Running Head: GLOBAL HEALTH
1
7-3 Short Paper: Theories of Justice and Global Health
HRM 630
SNHU
GLOBAL HEALTH
2
In the report “Global health and national borders: the ethics of foreign aid in a time of
financial crisis”, four theories of justice have been presented relating to global health. The first
theory of justice is the theory suggested by Peter Singer. It is relating to the requirement to
help others who are in need. The main concept of the theory is that it is the responsibility or
obligation of the individuals to prevent something bad from happening if they have the
capability to do so at acceptable costs (Johri et al., 2012). The rich individuals around the
globe can lower the suffering of the poor in the world by making little sacrifices. Some f the
ways in which individuals can help others are by providing essential health care and
alleviating poverty among people. One of the key strengths of this theory of Peter Singer is
that the obligation of individuals towards others mentioned by him is simple, true, and general.
However, there are also weaknesses of this theory. One of the significant weaknesses of this
theory is that if individuals spend maximum time in lowering the sufferings of other people, it
can endanger the well-being of the individuals themselves.
The second theory that has been presented in the report is Thomas Pogge’s theory on
global institutions and the duty not to harm. According to the theory, individuals have a duty
or obligation not to cause any kind of severe harm for minor gain (Johri et al., 2012). As per
the theory, national policies must be examined in order to avoid contributing or causing any
kind of harm abroad. The effects of the global institutions also need to be analyzed. Moreover,
there must be a number of institutional reforms in order to promote the satisfaction of human
rights. The extent of this obligation is until the casual responsibility for any kind of harm has
been corrected as well as adequately compensated. The theory of Pogge challenges people to
contemplate the relationship between inequality and severe poverty around the globe. One of
the strengths of this theory is that the theory focuses on the unfair global order where the
affluent individuals are benefited the most. One of the weaknesses of this theory is that the
empirical description of global order made by Pogge may not be accurate as local factors like
GLOBAL HEALTH
3
corruption as well as poor governance play a more important role in shedding light on the
poverty state of the developing countries.
The third theory mentioned in the report is Henry Shue’s theory on basic rights. The
main focus of this theory is on basic rights such as economic rights in international affairs.
Henry believes that at the core of economic rights is the subsistence rights. The key concept of
this theory is that security as well as subsistence forms the pre-conditions essential for the
exercise and enjoyment of all freedoms and rights (Johri et al., 2012). It is the duty or
obligation of the liberal democratic states to adopt foreign policies that are in line with these
basic human rights. The right to subsistence ensures that every individual in the world has a
decent chance to lead a healthy as well as long life. Aids need to be provided in order to ensure
the fulfillment of subsistence rights relating to minimal preventive health care as well as social
determinants of health. One of the strengths of this theory is that the theory focuses on the
fulfillment of the basic rights of the individuals. The weakness of this theory is that the
response of Henry Shue is considered to be ambivalent. It falls short of establishing universal
duties towards the individuals who are deprived of all the basic rights.
The fourth theory of justice that has been presented in the report is John Rawls’ theory
of the duty of assistance. The main concept of this theory is that under an idealized social
contract, representatives of equal and free societies will be able to adapt the 8 principles of
governance, thereby enabling the global community to live in harmony as well as mutual
respect (Johri et al., 2012). It is the duty of individuals to provide assistance to people who are
living in unfavorable conditions that prevent them from leading a decent life. In order to
ensure better social development, equal opportunities need to be provided to both men as well
as women. One of the strengths of this theory proposed by John Rawls is that it considers
political injustice to be one of the greatest evils in the history of humanity. However, this
theory has also faced a number of criticisms due to its potential weaknesses. One of the
GLOBAL HEALTH
4
significant weaknesses of this theory is that the theory focuses on the population of a nation as
a whole and not on the individuals. In such a theory, the individuals are likely to be poorly
served.
References
Johri, M., Chung, R., Dawson, A., & Schrecker, T. (2012). Global health and national borders:
the ethics of foreign aid in a time of financial crisis. Globalization and health, 8(1), 1-10.
