scholarly journals Neocolonial epidemiology

Author(s):  
Alejandro Cerón

The relationship between public health practice and the fulfilment of the right to health is often assumed to be synergistic. With the goal of understanding how exactly this relationship happens, I studied the everyday practice of epidemiology in Guatemala, seeking to understand how it shapes and is shaped by the notion of health as a human right. Here I present findings from my ethnographic investigation of the Guatemalan Centro Nacional de Epidemiología (National Epidemiology Center), created in 2004 with the explicit mission of contributing to fulfilling the right to health for the inhabitants of Guatemala. While the relationship between epidemiological practice and the right to health is influenced by the specific configuration of local and transnational flows (bureaucratic, economic, ideological, political, scientific, social, and symbolic), epidemiologists also play an important mediating role. There are four intermediate social mechanisms that shape the relevance of epidemiological practice to fulfilling the right to health in Guatemala. Given how the country’s economic and social inequalities translate into enormous health inequities, an epidemiological practice committed to the right to health should aspire to transform, rather than reproduce, the social hierarchies underlying such inequalities. The mechanisms I identified shape how epidemiological practice contributes to the reproduction or transformation of such hierarchies. These mechanisms shape what I call ‘neocolonial epidemiology’, and include: institutional chaos, disciplinary conformism, global health international relations, and social relations at the national level.

Paradigm ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-196
Author(s):  
Li Zongcheng

This article puts forth the hierarchical sequence of ontology beyond the experience of the new institutionalism: arche, paradigm, pattern, structure and factors; thus, the analytic framework of the ontology and its axiomatism of complex organizations analysis framework is set. In the new research, the core of the complex organization is attributed to the structure of rights and interests, the dynamics base of complex organizations is attributed to the dynamic system and the right–interest relation, while the dynamic system is concentrated in two aspects: system function–system load and system efficiency–system consumption; the right–interest relation are concentrated on interest structures, human right structures and sovereignty structures. From the personal level to the national level, from the political field to the rest of the society, this series discuss the relationship between interests, human rights and sovereignty, where the right–interest relation, rule framework, game organization and ecological mode are interrelated and mutually determined.


2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Posteraro

In questo lavoro, si propone uno studio del diritto alla salute quale diritto fondamentale della persona. Anzitutto, si analizza l’evoluzione interpretativa subita dall’articolo 32 della Costituzione italiana e si cerca di capire, da un lato, come tale diritto fosse considerato prima d’oggi; dall’altro, come sia considerato attualmente, invece, anche alla luce delle decisioni della giurisprudenza. Lo scopo è quello di rilevare le connessioni esistenti tra il diritto alla salute, il principio della libertà personale e i limiti apparentemente imposti dall’ordinamento italiano. Si analizzano, perciò, i rapporti esistenti tra esso e l’interesse della collettività, oltre che tra esso e l’articolo 5 del codice civile (il quale ultimo sembrerebbe condizionarlo quando vieta, all’individuo, la piena disposizione del proprio corpo). Si considerano, poi, i problemi creati dalla esasperata indipendenza del singolo, il quale si rivolge alla medicina, oggi, spesso, solo con lo scopo di realizzare i propri desideri. Quali i riflessi sul piano etico e giuridico? Questa situazione è pericolosa? Se sì, in quali casi? Quali le conseguenze sul corpo del paziente? C’è crisi dell’identità? ---------- This paper proposes a study of the right to health as a fundamental human right. Firstly, it analyzes the evolution of interpretation of health of the Article 32 of the Italian Constitution and it tries to comprehend how this right was considered in the past and how it is regarded in the present in light of jurisdictional decisions. Secondly, it aims to detect the links between the principle of personal freedom and the limits apparently imposed by the Italian system. We analyze, therefore, the relationship between the right to health and the public interest, as well as the relationship between this right and Article 5 of the Civil Code (which would seem to limit the individual when prohibiting the full exercise of its body). It considers, then, the problems created by an exasperated independence of the individual, which is often targeted by medicine today, only in order to achieve their desires. What are the reflections on the ethical and juridical plans? Is this situation dangerous? If yes, in what cases? What are the consequences on the patient’s body? Is there a crisis of identity?


