Conversations Across Borders: A Workshop in Transnational Studies

Date: 

Thursday, September 29, 2016, 4:00pm to 6:00pm

Location: 

William James Hall, 33 Kirkland Street, Room 1550

“Achieving Access: Professional Movements and the Politics of Health Universalism in Thailand, Brazil, and South Africa.”

Speaker:

Joseph Harris, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Boston University.

Contact:

John Arroyo
arroyojc@mit.edu

Chairs:

Peggy Levitt, Associate. Chair; Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Wellesley College.

Jocelyn Viterna, Faculty Associate. Associate Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Harvard University.

Abstract:

Explanations for the expansion of the welfare state have frequently centered on the importance of left-wing political parties and labor unions. Although rare, scholars have even pointed to the growing significance of social democracy in the industrializing world. Yet, in the field of healthcare, labor unions frequently oppose sweeping universalistic reforms that threaten to erode members’ existing benefits, and those in need of healthcare the most in rural areas and the informal sector are often the least organized politically. In the absence of mass demands, who then is responsible for universal healthcare programs in the industrializing world, and by what means do they successfully advocate for far-reaching reforms? This article explores the role that “professional movements” have played in expanding access to healthcare in the industrializing world. Whereas mass movements are typically composed of lay people, professional movements, by contrast, are made up of elites from esteemed professions who command knowledge, networks, and access to state resources that set them apart from ordinary citizens. The account illustrates how and why professional movements are able to play such a powerful role in health policymaking in the industrializing world, points to the critical role professional movements played in another important case and other policy domains, and discusses their relevance to social change in the industrialized world.