Epistemology of empirical research: the case of the consequences of the Romanian neo-liberal “Healthcare” law

ABSTRACT

This is an epistemological essay giving also the occasion to include the principle of comparative studies concerning the consequences of neo-liberal “reforms” (here, in health care). The overall social and health status of most of population in the last 29 years in the world and here, especially in Romania, is so obvious that it seems that new empirical researches would add nothing to our understanding. But they add, and a lot, if they respect the scientific standards. Poincaré’s theory about the distinction between the detection of social facts and their measurement helps us to be more exigent towards the social studies and to tackle them critically. This tackling means just to putting their (neo-liberal) presumptions and solutions, and on the other hand, the real situation face to face.

KEYWORDS:

• empirical social research
• health care
• neo-liberal reforms
• Romania
• scientific standards

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. “This explains the disparities in the distribution of dental care facilities and dentists,”ibid.

2. Privatization was the main purpose and means of the former political bureaucracy, and its result was what is called “neopatrimonialism”: a “‘crony capitalism’ which is based upon ruling groups’ political control over key economic assets and economic actors” (Schlumberger 2008; Vladimir 2015).

3. But the liberal concept of healthcare does not solve the healthcare problems of the many. This is the reason the World Health Organisation considers “universal health coverage as the target that underpins all others in the health aspect of the Sustainable Development Goals. It is the ultimate expression of fairness that leaves no one behind, and can meet people’s expectations for comprehensive care” (Khor 2016). Concretely, in order to achieve the above goals it is necessary to assure “the Primacy of the Right to Health over Trade and IP Rules” (Improving Access…2016, 2).

4. The baleful consequences of reduced public-sector health spending were once more demonstrated in a longitudinal research in high-income and middle-income countries (Maruthappu et al. 2016). The same worsening happened after/because of the introduction of patient cost-sharing (Marzena et al. 2015; and references: especially Elka et al. 2013).

5. This is a well-known phrase from the famous play A lost letter (1884) written by the great Romanian writer Ion Luca Caragiale. The works of Caragiale, and especially his comedies – and phrases from them – are known as a kind of Romanian folklore, of popular wisdom.

6. But see the contradiction between the right to health recognized by the UN (for example, the 2015 Social Forum of the United Nations Human Rights Council) and the slogan of the World Health Assembly, “universal health coverage,” and on the other hand and again, the rush for profit of the drug companies (see the patent protection within the Trans-Pacific Partnership); also (Correa 2013).

7. For example: as the present purchasing of governmental bonds by private investors is opposed to the state and forces it to shrink to its minimal function.

8. ILO (2015); if worldwide more than 60% of workers do not have any sort of employment contract, and of the wage-earners three-quarters are “employed on temporary or short-term contracts, in informal jobs often without any contract, under own-account arrangements or in unpaid family jobs,” how could they afford high-quality paid healthcare?

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Ana Bazac

Professor, Polytechnic University of Bucharest; vice-president of the Division of Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science, Romanian Committee of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, Romanian Academy; deputy-editor of Noema (http://noema.crifst.ro). Areas of interests: social philosophy, epistemology, ethics, philosophy of science and technology. Recent publications: On justice. Multidisciplinary view (2015); articles in Wisdom, Biocosmology-Neo-Aristotelism, International Journal of General Systems.