Author(s):  
Thana C de Campos

Modern conceptions of justice ignore the relationship between duty-bearers and rights-holders, focusing mainly on the claimability of individual rights. This is particularly the case in medical law discussions. I argue that a deontological approach to medical law could not only create a less individualistic discussion, but also increase the probability of the realization of rights—particularly the human right to health. To demonstrate the applicability of deontological ethics in medical law, I first define and explain the modern conception of justice. To critique this modern conception of justice, I examine Kant’s and O’Neill’s deontological arguments regarding rights and duties. Then, building on Tasioulas’s deontological argument, I develop a theoretical understanding of the minimum-core-obligations that societies must fulfil if the right to health is to be feasibly claimable. I conclude by contrasting the practical implications of using either the modern conception of justice or the deontological conception of justice to interpret the minimum-core-obligations in the field of medical law.


Author(s):  
Madeline Baer

Chapter 5 provides a case study of the human rights-based approach to water policy through an analysis of the Bolivian government’s attempts to implement the human right to water and sanitation. It explores these efforts at the local and national level, through changes to investments, institutions, and policies. The analysis reveals that while Bolivia meets the minimum standard for the human right to water and sanitation in some urban areas, access to quality water is low in poor and marginalized communities. While the Bolivian government expresses a strong political will for a human rights approach and is increasing state capacity to fulfill rights, the broader criteria for the right to water and sanitation, including citizen participation and democratic decision-making, remain largely unfulfilled. This case suggests political will and state capacity might be necessary but are not sufficient to fulfill the human right to water and sanitation broadly defined.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 5869
Author(s):  
Athanasios Krystallis ◽  
Vlad Zaharia ◽  
Antonis Zairis

Responding to the appeal for more research on the contingencies that shape the relationship between CSR and corporate performance, this paper incorporates environmental CSR, sets up an experimental survey and employs multiple mediation analysis with the aim to test the mediating role of consumer attributions on the CSR elements–consumer responses relationship; and further to examine the degree to which attributions are controllable, i.e., specific CSR elements activate specific type of attributions. Results support that attributions have a strong predicting power on consumer outcomes. The right time of appearance and the appropriate amount of resources committed to a CSR campaign, through the dual type of attributions they activate (more positive, i.e., values-driven and less negative, i.e., egoistic), impact positively on consumer reactions. In this respect, the study adds to past research showing that attributions are controllable, i.e., specific CSR initiative characteristics of a impact on the dimensionality of attributions and, through that, on specific target-types of consumer responses. This study thus shows that the activation of a dual-level attributions’ system is ambivalent, dependent on the character of the CSR campaign. The fact that specific CSR elements (i.e., CSR Timing) activate dual-level CSR motives that act complementarily indicates that managers should be clear about the capabilities of the elements of their CSR initiatives and how much impact they expect those elements to have on consumer response.


2018 ◽  
pp. 24-42
Author(s):  
MARÍA DALLI

In 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the first international text recognising universal human rights for all; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 25 recognises the right to an adequate standard of living, which includes the right to health and medical care. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Declaration, this article presents an overview of the main developments that have been made towards understanding the content and implications of the right to health, as well as an analysis of some specific advancements that aim to facilitate the enforcement thereof. These include: a) the implication of private entities as responsible for right to health obligations; b) the Universal Health Coverage goal, proposed by the World Health Organization and included as one of the Sustainable Development Goals; and c) the individual complaints mechanism introduced by the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (adopted on the 10th December 2008, 60 years after the UDHR).


