Distributive justice and health: on what matters

• Grant number: 15/05378-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: August 10, 2015
• End date: August 09, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - Political Theory
• Principal Investigator: Álvaro de Vita
• Grantee: Marcos Paulo de Lucca Silveira
• Supervisor: Henry S. Richardson
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Georgetown University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 14/12679-0 - Distributive justice and health: on what matters, BP.DR

Abstract

What do we owe to each other, as citizens of a democratic society, in promoting and protecting the health of the population? This main issue will be split into two further issues. The first is the issue of moral importance and special policy that health would have/possess. The second is the likely consequence of prioritising health care provision and other health resources compared to other scarce goods. To provide a reasonable solution to the question, I intend to develop an appropriate definition and conceptualization of "population health", which could be adopted as a guide for public health policies. Next, I shall seek to reflect on the obligations a democratic State should have regarding the adequate provision of health care and other determinants of the health of its population. Special attention will be paid to the issue of people with disabilities or other severe impairments. Due to scarcity and limitation of health resources, it is necessary to understand how the allocation of these public health resources could be rationalized democratically. Who and what should be prioritized? I argue that the institutional arrangement of a democratic society should focus on reducing existing health inequities between different social groups (economic, racial, gender, and other relevant groups). (AU)