gaining or applying power in our local group or organisation.
why do we have a government and how does the idea of government change over time ? which philosophers are important
Security - (from external threats)
Also promote unity and fairness
Confucius (6th century) and Plato (5th) have their ideas of governance but has religious overtones.
But Thomas Aquinas modified their teachings to state laws made by God and those made by man
Describe and explain the 2 axis of political ideology
Liberal (left) : challenge the status quo
Conservative (right): keeping the status quo
Collectivist:
- Marx and Lenin ideas where wealth is redistributed partially by progressive taxation or wholly by state action on salaries.
- Equal opportuniy and egalitarian.
Liberataria:
- Influenced by John Mills
- State should not interfere with the individual autonomy unless someone is coming to harm
what was John Stuart Mill Harm Principle?
“The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”
What are the activiites of john Stuart Mill?
Philosopher and political economist
He was among the first members of parliament to openly support women’s suffrage and support abolition in US
what is the Nuffield ladder of framework?
framework that we can use to consider the proportionality of constraining individual liberty.
It doesnt provide justification but adds agradations and categories to different interventional apporaches
what are the different interventions in the Nuffield ladder bioethics from top of the ladder to the bottom.
Give details
Eliminate choice
Restrict choice
Guide choices via disincentives
Guide choices via incentives
Guide choices by changing defaults
Enable choice
Provide information
Do nothing or monitor- what John Mills wanted
what must you do, to try and affect change
Say the right thing to the right person at the right time.
Use strategic thinking where you have you goal in mind then make shorter and reliable objectives
what is stakeholder/ partner?
what things about them would you like the understand?
Organisation/people that have an interest in what you’re doing.
Partners: subgroup of stakeholder who are central to the succes of what you’re trying to achieve.
Things to understand:
- who they are? Go to person
- Do they support you
- How powerful they are?
Understanding this is important to implementing change
what is Power? Who has power and why is important to restrict people having power worldwide
Ability to exercise one’s will over others.
e.g: Kim Jong Un- very powerful
Most people do not have that much power: this inertia helps to provide stability and continuity of the world
We need to overcome the inertia to affect change
Define authority and link it to how it can affect change.
What gives people authority
Ability to influence people and outcomes.
Doctors have authority as people see them as experts in the field.
People can listen to you and call upon you for advice.
Hence can lead to change
what is a coalition?
A group of stakeholders who work together for a shared goal.
Need a coalition to help affect change.
Achieve more when working together and partnership. It is very slow to bring about change
what is incremental change
Very slow change due to step by step procedures being followed.
it is limited by the pace of the slowest decision maker.
Esp for govt and large organsiations (due to large inertia to overcome)
what is transformative change
Very fast changes
Root and branch change; esp in hospitals
why is the message important? what must you avoid?
As a health care professional, you need to craft message to calm anxiety of stakeholders
- tell them why yours is important than the one they have now
- Better to have the support of the people
Most people aren’t scientist and be humble as you’re not elected.
Avoid groupthink (by having diversity and challenge to your ideas to help fortify it)
what is a tame problem and how do you fix it
Can be simple or complex, but is prone to being solved by a process of linear solution..
We are typically trained to take a problem-solving approach that will, for the most part, work for these
Require a plan
