dfg research group 2104 - helmut schmidt university · comparative and noncomparative justice. i...
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DFG Research Group 2104 at Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg http://needs-based-justice.hsu-hh.de
Setting limits to public health efforts and the
healthisation of society
Thomas Schramme
Working Paper Nr. 2015-03
http://bedarfsgerechtigkeit.hsu-hh.de/dropbox/wp/2015-03.pdf
Date: 2015-05
DFG Research Group 2104
Need-Based Justice and Distribution Procedures
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Settinglimitstopublichealtheffortsandthehealthisationofsociety
ThomasSchramme
(May2015;finalversionpublishedin:zeitschriftfürmenschenrechte2015,9(2):50-
68. DFG Research Group 2104 “Need-based Justice and Distribution Procedures” (DFG Grants NU 108/4-1)
Publichealthsetsouttopromoteorimprovethehealthofthepopulation.Whereshould
itstopinsuchquest?ThisisthequestionIwouldliketoexploreinthisessay.Isubmit
thatifthereisnothresholdsettopublichealtheffortstherewilllikelybeevermore
"healthisation"ofourlives,asthereisnointernalstoppagewhenpursuingpublichealth.
Itisimportanttochallengehealthisation,becauseithasnegativeimpactonpeople's
livesandpotentiallytheeconomyaswell,asitunderminesindividuallibertyandgoes
alongwithopportunitycosts;hencetheneedforathresholdof"enough"population
health.Onereasonwhythereisnosuchinternallimitinpublichealtheffortsisdueto
thevalueofhealth.Sincehealthisdeemedtobeanintrinsicandaninstrumentalvalueit
seemsthattoimprovehealthisalwaysaworthypursuit.Anotherreasonforexpansion
ofstateactivityisthatpublichealthaimsnotjustatanimprovementoftheindividual
absolutelevelofhealthofcitizensbutalsoatacomparativelevelofhealththatisas
equalaspossiblebetweenpopulations.Sincetherewillalwaysbesomeamountof
healthinequalitiestherewillalsoalwaysbereasonstoimprovethehealthatleastof
somecitizens–hencetheinternallyunstoppableefforttohealthimprovement.
Apromisingtheoreticalaccountinsettingathresholdtopublichealtheffortsis
sufficientarianism.Itdeterminesalevelofwhatisenoughprovisionforpeoplesothat
theyhavesufficientlygoodconditionstoliveadecentlive.Sufficientarianismisatheory
ofjustice;itclaimsthatthesufficientlevelofprovisioniswhatweowetoeachother,
hencewhatcitizenscandemandasamatterofbasicrights.Sincepublichealthisa
politicaltask,itsremitshouldbebasedontheproperboundariesofastate's
responsibilities.Icontendthatsufficientarianismisinlinewithaliberalapproach,
althoughitis,inasense,aminimaltheoryofjustice.Invirtueoffocusingonabsolute
levelsthateachcitizenshouldbeabletoreach,itisnotaimedatequalizingtherelative
positionofcitizensanditlimitsthevalueofhealthinthepoliticalarena.So
sufficientarianismisnotaffectedbythetworeasonsforhealthimprovementmentioned
earlierandcansetlimitstohealthisation.
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Thepaperproceedsasfollows.First,Iwillintroducemyunderstandingof
sufficientarianism.Thisisimportant,asthereareseveraldifferentversionsofsucha
conceptionofjustice.Iwillthenfocusonmattersofhealth.Inordertoassessdifferent
healthpoliciesitisvitalforpublichealthinstitutionstobeabletosayinwhatsenseone
policyleadstomorehealthinthepopulation.Thisrequiresagradablemeasureof
health,ameasurethatdiffersfromthetraditionalpointofviewinmedicine,where
healthissimplytheabsenceofdisease.InthesecondsectionIexplaintheconceptof
healthinpublichealthanddiscusssomeofthechallengesitcontains,mostnotablyin
makingsenseofhealthasasinglemeasure.Iarguethatbecausewecannotmeasure
healthdirectlyweneedproxies,andthatthesealternativescalespointataneedfora
"currency",especiallywhenthinkingaboutjustice.InthethirdsectionIputthedebate
onjusticeregardingpopulationhealthinthecontextofjusticeinwelfarestates.This
wayofcontextualisingalsopointsatthewiderfocusofjustifiedstateaction.Iarguefora
sufficientariannotionofthepurposeofthewelfarestate,whichisgivenbytheideaof
inclusionofallcitizensintosociety.Publichealthinthisrespectaimsatsteeringthe
socialdeterminantsofhealthsothateveryonecanbeabletofeelasamemberofa
society.Inthefinal,fourth,sectionIelaborateonthecurrencyofpublichealthjustice.I
developtheoutlinesofaframeworkofhealth-relatedbasicneeds.Itisimportantto
alwaysseethesehealth-relatedneedsinrelationtootherbasicneedsofhumanbeings
aswell,suchasindividuallibertyandsociality,especiallywhenconsideringpublic
healthpolicies.
1.Sufficientarianism
Severalauthorstendtoassumethatthe"worldofjustice"isaltogetherdividedbythree
clustersoftheories:egalitarianism,prioritarianism,andsufficientarianism(Parfit1995).
Theythenarguefor,say,egalitarianism,byobjectingtooneoftheothertheories(Casal
2007).Butitseemsmoreadequatetofirstconsiderthecontextofjusticethatisbeing
discussed.Inthecaseunderdiscussioninthispaper,publichealth,thecontextissetby
institutionsofthewelfarestate,soourquestioniswhichtheoryofjustice,ifany,would
besuitableasatheoryofthejustwelfarestate.Wearedealingherewitharealsiteof
socialjustice,notwithapurelytheoreticalworldofjustice.
Itisalsodebatablewhetherauthorswhoargueagainstonetheoryofjusticethereby
automaticallysupportanotherone.Thisonlyworksiftherearejustthesealternatives
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andiftheyareindirectcompetition.Butnotallaccountsofsocialjusticefollowthe
samelogic;mostnotablyforourpurposesthereisanimportantdifferencebetween
comparativeandnoncomparativejustice.Isubmitthatsufficientarianismfollowsa
differentlogicthanegalitarianism,sinceitisanaccountofnoncomparativejustice,
whereasegalitarianismisatheoryofcomparativejustice.Sufficientarianism,invirtueof
focusingonwhatisenough,isconcernedwithdeterminingwhatisduetopeopleonthe
basisofasetstandard,notonthebasisofwhatotherpeoplehave.Incertainversions,it
mayevenallowforegalitariandemandsinadditiontosufficientarianones;atthevery
leastsufficientarianismisnotnecessarilyindirectcompetitionwithegalitarianism.
