The Invisibility of Public Health: Population-Level Measures in a Politics of Market Individualism

American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 87, No. 10, 1997

Posted: 16 Sep 2012

See all articles by Scott Burris

Scott Burris

Center for Public Health Law Research, Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law

Date Written: October 16, 1997

Abstract

This paper models the prevailing political attack on government as a heuristic, a judgmental strategy that simplifies complex phenomena by applying simple tests to a limited set of relevant data. The heuristic of market individualism offers three tools for analyzing the problems of governing: the supremacy of the free market as a regulatory device, a belief in individual freedom of choice and personal responsibility, and the elevation of individual satisfaction as the chief goal of society. Because public health is inherently concerned with the health of the population rather than individual health, because the market itself is a major source of ill health, and because individual choice is socially mediated, use of the heuristic precludes the recognition of the value of public health work. Although some degree of accommodation to current political realities is a practical necessity, public health advocates must not neglect the task of fashioning radically different alternative visions over the long term.

Keywords: liberalism, paternalism, policy, public health

Suggested Citation

Burris, Scott C., The Invisibility of Public Health: Population-Level Measures in a Politics of Market Individualism (October 16, 1997). American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 87, No. 10, 1997, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2147423

Scott C. Burris (Contact Author)

Center for Public Health Law Research, Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law ( email )

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