Xihmai ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (29) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marí­a Marta Mainetti [1] ◽  
Susana La Rocca [2]

ResumenNos proponemos reflexionar acerca de la relación entre dos principios bioéticos fundamentales en el ejercicio del derecho a la salud: el principio de autonomí­a y el de vulnerabilidad, en el marco de cambios legales en salud ocurridos en las últimas décadas en Argentina. El respeto a la vulnerabilidad comienza a consolidarse no sólo como el reconocimiento al principio más esencial de la Bioética sino como la base de toda la ética. La vulnerabilidad de individuos y poblaciones requiere una concepción de autonomí­a que implique en sí­ misma la inclusión. Se presentan algunas reflexiones y resultados de un proyecto de investigación realizado en 2018-2019 desde la Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, que analiza este tema a partir de la percepción de los profesionales de la salud pública en el Partido de General Pueyrredón, provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Palabras clave: autonomí­a, vulnerabilidad, bioética, leyes en salud, derecho a la salud. AbstractWe propose to reflect on the relationship between two fundamental bioethical principles in the exercise of the right to health: the principle of autonomy and that of vulnerability, within the framework of legal changes in health that have occurred in recent decades in Argentina. Respect for vulnerability begins to consolidate not only as recognition of the most essential principle of Bioethics but as the basis of all ethics. The vulnerability of individuals and populations requires a conception of autonomy that implies inclusion in itself. Some reflections and results of a research project carried out in 2018-2019 from the National University of Mar del Plata are presented, which analyzes this topic from the perception of public health professionals in the Party of General Pueyrredón, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.Keywords: autonomy, vulnerability, bioethics, health laws, right to health.  [1] Lic. en Antropologí­a. Mg. en Bioética. Dra. en Ciencias de la Vida. Docente e investigadora de la Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina. Integrante del Programa Temático Interdisciplinario en Bioética de la UNMDP.[2] Prof. en Filosofí­a. Mg. en Epistemologí­a. Docente e investigadora de la Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina. Coordinadora del Programa Temático Interdisciplinario en Bioética de la UNMDP.


2021 ◽  
pp. 273-290
Author(s):  
Carmel Williams ◽  
Alison Blaiklock ◽  
Paul Hunt

In this chapter, we explain how human rights, including the right to health, are important for global public health. We introduce key human rights concepts and principles, and illustrate three approaches to the right to health: judicial, policy, and empowerment. We propose that human rights and public health are natural allies with a complementary and supportive relationship. We describe the meaning of the right to the highest attainable standard of health and its place in international, regional, and national laws. We outline ten key elements of the right to health and how the right can be operationalized in public health practice. We demonstrate this with two case studies of critically important global public health issues—climate change and children’s health, and overseas development assistance—as well as one of an emerging challenge in health, the digitization of health through Big Data.


2020 ◽  
pp. 36-58
Author(s):  
Nicole Hassoun

Some maintain that people lack a human right to health because this right cannot provide guidance for distributing scarce resources. Even if the skeptics are right on this point, the second chapter suggests that is not a reason to reject the right; the role of the human right to health is to provide a kind of hope that can foster the virtue of creative resolve. This resolve is a fundamental commitment to finding creative solutions to what appear to be tragic dilemmas. Rather than helping one decide how to ration scarce resources, the human right to health provides reason to find ways to fulfill everyone’s claims. The hope this right provides gives us a response to apparent tragedy in motivating us to search for ways of avoiding it—rather than an account of distributive justice.


2020 ◽  
pp. 13-35
Author(s):  
Nicole Hassoun

Living with untreated AIDS is devastating. Patients often suffer from terrible lesions, pneumonia, and nausea; become emaciated; have seizures; and eventually die. The first chapter argues that there should be an enforceable legal human right to health that includes a right to access essential medicines to treat diseases like AIDS. The chapter does not provide a complete account of the right’s basis; the right may also have to protect our basic equality and dignity, for instance. Nevertheless, it argues that health is necessary for, and partly constitutive of, a minimally good life. Lack of access to essential medicines characteristically undermines individuals’ ability to live such lives. So people should have a human right to health that grounds rights to access essential medicines.


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