JoelFeinbergdescribesthedifferencebetweencomparativeandnoncomparativejustice
thus:"Inallcases,ofcourse,justiceconsistsingivingapersonhisdue,butinsomecases
one'sdueisdeterminedindependentlyofthatofotherpeople,whileinothercases,a
person'sdueisdeterminableonlybyreferencetohisrelationstootherpersons.Ishall
refertocontexts,criteria,andprinciplesoftheformerkindasnoncomparative,and
thoseofthelattersortascomparative."(Feinberg1974,298)
WecandescribeageneralideaofjusticefollowingFeinberg'saccount:ForallXthat
fulfillcriterionY,Zisdue.Thiscanbespecifiedinvariousways.Forinstance,atheoryof
healthjusticemightclaimthatforallcitizenswithafamilymemberwhodeveloped
breastcancershouldhaveaccesstofreeadditionalearlydetectionprograms.This
wouldbeanoncomparativeprincipleofjustice.Alternatively,wemightholdthatonly
5%ofthepopulationwiththehighestriskofgettingbreastcancershouldgetsuch
access.Whetheronegetsadditionalscreeningforfreeinthissecondscenariodepends
onthehealthriskstatusofotherpeople.Itisthereforeacomparativeprincipleof
justice.
Sufficientarianismisconcernedwiththesituationofeachperson,anditdemandsthat
everyoneshouldbeaboveacertainthreshold.Whatisduetoeachperson,in
sufficientarianism,isdeterminedbythestandardsetbythethresholdof"enough";
hencewhatisduetopeopleisnotdeterminedbytherelationsofanypersontoanother
person–saveforcomplicatedcases,whichIignoreforthetimebeing.These
complicationshavetodowiththefactthatwhatisenoughcanbebasedonrelational
aspectsinsofarasthelevelofdevelopmentwithinasocietymightinfluencethelevelof
sufficiency.Hencewhatisduetopeoplemightbepartiallyduetowhatothershave.Yet
thisisaderivationalorindirectaspectofsocialjustice.
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Theremightbeadditionalconcernsofjusticewherecomparativeprinciplesare
considered,especiallyincompetitivescenarios.Levellingtheplayingfieldofteninvolves
comparativeaspects,suchasthelevelofskillsofcompetitorsortheirrelative
advantage.Similarly,theremightbeconcernsofcomparativejusticewhenconsidering
thelevelofhealthofcitizens.Forinstance,wemightholdthatitisunjustifrichpeople
livelongerthanothersbecausetheyhaveaccesstobetterlivingconditionsandmore
advancedhealthcare.Sotheremightbeegalitarianconcernsinadditionto
sufficientarianones.Thismightespeciallybefittingbecausehealthseemstohave
competitiveaspects,whicharesummarizedinitsinstrumentalvalue.
Althoughitisnotmyremitinthisessaytodiscussthemeritsofegalitarianisminhealth
careorpublichealth,Ineverthelesswouldliketostressthatsomeoftheegalitarian
concernsmaybesufficientlydescribedeitherbyasufficientarianperspectiveordealt
withbyothermeansthanreallocationofresources,welfare,oraccesstoadvantages.
Sufficientarianismcanoptforanequaldistributionofgoods,becauseitmighthappen
thateveryoneisowedacertaingood.Equaldistribution,inthesecases,isaconsequence
ofanoncomparativeprinciple.Also,someegalitarianconcernsmightbedealtwithby
puttingupfencesbetweendifferent"spheresofjustice"(Walzer1983).Ifaccessto
healthcareortohealthyenvironmentswerenotbasedonabilitytopay,therewouldbe
fewerconcernsaboutrichpeopletendingtolivelongerorsimilarinequalities.
Thereareseveralobjectionstosufficientarianism,someofthemarebasedon
confusions,othersaremoreimportant.Forinstance,someauthorsclaimthatthe
thresholdofsufficiency,whichisusuallydescribedasaimedatsecuringadecentlife,
impliesthatalifebelowsuchastandardisnotworthliving(Segall2014,2;Ram-Tiktin
2012,343).Thisiswrong.Whetheraliveisworthlivingnecessarilyisbasedon
subjectiveevaluation.Sufficientarianism,incontrast,determinesexternalconditionsfor
adecentlife,henceisnotbasedonsubjectiveevaluation.Obviously,alifecanbenot
worthlivingforapersonwayabovethethreshold,andallthatsufficientarianismclaims
isthatalifebelowthethresholdisfacingbadorindecentlivingconditions.
Anotherobjectionthatmanyauthorsareconcernedwithisthatthethresholdsetby
sufficientarianismwouldneedtobeeitherambiguousorarbitrary(e.g.Arneson2000,
56;Casal2007,312ff.)Arbitrarinessisofcoursetheverycontradictionofjustice.But
surelythereisanimportantdifferencebetweenindeterminacyandarbitrariness,which
ishoweveroccasionallyconfused(Segall2014,2).Ifthethresholdshouldprovetobe
indeterminateorambiguous,thisisnotunderminingitsrationalstatuswithinatheory
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ofjustice.Whatisleftindeterminateinatheoryofjusticecanbedeterminedbyreal
decisionswithinsociety.
Again,someauthorscomplainthatsufficientarianismdoesnotdealwithunjust
conditionsabovethethresholdandimpliesdubiousallocationsbelowthethreshold,
becauseresourcesmightbe"wasted"ontheaimofbringingpeopleuptothethreshold.
Thisobjectionisbasedonconfusion,althoughithastobesaidthatsomesupportersof
sufficientarianismarealsoguiltyofit.Itreliesonaninadequatedescriptionofthevery
purposeofsufficientarianism,namelyasallegedlymakingcomparativeevaluations
betweendifferentpossibleallocationsofgoods.Sufficientarianismallegedlyassumes
thatitmattersmorethatpeoplehaveenoughthanotherconcerns,orthatpriority
shouldbegiventothebadlyoff(Freiman2012,26;Segall2014,1;Huseby2010,180;
Benbaji2005;cf.Widerquist2010).Thisiscorrectinasense,butnevertheless
inadequate.Itiscorrectinsofarsufficientarianismindeedclaimsthatitisimportantthat
peoplehaveenough;butthisdoesnotimplythatitmattersmorethanotherthingsor
thatindeedotherconcernsofjusticedonotmatteratall.Therecanbeachangeinthe
sortsofreasonswhenweargueaboutmattersofjustice,andsufficientarianismisbased
onparticularreasons(Shields2012).Theyconcernwhatisajustdistributionofgoods,
nothowitcomparestootherpossibledistributions.Thelatterrequiresreasonsthatgo
overandabovetheclaimsofsufficientarianism,forinstanceregardingtheaggregation
ofdifferentunitsofgoods.
