On Friday,
November 22, 2013 the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) will conduct a research seminar on austerity, health and human
rights.
“Austerity is devastating for the world’s
poorest” stated Magdalena Sepúlveda of the UN reporting on extreme poverty.
Various UN human rights organizations have voiced the same sentiment.
National
experience regarding health care illustrates just how dire the situation has
become. The hardships of austerity can be seen in countries such as Greece that
had to depend on bailouts. Especially health professionals are concerned since
cuts in financing harm the needy.
In
contrast to the standpoint of the UN, various NGOs and concerned professionals,
governments and international financial institutions point out that austerity
is necessary given the current economic climate.
Some academics
disagree. Robert Unger wonders if cuts in healthcare are really necessary in
order to restart the economy, or if politicians use it as a convenient way to shift
cuts those that don’t have the (political) cloud to retaliate.
SusanMarks feels that cuts in healthcare leads to infringement on human rights. She
labels those cuts as neo-liberal economic policies that promote those cuts as
the best way to solve economic issues.
Both
scholars want to “politicize” and “radicalize” the human rights discourse and
practices. They feel that the “liberal neutrality of other mainstays of the human
rights movement” is counterproductive. This raises an interesting question: How
should the human rights community respond to the current economic crisis?
The
Erasmus University Rotterdam invites you to submit one or more papers
addressing the questions outlined below. Papers should discuss the right to
health in a holistic framework and include social parameters such as food,
housing, energy and fuel:
- Are austerity measures necessary?
- What systemic or structural reasons or causes underlie the emergence of current austerity measures?
- Who benefits from austerity measures?
- Are there alternatives to austerity and what might those be?
- Beyond austerity can we envision another way based on human rights?
Academic
researchers and practitioners are invited to address these questions from a
human rights perspective. The seminar welcomes interdisciplinary scholarship. Interested participants are invited to submit
a one-page abstract that outlines their paper. In addition, a selected
bibliography can be attached in a single page.
Successful
participants will be given 20 minutes to present and 10 minutes for comments and
questions. Publication of the seminar papers may be considered. All abstracts
will go through a peer review process.
Interested
participants can submit their abstracts to Mr Toby Hollen at: info@erasmusobservatoryonhealthlaw.nl
not later than Friday October 11, 2013
