Achieving Access: Professional Movements and the Politics of Health Universalism

by Joseph Harris

At a time when the world’s wealthiest nations struggle to make health care and medicine available to everyone, why do resource-constrained countries make costly commitments to universal health coverage and AIDS treatment after transitioning to democracy? Joseph Harris explores the dynamics that made landmark policies possible in Thailand and Brazil but which have led to prolonged struggle and contestation in South Africa. Drawing on firsthand accounts of the people wrestling with these issues, Achieving Access documents efforts to institutionalize universal healthcare and expand access to life-saving medicines in three major industrializing countries. In comparing two separate but related policy areas, Harris finds that democratization empowers elite professionals, such as doctors and lawyers, to advocate for universal health care and treatment for AIDS. Harris’s analysis is situated at the intersection of sociology, political science, and public health and will speak to scholars with interests in health policy, comparative politics, social policy, and democracy in the developing world. In light of the growing interest in health insurance generated by implementation of the Affordable Care Act (as well as the coming changes poised to be made to it), Achieving Access will also be useful to policymakers in developing countries and officials working on health policy in the United States.

284 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2017

Reviews

[Sharphinee Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Achieving Access: Professional Movements and the Politics of Health Universalism, Joseph C. Harris compellingly explores how professional advocacy fuels the quest for universal health care. He examines how doctors, nurses, and public health advocates influence policy-making to integrate health equity into wider social justice frameworks. Through case studies from Brazil, Thailand, and South Africa, Harris demonstrates how these professionals overcome political resistance by forming coalitions and tailoring their strategies to local circumstances in order to drive transformative change.

Harris's arguments are framed within the global push for universal health coverage, underscoring the link between healthcare as a fundamental human right and social justice movements. The book illustrates how professionals reshape the concept of health into a public good and use data-driven advocacy to challenge opposition from privatized systems and restrictive government policies.

Harris offers an inspiring depiction of the impact health professionals can have, though his analysis is predominantly focused on Southern examples and may not entirely represent the challenges faced in under-resourced areas worldwide. Despite this, the book’s insights resonate with larger discussions in global health found in works like Textbook of Global Health by Anne-Emanuelle Birn and colleagues, as well as Ed Gomez's Junk Food Politics.

In the end, Achieving Access is a must-read for anyone intrigued by the sociopolitical dynamics of health policy. It presents an optimistic perspective on how advocacy can revolutionize healthcare systems to focus on equity and universal access.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

While it is true that democratization empowers the masses, this book argues that an unappreciated dynamic in democratic transitions is the extent to which elites are empowered and can have a progressive impact on politics.