Inaddition,thereisunfortunatelyatendencyinthephilosophicalliteraturetothinkin
numbers(Parfit1995;Crisp2003).Wethenfindpoliticallyandeconomicallyhampered
debatesondifferentallocationsoffixedamountsofgoods,whicharesupposedtobe
distributedaccordingtodifferentprinciplesofjustice.Thesedifferenthypothetical
scenariosofallocation–whichareofcourseremovedfromtherealworldofawelfare
state–arethencomparedandphilosophers'intuitionsabouttheirjustnessarecalled
upon.Butthiscannotbethewayforwardinthinkingseriouslyaboutrealissuesof
justice.
Insum,inthissectionIhavedefendedaversionofsufficientarianism,whichisa
noncomparativetheoryofjustice.Itdoesnotruleoutadditionalcomparativefacetsof
justice–itissimplynotconcernedwiththeseasamatterofphilosophicaltheory.Sucha
sufficiencyapproachaimsatsettingathresholdofsocialjustice,ofwhatisenough.
Surelycitizensmightwanttosecureforeveryonealevelofprovisionthatisaboveof
whatisenoughonanoncomparativebasis,forinstancebecausetheywanttoliveina
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veryequalsociety.Sufficientarianismdoesnotunderminesuchadesire,itsimplystates
thatthisisnotitsconcern,anditremainstobeseenwhethersuchanadditionaldemand
ofdistributionalequalitycanbebasedonphilosophicalarguments,orwhetheritis
moreofamatterofpoliticalpreference.Whethertheaccountdefendedhereisalso
substantiallyminimaldependsonthelevelofprovisionsetbythethreshold.Thiswillbe
discussedbelow.Sinceweareconcernedwiththecontextofhealthcareandthesocial
determinantsofhealth,thefirstimportantissuethatpartiallydecidesthelevelof
sufficientprovisionisthenotionofhealth.
2.Theconceptofhealthinpublichealth
Itisimportanttounderstandthattheconceptofhealthisunderstoodinaspecialsense
inpublichealth.Inmedicine,healthiscommonlyunderstoodinanegativefashion,as
theabsenceofdisease,orasmedicalnormality.Thisisaminimalandabsoluteconcept
ofhealth.Apersoniseitherhealthyornot,therearenogradesofhealth.Inordertobe
regardedashealthy,itismerelynecessarynottobeinanypathologicalcondition.Tobe
sure,thereareattemptstoconceptualisehealthinapositiveway,forinstanceinthe
well-knownformulationoftheWorldHealthOrganisation:"Healthisastateofcomplete
physical,mentalandsocialwell-beingandnotmerelytheabsenceofdiseaseor
infirmity".Yet,thisdefinitionhashadnoimpactonmedicaltheoryorpracticeandhas
actuallybeencriticisedforitslackofdistinctionbetweenwell-beingorhappinessand
medicalhealth(Callahan1973).
Theconceptofhealthinpublichealthdiffersfromthismedicalviewpointinseveral
importantrespects.Itisarelativeorgradablenotion,anditappliestogroupsor
populations.Aperson(orgroupofpersons),inthisperspective,canbemoreorless
healthythananotherperson(orgroupofpersons).Thismightevenbethecaseifthere
isnodiseasepresent;peoplecanbelesshealthythanothersinapublichealth
perspectivesimplybecausetheybelongtoagroupthatisstatisticallymorelikelytofall
ill.Consequently,itcaneasilyhappenthatfromthispointofviewweseeproblematic
conditionsoverandabovetheabsenceofdisease.Afterall,somerisksofdiseaseare
constantlypresent,andtheycanbetargetedbystateaction.Becausesocial
determinantsofhealthareseeninsuchcloserelationtomedicalconditionsitisbuta
smallsteptoawelfarenotionofhealth(Venkatapuram2011).Thisisaninterpretation
ofthenotionofhealththatincludesconditionsthatareinternalandexternaltothe
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personundertheumbrellaofhealth,suchasbeingabletoexperiencenatureorhave
occasionsforrecreation,whicharenotseenthemselvesashealthconditionsin
medicine.
Usually,publichealthexpertsfocusonparticularsocio-economicgroups,forinstance
unemployedpersonsorsinglemothers.Sowhenepidemiologistsrefertopopulation
healththeyrefertoastatisticallyaggregatedsumofindividualhealthtraitsorhealth
statuses.Thewaythesegroupsorpopulationsaredetermineddependsontheparticular
purposeofastudy.Ultimatelytheseconsiderationsdependonhypothesesaboutsocial
orsocioeconomicdeterminantsofhealth,or–touseanotherexpressionfamiliartoa
publichealthperspective–the"causesofcauses"(ofhealthstatus).Hence
epidemiologistsendupwithfindingsaboutpossiblecorrelationsbetweenparticular
circumstantialaspectsofcitizensandtheirhealthconditions.Findingsmaybesought
regardingsocio-economicaspects,suchasincome,educationalbackgroundorgender,
orbehaviouralaspects,suchaslifestyleanddiet.Withthesestatisticalcorrelationsitis
possibletomakecomparisonsbetweenpopulationsregardingtheirhealth,evenonan
internationallevel.Obviouslyitisalsopossibletocomparedifferentpoliciesintackling
thosepossibleinequalities.Inmorepopularpublications,publichealthscholarsthen
usesimpleslogans,suchas"inequalityisbadforyourhealth",or"uneducatedpeople
dieyounger",whichonlymakessensefromapopulationperspective.Suchacollective
perspective,though,itneedstobestressed,tendstoignoreaspectsontheindividual
level,forinstanceindividualresponsibilityforhealthstatusandalso–moreimportantly
fortheworriesthatdrivemyendorsementofsufficientarianism–individualrightsthat
mightconflictwithpoliciestoimprovethehealthstatusofsomepopulations.
