Politics and Health

Abstract

The discipline of politics examines the debates, ideas and institutions that surround community organization and collective decision-making about resources. In this chapter, the contribution of politics to health studies is examined. Part 1 considers how politics is defined and how this underpins the various strands of political science. It examines some of the key concepts of political study: power, ideology, democracy, government and the state. It also explores what contribution politics has and can make to health studies. Part 2 considers some of the theoretical and research approaches within political science. It looks at political ideologies, how they offer competing definitions of politics, varied views of the social and political world and divergent views on health and health improvement. A case study explores how recent changes in many contemporary societies, associated in particular with neoliberal economic policies, have led to a greater emphasis on freedom through choice. Individuals are called on to take a greater role in self-care and risk management in relation to their bodies. At the same time, the development of large multinational companies has given rise to a system of production, whereby their size and dominance have provided them with an ability to structure the food market.