Executive summaries: Social justice 🏛️

1. Build Back Fairer: The COVID-19 Marmot Review ⚖️

Source: The Health Foundation: read the full report here.

The idea: Inequality and health are closely connected. Post-Covid recovery efforts should prioritise health through improving economic and environmental equality.

Key Takeaways: Inequality was the key reason that the UK suffered from one of Europe’s highest excess death rates and the deepest economic recessions. Whilst build back better looks good on a podium, build back fairer would better reflect what society needs.

Quote: “Back Fairer will require fundamental thinking about the nature of society in light of two major challenges facing the global community in general and England in particular: the climate crisis and inequality.”

• Want to write for us? Take a look at Apolitical’s guide for contributors

2. Another world is possible ⛓️

Source: Harper’s Magazine: read the full article here.

The idea: Whilst crime rates are lower than most people think, the narrative of “law and order” and the privileged position of elected law enforcers fuels a justice system that prioritises image over impact in the USA.

Key takeaways: Rehabilitation is the route to reducing recidivism, but retribution is the core principle (and dirty secret) of prisons.

Quote: "The pathway from the district attorney’s office to national politics does not have an equivalent in many other countries, and it’s interesting to consider how sentencing decisions would change if that career trajectory was no longer possible."

3. How ‘Good’ Social Movements Can Triumph over ‘Bad’ Ones 📣

Source: Scientific American: read the full article here.

The idea: If we consider emancipatory movements as ‘good’ and repressive ones as ‘bad’; what common threads can we see in successful examples of good movements?

Key takeaway: Successful movements should:

• Have clear goals and levers of disruption.
• Include the people they are trying to help as well as allies.
• Avoid coercing or demanding too much from their members. They should also generate solidarity and invest in enriching and fun activities.
• Anticipate and prepare for repression and foul play. Including implementing processes to creative effective collective responses to repression.

Quote: “There were very bad people … and very fine people on both sides.” sigh

4. Political institutions and health expenditure ⚕️

Source: Journal of International Tax and Public Finance: read the full paper here.

The idea: The research behind this paper looks at the story of 151 countries between 2000-2015 to examine the relationship between the type of political institutions in a country and the emphasis their governments place on healthcare.

Key Takeaway: Democracies have 20–30% higher government health expenditure relative to GDP than their autocratic counterparts.

Quote: “Empirical literature on the relationship between political institutions and health expenditure is, however, scarce and not unambiguous.”

We want to hear what you think about this article. Pitch an article to us or send your comments to discussion@apolitical.co

(Picture credit: Unsplash)