Thecomparativeperspectiveofpublichealthdepends,uptoapoint,onthefactthat
peoplecanhavecertaindispositionstofallill.Asmoker,forinstance,ismorelikelythan
anon-smokertosufferfromanylungdisease.Apersonwhoworksoutandisgenerally
fitterthanothersislesslikelytocatchacoldthanothers.Epidemiologicalresearchalso
establishescorrelationsbetweenexternalenvironmentsandhealthconditions.For
instance,adarkandunpleasanthome,oraverystressfulworkenvironment,canall
enhancethechancetofallill.
Inordertodistinguishgradesofhealththeperspectiveofpublichealthneedsmeasures
ofcomparison.Inwhatrespectcanaperson(orgroup)behealthierthananother?What
maybecriteriafordetermininggradesofhealth?Thesechallengesregardingthe
measurementoflevelsofhealthareverydifficulttosurmount.Thisisbecausehealthis
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acomplexaggregationofdifferentaspects.Wecanonlycomparepeopleincertain
respects;wecanneversaywhethertheyaremorehealthythanotherstoutcourt
(Hausman2012).Issomeonewithanirritablelungbutarobustpsychelesshealthythan
amarathonrunnerexperiencingbullyingatwork?Suchquestionscannotbeanswered
unlesswefocusoncertainaspectsoffunctioning.Publichealthusuallyworkswithonly
someparticularhealthaspects,suchasmentalresilienceorphysicalfitness.Italsorelies
onproxiesofthesecriteria,sincetheycannoteasilybedirectlymeasured,hencepublic
healthforinstancecollectsdataaboutfrequencyofvisitsatadoctororthenumberof
daysonsickleave.Finally,thereisaproblemofcollectingdatainepidemiology,which
focusesonpopulations,notindividualpersons.Epidemiologyrequirescertain
abstractionsforpurposesofgeneratingstatisticaldata.Acommonstatisticalmeasure
forcomparinghealthofcertaingroupsislifeexpectancy.Obviouslyhereitisnot
individualhealththatismeasuredandcomparedbutaheavilymodifiedproxyforhealth
conditions.
Ibelabourthispointaboutproblemsinmeasuringhealthbecauseitisanissuethatalso
affectsanyattempttointroducethresholdsofenoughhealth.Henceitisachallengefor
mysufficientarianpointofviewaswell.Still,itisasurmountableproblemafterall,
becausepublichealthdoesnotdirectlypromoteindividualhealth,whichwouldbetoo
difficulttomeasure.Itratheraimsatprovidingthenecessarymeansinordertobeable
toliveahealthylife.So"enoughhealth"willtranslateintosomethinglike"enough
resourcesandcapacitiestoliveaminimallydecentlifeinrelationtohealthaspects".The
"currency"(Cohen1989)ofcashingoutthelevelofhealththateveryoneshouldbeable
toreachasamatterofsocialjusticewithinasufficiencyapproachneednotbedifferent
fromanycommonpublichealthperspective.Onesuchpossiblecurrencywouldbefor
instanceacapabilitiesapproach(Venkatapuram2011).Thedifference,though,tothe
ideaofhealthpromotionwefindinpublichealthisthatsufficientarianismaboutpublic
healthsetsaminimumthreshold,whichisusuallynotdiscussedwithinrecent
approachesofpublichealth,atleastinrichcountries.Here,promotionofhealthusually
allowsforimprovementsoverandabovethepreventionofindecenthealth-related
livingconditions,becausehealthisunderstoodasaconditionsthatismorethanjustthe
absenceofdisease.
Thefactthatpublichealthallowsforgradesofhealththereforeopensthepossibilityto
discusshealthpromotioninawaythatincludesenhancinghealthoverandabovethe
absenceofdisease.Thisisexactlytheareawheretheworriesabout"healthism"begin.
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Health,understoodinapositivesense,likeinthedefinitionoftheWHO,doesnothave
aninternalnormativestoppageorthresholdofadequatehealth.Morehealthisalways
betterthanless.Foregalitarians,morehealthisalsorequiredforsomegroupsasa
matterofjustice.Whatismore,theimprovementofhealthisnotmerely,andmaybenot
evenprimarily,amatterofimprovingtheinternalresourcesofaperson,suchas
staminaandnutrition,butalsoofthesocialdeterminantsofhealth,suchasqualityof
workenvironment,accesstoleisurelyactivitiesandsoon.Wecanthinkofmanywaysto
–ifonlyindirectly–improvehealthdispositionsofcitizensbyimprovingtheir
environmentaswellaschangingtheirlifestyles.Sothepossiblescopeforpublichealth
interventionsisverywideindeed.Ifwenowaddthecurrentvaluethatisattachedto
healthinmanysocieties,wecanseehowthisemphasisonhealthpromotionopensthe
doorforworriesaboutpaternalisticinterventions,whichareevenmoreworrisomeif
interventionsareduetostateaction,orlegalmeasures.Onewaytoavoidthese
problemswouldbetointroduceathresholdof"enough"health,henceasufficientgrade
ofhealththateverycitizenshouldbeabletoreach,withoutoverreachingthetargetof
adequatehealthpromotion.
3.Theaimsofstateaction
Publichealthisapoliticaltask.Itispartoftheremitofeverywelfarestate.Inorderto
understandtheproperroleofpublichealthitisthereforehelpfultodiscussitinthe
widercontextofstateaction,particularlythepurposeofawelfarestate.More
concretely,wemightwanttophrasethequestion:Howmuchofaconcernforthestate
isthehealthofthepopulation?Theanswertothisparticularquestionisrelatedtothe
moregeneralquestionregardingtheaimsofthewelfarestate,whilethislatterproblem
isagainrelatedtotheevenmoreabstractnotionofsocialjustice.Weprobablywould
nothaveanywelfarestateinstitutions,suchasschools,unemploymentbenefits,or
publiclyfundedhealthcare,ifwewouldnotdeemitsprovisionamatterofsocialjustice.
Sowhatlevelofwelfarestateprovisiondoweowetoeachother?Iunderstandthese
questionsnotmerelytoposeproblemsofnormativepoliticaltheoryalone,butIwould
liketodiscusstheminthecontextoftherealworldsofwelfarestates.Thiscommitment
toamorerealistpoliticaloutlookadmittedlyrequiresmoremethodological
considerationsthanIcandeliverinthispaper(butseeWaldron2012,forsome
interestingdiscussion;cf.Schramme2008).
