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Galvin, Brian (2022) In brief. Drugnet Ireland, Issue 83, Winter 2022, p. 2.

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There has been a great deal of commentary recently on the United Kingdom (UK) government’s stumbling efforts to increase economic growth through a combination of radical changes in tax and in employment and environmental regulations. The goal itself is seen as desirable: who would be against a sustained effort to increase national income and make resources available to pay people more and provide for the type of services expected in an advanced economy? It is the UK government’s reckless approach and strangely politically illiterate arguments that have generated the most interest, not the pursuit of economic growth as a policy goal. Ireland has measured its relative success in terms of increases in national wealth and, while the narrow basis on which this is built and the gloomy global outlook are causes for concerns, the nature of the growth being sought has changed little in recent decades.

Some commentators have taken the opportunity presented by the political and economic upheaval in the UK to look more closely at what economic growth means and what it contributes to improving the lives of ordinary citizens and providing security for the future. Green political thinking has often questioned the pursuit of growth, sometimes even championing an economic policy that eschews growth as a realisable or desirable goal, as it necessarily entails the exploitation of scarce resources and environmental damage. While this approach is unlikely in modern industrial economies, some governments have explored ways to integrate measurements of factors besides industrial output into assessments of national wealth. Instead they have developed non-economic indicators to measure quality of life, encompassing spheres such as family and relationships, health, education, and sustainability. New Zealand has incorporated a wellbeing budget into its economic planning, recognising expressions of life satisfaction as a gauge of its population’s capacity to contribute to economic and social goals.

This is a very different challenge to economic orthodoxy than we have seen from the revolutionaries currently governing the UK, but it is more thoughtful and anticipates possible changes across policy fields in the coming decades. The rhetoric of the European Union’s mid-2000s ‘health in all policies’ project has not been fulfilled but there are clear indications that Western democracies will see an expansion of the public sphere in the coming years and with it an extension of health policy beyond medicine and health services. Governments are asking what are the determinants of poor health outcomes and how can they be changed? Some are societal, which is particularly true regarding problematic substance use, and some are behavioural and biological, reinforcing negative outcomes for those already at risk.

Trends do not necessarily predict what will happen in the future. Governments can use what we know about the determinants of health to develop a more holistic and integrated approach to health planning and produce better health outcomes. Health planning will not just be about inputs and an ever-expanding health budget, but will be built on a clear understanding of how work, education, environmental factors, and social equity can be combined to bring about a healthier population and greater prosperity. For those working in alcohol and other drug policy and response development, this changing policy environment presents challenges and opportunities. There is no other sector with a clearer understanding of the social determinants of health and the importance of a community approach to realising a better future. These experiences and insights, the capacity for collaborative work, and a recognition of the importance of democratic participation will be real assets in the wider project of building a healthier and safer society.

Item Type
Article
Publication Type
Irish-related
Drug Type
All substances
Intervention Type
Policy
Issue Title
Issue 83, Winter 2022
Date
November 2022
Page Range
p. 2
Publisher
Health Research Board
Volume
Issue 83, Winter 2022
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