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Ibelieveitisimportanttokeepthementionedcontextofrealwelfarestatesinmind,
especiallywhendiscussingpublichealth,whichtargetsnotdirectlythehealthof
individualcitizens,butthesocialdeterminantsofhealth.Forthepurposesofmy
argumentIwillassumethataminimalistunderstandingofthepurposeofthewelfare
stateistodemandtheinclusionofeverycitizenintosociety.Thisisitselfahighly
abstractrequirement.Thebasicideaisthateverycitizenshouldbeincludedasa
memberofasociety.Itisfocusedontheabsolute,ornoncomparative,socialstatusof
citizens:beingamemberofsociety.Suchanabstractdescriptionallowsforvarious
concreteprovisionsanddifferentemphasesonvaluesthatunderlietheideaofinclusion.
Hencetherecanbevariantsofwelfarestates(Esping-Andersen1990;Kaufmann2013).
Also,whetherpeopleareabletodeemthemselvestobemembersofaparticularsociety
canrequiredifferentprovisionsrelativetothelevelofdevelopment.Forinstance,ifthe
majorityofpeoplewithinasocietyhaveaccesstocomputersandmodernmedia,it
mightbepossiblethatsomecitizens,whocannotprovideforaccesstothesemediaby
themselves,areexcludedfromsocietyinthisrespect.Morepertinenttoourdiscussion,
inasocietythatlivesforanaverageof80years,itmightbeasignofpossibleexclusionif
somepeopledieintheirfiftiesduetotheirlivingconditions.Soalthoughthereisan
absolutethresholdsetbytheideaofinclusion,theexactlocationofsuchathresholdcan
berelativetothesocietalandhistoricalcontext.
Tofocusontheideaofsocialinclusioninrelationtotheaimsofthewelfarestateisnot
anunusualidea.Infact,itcanbefoundinoneofthemostadvancedandrenowned
theoriesoftheoriginsofthewelfarestate:ThomasH.Marshall'sCitizenshipandSocial
Class.Marshalldistinguishesbetweensocialrightsaccordingtotheir(idealized)
historicaldevelopment.First,civilorlibertyrights,whichareoftencallednegative
rights,becausetheyrestrictthejustifieduseofstateandsocietalpower;second,
politicalrights,suchastherighttovoteandgainpoliticalpower;third,socialrights,
whichentitlecitizenstogainingaccesstosocialgoods.Together,theexpansionofrights
canbeinterpretedasanincreasinginclusionofcitizensunderthenotionofcitizenship.
Socitizensbecomefullmembersofsociety(Marshall1950,p.6;cf.Waldron1993;
White2003,p.6).Theaimofwelfarestateinstitutionsistosafeguardcitizens'rightsby
preventingexclusion.Thelevelofsuchprovisionisconstantlytobedebatedwithin
societyandcannotbesetbyaphilosophicaltheoryofjustice.Welfarestatesare
thereforesitesofstrugglesbetweendifferentconceptionsofjustice,wherethereisno
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onecorrecttheoryofjustice(cf.Titmuss1965,p.124).Still,theoreticalconsiderations
regardingaminimalthresholdmightbepossible.
Whatmighttheabstractpurposeofinclusionmeanforpublichealth?Theanswertothis
questiondependsontheactualrequirementsoflivingaminimallyhealthylife,henceat
leastpartlyonempiricalfindings.Forinstance,toprovidesuchnecessarymeanswill
haveeducationalaspects,suchasinformingcitizensaboutthreatstohealthandhow
theycanimprovehealthdispositions.Morespecifically,healtheducationwillinvolve
informationaboutnutrition,stressandunhealthylifestyles–ingeneralsucheducation
willaimat"healthliteracy"(Kickbusch2001).Providingthemeansforinclusionwill
alsohavecircumstantialaspects,suchasprovidingaccesstorecreationalactivity,for
instancebybuildingparks,orprotectionfromhazardoussubstancesandepidemicsby
wayofhealthandsafetyregulationsandlegislation.Allofthesemeasuresaimata
minimumlevelofenablementofaminimallyhealthylife,whichallowscitizenstofeelas
membersofsociety,incontrasttoimprovingpopulationhealthoverandabovesucha
threshold.
Notethatthissufficientarianperspectiveonpublichealthisdifferentfromthe
influentialaccountbyRuthFadenandMadisonPowers(2006).Theyseethepointof
justiceinrelationtopublichealthastorequire"ensuringforeveryoneasufficient
amountofeachoftheessentialdimensionsofwell-being,ofwhichhealthisone"(p.9).
WhereasIagreethatitisimportant,whenconsideringmattersofpublichealth,tofocus
onmorethanjustintrinsichealth,namelyalsothesocialdeterminantsofhealth,I
disagreewiththeirfocusonwell-being.Thestate–viaitspublichealthinstitutions–
doesnothavethetaskto"improvehumanwell-beingbyimprovinghealthandrelated
dimensionsofwell-being"(ibid.,p.10).Accordingtomyview,publichealthmeasures
aimatprovidingthenecessarymeanstoenablepeopletoliveaminimallydecentlife,
whichisabstractlyunderstoodasamatterofinclusioninsociety,notasamatterof
well-being.Certainlythereareaspectsofhumanwell-beingthatweneedtotakeinto
accountwhenthinkingabouthealthandsocialinclusion,forinstancebasichuman
needs.Butwell-being–nevermindtheconstantimprovementofwell-being–isnotthe
targetofstateactionorthefocusofaconvincingtheoryofjustice.
Afittingexampleofasufficientarianpublichealthmeasurethatstayswithinthelimitsof
enoughhealthisthepublicfundingofschoolsmeals.Acertainamountoffoodperdayis
anecessaryrequirementforhumanbeingstoliveahealthylife.Anotheraspectof
havingschoolmealsisthecollectiveexperienceofpupils.Tobeexcludedfromschool
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dinnersforeconomicreasonsnotonlymeansverylikelytobelessadequatelynourished
fortheaffectedkids,butalsoimpliesnottobepartofagroupmakingavaluable
experience,maybewithfurthereffectssuchasbeingstigmatisedthatmighthavelong-
termconsequencesregardingpsychologicalhealthaswell.Nowobviouslythesemeals
couldbeprovidedindifferentways.Theycouldleaveachoicetostudents,sothatthey
canpickfromseveraloptions,ortheymightleavenochoice,forinstancebecauseofa
worrythatsomekids–possiblysufferingfrom"healthilliteracy"–mightalwayschoose
thelesshealthyoption.Thismightleadtootherconsiderations:Maybeseveraloptions
couldbeallowedbutthesemightnotbetargetedatkids'preferencesbutatthe
nutritionalvalueofthechoices.Sothereisscopeformorethansufficientarianchoices
byattemptingtoenhancehealthasmuchaspossible.Sufficientarianism,incontrast,
wouldaimatmakingschoolmealsapleasantexperienceforallchildren,notamatterof
thebestpossiblenutritionaloutcome.
Screeningprograms,whichareoftenusedaspublichealthmeasures,aremorecomplex
cases.Strategiestoencouragecitizens,especiallyhigh-riskgroups,toenrolinthese
programs,candifferenormouslyintheirintensity.Ifworriedcitizenswouldnotbeable
toparticipateatallintheseprecautionarymeasuresforfinancialreasons,despitethe
potentialseverityofadetectabledisease,thiswouldbereasontoarguethattheycannot
feelaspartofasociety.Afterall,notbeingabletotacklesuchhealthrelatedworries
impliesthatsocietyapparentlyseespoorpeople'shealthandfearsasofminor
importance.Soaccesstosuchscreeningprogramsforeachcitizenseemstobe
demandedbyasufficientarianaccountofpublichealth,thoughnotanylevelofsuch
provision,forinstancethelevelofmedicalsurveillancearichandworriedpersonmight
chose.Also,attemptstocompulsivelyguaranteefullandincessanthealthrelated
informationtoallcitizens,ortomanipulatelessworried–somewouldsay:careless–
citizensintoenrollingonsuchprogramsisadifferentmatter,anditisnotjustifiedona
sufficientarianbasis.
4.Sufficientarianismabout(population)health
SofarIhaveofferedabriefexplanationofthegeneralaimofsufficientarianism,which
is,tomymind,theinclusionofallinsociety.Everybodyshouldbeamemberofsociety
andnocitizenshouldneedtofeelexcluded.Ihavealsohintedattherequirementfora
"currency"ofsufficientarianismabouthealth:Wehavetodetermineinwhatwaywe
13
shouldassessthelevelofenoughhealthforall.Inthisfinalsection,Iwouldliketo
exploreinmoredetailwhatthecriteriacouldbeforcashingoutsufficientarianismabout
populationhealth.Thiscanfurtherhelpinrestrictingtheproperscopeofpublichealth
interventions.
AsIhaveexplainedinanearliersection,wecannotdirectlytargetthehealthofpeople
bypublichealthmeasures.Rather,theseinstrumentsaimatthecausesofthecausesof
disease,henceatdispositionalaspectsofthehealthstatusofpeople.Publichealthis
mainlyconcernedwiththecircumstancesofchoicesthatmighthaveanimpacton
health.Ihavesaidearlierthatonesuchcircumstanceishavinginformationaboutthe
possibleconsequencesofcertainlifestyles,abouthealthdangersduetohabitssuchas
smoking,orinadequatediet,andsoon.Anothercircumstanceisbeingabletoaccess
recreationalactivities,toavoidpermanentstress,noise,darkness,dampness,pollution,
etc.Ageneraldescriptionofthegoalofpublichealthmightthereforebethatitaimsat
providingthenecessarymeansforeveryonetobeabletomakehealthychoices,notto
actuallymakepeoplehealthy.Thelevelofindividualhealththatcitizenspursue,howfit
forinstancetheywanttobe,isuptothem.
Thethresholdwewouldprobablyconsiderfirstwhenthinkingaboutarestrictionof
publichealthmeasuresisthetraditionalmedicalnotionofhealthasabsenceofdisease.
Afterall,thisisaminimalnotionofhealth,asIhaveexplainedabove.Yet,sincepublic
healthaimsathealthdispositions,notathealthdirectly,almosteverychangeinthe
circumstancesofchoicemightdecreasetheriskofdisease.Soevenif"merely"the
avoidanceofdiseaseisouraim–whichlookslikeaminimalistgoal–wehavenot,in
virtueoftargetingthecircumstancesofrisksfordisease,restrictedthescopeof
intervention,afterall.
Onewayforwardforsufficientarianismaboutpublichealthwillbetoacknowledgethe
valueofhealthasanelement–butonlyoneelement–ofadecentlife.Therearelow
levelsofhealththatareperfectlyincongruencewithlivingadecentlife,andthereare
risksofdiseasethatareworthtakingbecauseofotheraspectsoflivingagoodlife.
Healthisnotusuallyouronlyorevenourmajorconcernwhencontemplatinghowto
live.
Sowearethrownbacktothemoregeneralnotionoftheconditionsofadecentlife.
Sufficientarianismoughttocashoutthisideainaminimalistsense.Ihavemostofthe
timeused"decentlife",insteadof"goodlife",toalludetotheminimalistagenda.Now,a
decentlifeseemsatleasttorequiretheabilitytofulfilbasicneeds.Sothismightbethe
14
startingpointforintroducingacurrencyofsufficientarianism.Indeed,Ibelievethatthe
mostpromisingwayforwardforsufficientarianismisbyconsideringtheconceptof
need.Admittedly,theconceptofneedisnotverypopularinethicsandpolitical
philosophy.Manydeemittooflexibletotellussomethingofsignificanceaboutthe
decentlife.Itseemsthateveryfancywishseemstobeasuitablecandidateforbecoming
aneed.Ibelievethisworrytobewrong,andwillthereforebrieflydiscussthesignificant
differencebetweendesiresandneeds.Inaddition,needsseemtobetheproper
candidateforourconcernhere,becausetheyusuallycomealongwithapowerfulclaim.
Afterall,weareconcernedherewithissuesofsocialjustice,orwhatweowetoeach
other.Ifwesaythatweneedsomethingweexpressthatitsprovisionisurgent,thatwe
cannotdowithoutit.Wethereforerefertoapotentiallyoralreadyharmfulsituation.
Basicneedsareabsoluteinthattheirdeterminationdoesnotrequireinterpersonal
comparison.Humanbeingshavebasicneedsinvirtueofbeingpersons.Iftheseneeds
cannotbefulfilled,thenpersonssufferseriousharm(Thomsom1987;Wiggins1985).It
isimpliedthatnoteverydiseaseisposingathreattobasichealth,hencetobasichealth-
relatedneeds.Thisideastandsincontrasttopopulartheories,suchasNormanDaniels's
(1985,p.32),whichseerequirementstothemaintenanceandrestorationof(negative)
health,i.e.theabsenceofalldisease,asaninstanceofhealth-careneeds.
Isubmitthatpublichealthshouldaimatprovidingthenecessarymeansforbeingable
tofulfilbasichealth-relatedneeds.Inordertodiscusssuchabsolute,basicneedsof
people,weshouldbecleareraboutthedistinctionbetweeninstrumentalandbasic,or
fundamental,needs.First,hereisageneralanalysisoftheconceptofneed:AneedsXin
ordertoφ.Notethattherecanbenon-normativeusagesof"need",forexample:"In
ordertoconductelectricityanelementneedsafreeelectron"(Thomson1987,p.3).Iam
interestedinthenormativeuseonly,sinceIwanttohighlighttheconnectionofneed
andlivingadecentlife.Thenon-normativeuselacksthepracticalnecessityIam
interestedin,whichistheurgencyoftheclaim.Incontrast,peoplewanttoexpressthat
thereissomethingharmfulhappeningtothemwhentheyareseriouslyill.Henceweuse
theterm"need"normativelywhenwesay:"Ineedtobeminimallyhealthy."
Withthehelpofthegeneraldefinitionofclaimsofneedwecannowdistinguish
instrumentalfromfundamentalneeds.Aninstrumentalneeddependsonthespecific,
possiblyidiosyncratic,goalsandaimsofthepersoninquestionwhileafundamental
needisnotderivedfromsuchspecificaspects.Forinstance,apersonmightsay:"Ineed
£100tobuythatcoat",butitisaneedthatdependsonherhavingtheaimtousethecoat
15
foraparticularpurpose.Itispossibletochallengetheactualneedforthatcoat.The
moneyisjustnecessaryforthegoal–togetthecoat–buttheachievementofthegoal
itselfisnotnecessarilysomethingneeded.Thepersonintheexamplewouldhaveto
explainwhysheneedsthecoat.ToanswerthequestionwhyapersonneedsXistosay
somethingaboutthenormativesignificanceofthegoalφ,whereXisanecessary
conditionofitsachievement.Thegoalcouldbeseenasalwaysreferringtoanaspectof
well-being(cf.Gustavsson2014,p.30),butwhereneedsgainurgency,Isubmit,iswhere
somethingisneededtopreventharm;itisthereforeanegativeperspective,focusingon
theavoidanceandeliminationofharm.Thisjustificationofneedscangoonuntilit
reachesapointwhereonecannotgiveanyfurtherreferencetoamorebasicgoal,such
asprotectionfromcold,butonlyassertthatonejustcannotdowithoutit,i.e.thatone
willbeseriouslyharmedwithoutX.Thereforetheseneedsarefundamentalorbasic
needs.
Basicneedsarespecialbecausetheirfulfilmentisnecessaryfortheavoidanceofserious
harm.Butnowthequestionisofcoursewhatconstitutesseriousharm.Wiggins
suggeststhatitisrelativetoculturalbeliefsconcerningharm.Anexample,partlydrawn
fromhisimportantwork,isthatoflackingclothes,whichwouldbeaseriousharmin
most,arguablyall,societies.Thomsondiscussestheconceptofharmatlength,butI
hopewecandowithouthisanalysis,sinceIdonot,forthepurposesofthispaper,want
tothoroughlyclarifytheconceptofneedingeneral,butonlyasfarasitconcernshealth.
Instancesofhealth-relatedseriousharmsaresevereillnesses.Ihavealreadysaidthat
noteverydiseaseequalsanimpairmentoftheabilitytoliveadecentlife.Butotherwise
whatkindsofdiseasesconstituteseriousharmsmightdifferbetweenpersons:Afarmer,
forinstance,mightdeemhayfevertobeaseriousimpairment,sincehisabilitytowork
inhisbusinessisimpairedbythiscondition,whereasothersmightnotbemuchaffected
intheirabilitytoliveadecentlife.Incontrasttothisvariabilityofnormative
assessment,ifsomeonehasanillnessthatinvolvesafundamentalthreattosurvival,an
impairmentofbasicabilities,orseverepainandagony,peoplewillimmediately
understandherclaimofneed(andtheyusuallybelieveittorequireanexplanation
whensomeoneinthissituationdoesnotclaimtobeinneed).Sothereseemstobea
differencebetweencaseslikethefarmerwithhayfeverandindisputablecasesofbasic
health-relatedneed.Whileinthelattercaseeveryonewouldagreethatthereisaneed
forrestorationofhealth,oratleastforthebestpossiblecompensationofthe
impairment,thisdoesnotholdfortheformercase.
16
Thisanalysisshowsthatneedsarenotduetodesires,noteventoverystrongdesires.A
desireisintentional;aneedisnotintentional.Thatistosaythatthecontentofadesire
dependsonamentalactdirectedonanobject,whileaneeddependsonastateofthe
world.Ifaperson,forinstance,needssomethinginordertogetridofaterrible
headache,thenbothAspirinandIbuprofenwillworkasmeanstofulfiltheneed,evenif
thepersondoesnotevenknowthatbothsubstancesarepainkillersordesperately
wantstotakeAspirinbutnotIbuprofen.Sowhatsatisfiesaneedisindependentof
mentalattitudes,whereaswhatfulfilsadesireisnot.
Sufficientarianismabouthealth-relatedneedswouldprobablybeststartwithserious
diseasesthataffecteveryone.Butitshouldnotrestrictitsscopeinawaythatexcludes
thepossiblejustificationofindividualbasichealth-relatedneeds.Forthepurposesof
generalhealthcareitisthereforeplausibletoaimatprovidingforthetreatmentof
almostallpossiblediseases.Yetwhenitcomestopublichealthmeasures,whicharethe
focusofthisessay,thereneedtobefurtherconcerns:First,sincepublichealthdoesnot
dealdirectlywiththetreatmentofdiseasebutwithriskstobeaffectedbydisease,and
sinceitoperatesonapopulationlevel,sufficientarianismaboutpublichealthwould
furtherneedanassessmentoftheseverityofriskstocitizensgenerally.Itwould
probablycomeupwithalistof"bigkillers",suchasheartandlungdiseaseandcancer,
andthemostfrequentseverelydisablingconditions,suchasstrokesandheadinjuries.
Infact,theseareofcoursealreadysomeofthemaintargetsofpublichealth
interventions.Second,especiallybecausepublichealthaimsatcausesofcauses,it
requiresanassessmentofthebenefitsofloweringrisksinrelationtothepossibleharms
thatarenotrelatedtohealth,buttootherbasicneedsofhumanbeings,suchastheneed
ofpeopletobefreetodecideforthemselves,orhavingaccesstopleasurablegoods.
Obviously,noteveryimprovementofhealthdispositionsisworththeeffort.Thisisnot
onlymeanteconomicallybutalso,moreimportantly,intermsofthecostsforcitizens'
abilitytoliveadecentlife.AsIhavestressedbefore,healthisnottheironlyconcern.
Itisoftensaidthatpublichealthinterventionscanavoidintrudingintopeople'slivesby
aimingatenablingconditionsinsteadofinterferingwiththeirchoices(Wilson2011).Up
toapointIwouldagreewiththisassessment.Indeed,forinstancethecapacitytomake
informedchoicesabouthealth-relatedbehaviourisimportanttoenablepeopletolive
accordingtotheirownconceptionofthegoodlife.Inaddition,certainmeansare
necessarytoliveadecentlife,andsocietyshouldbeheldresponsibleforitsprovision.
Yet,particularconditionsobviouslysteerchoices,ifonlybyrestrictingtheirscopeto
17
choicesthatareenabledbytheseveryconditions.Forinstance,ifaplaygroundisbuilt
onadesertedfieldinaneighbourhood,itmightbepossiblethatsomeolderchildren
nowcannotplayfootballanymoreandmightloseanaspectoftheirsociallife.Insome
sensethepotentialforhealthychoiceshasbeenimproved,butinotherrespectschoices
andtheconditionsofagoodlifehavebeenrestricted.Enablingpeopleinonerespect
mightgoalongwithhinderingtheminotherrespects.HenceIbelievepublic
interventionsalwayshavetobediscussedinabroadercontext,notsimplyasamatterof
enablementinacertainrespectsuchashealth.
Sufficientarianisminpublichealthshouldthereforebemodestinitsaims,andonly
promotetheprovisionofnecessarymeansforgeneralhealth-relatedbasicneeds.
Obviouslythereisalotofscopefordisagreementaboutwhatthisminimumrequiresin
termsofactualpublicprovisions.Suchdisagreementismostlyapoliticalissuethat
cannotbedecidedbyphilosophicalanalysis.Sufficientarianisminpublichealthshould
alsoalwaysconsiderotherbasicneedsofpeopleandhowtheymightbeaffectedby
publichealthpolicies.Thisagainrequiresbalancingofdifferentpossiblepoliciesanda
publicdebateabouttherelativeimportanceofvaluessuchashealth,security,and
individualliberty.Again,thereislittlephilosophy,oratheoryofjustice,alonecan
contributetosuchaquestion.Mygoalinthispaperhasthereforebeentoshowthe
normativebenefitsofsufficientarianisminpublichealth,especiallyinrestrictingstate
actiontotheprovisionofenablingconditionssothatcitizenscanavoidsevererisks
concerningbasichealth-relatedneeds,andalsotoanalysethecurrencyinwhichsucha
sufficientariantheorycanbefleshedout.InrespecttothelattertaskIhavemerelybeen
abletoofferinitialthoughtsregardingtheconceptofhealth-relatedbasicneeds.Amore
thoroughanalysiswouldrequiremuchmoredetail,andalsoacomparisontorecently
populartheories,suchasthecapabilitiesapproach(Venkatapuram2011;Ram-Tiktin
2012)ortheperspectiveof"habilitation"(Becker2012).
Itshouldbeemphasisedagainthatsufficientarianismisaversionofatheoryofjustice;
itisconcernedwithwhatweowetoeachother.Citizensmightdecide,inpolitical
processes,thattheywouldliketogranteachothermorethanjusttheminimal
requirementsofjustice.Thiswouldbeapoliticaldecisionmadebyapoliticalsovereign.
Myargumentwasonlytoclaimthatsocietiesthatdonotfulfiltheminimum
requirementofprovidingthenecessarymeansforinclusionofallcitizensfailon
normativegrounds.Myreasoningdoesnotexcludeprovisionsthat,forinstance,aimat
greaterhealthequalityoranimprovementofthehealthofthecitizenryoverandabove
18
theavoidanceofsignificantdisease.Yet,suchfurtherprovisionsarenotimperativeon
groundsofnormativetheory.
Conclusion
Ihavearguedinfavourofsufficientarianisminpublichealth.Sufficientarianism
providesanimportantbenefitinrestrictingtheaimsofstateaction,asitendorsesa
minimalconceptionofjustice.Invirtueofsettingsuchlimitstostateactionitisa
minimalisttheoryofcivilandhumanrights.Anexpansionofsuchrightsmightbe
achievedinrealpoliticalprocesses,butIdonotbelievethatanexpansivescopeof
individualrights,forinstancetothebestpossiblehealth-promotinglivingconditions,
canbejustifiedbynormativetheory.
Sufficientarianismisespeciallyhelpfulinrespecttopublicmeasuresaimedathealth
promotion.Publichealthpoliciesaredifficulttoassessintermsoftheiroutcomesand
success.Theyarealsonotoriouslycontestedinmanysocietiesintermsoftheirimpact
onpeople'slivesandchoices,evenwheretheseareallegedlyenablingcitizenstolivea
decentlife.Publichealthinterventionsshouldnotonlyberestrictedinscopeand
intensityforreasonsofsufficiencyperse,butalsobecausehealthoughttobeseenas
partofawidercontextofwelfareprovisioninliberalsocieties.Otheraspectsofwelfare
provisionmightcompromisethelegitimacyofhealthpolicies.
Asafinalcaveat,itshouldbeadmittedthatIhavealmostexclusivelydevelopedmy
argumentagainstthebackdropofseeinghealthasofintrinsicvalue,i.e.asavoiding
harm.Atthesametime,Ihavesaidthathealthcanalsobeseenfromaninstrumental
perspectiveasameanstopursueothergoodthingsinlife.Ifweseesocietyasasiteof
competition,whichinmanycountries,uptoapoint,isafittingdescription,wemight
needtoconsideraspectsofcomparativejustice,bothinrelationtotraditionalhealth
careandpublichealth.Here,theplausibilityofsufficientarianismmightcometoanend.
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