Journal of Australian Political Economy Special Issue - 'Addressing the Real Disease? The Political Economy of Health in Australia'

Journal of Australian Political Economy: The Political Economy of Health

Special issue on Addressing the Real Disease? The Political Economy of Health in Australia

Guest Editors

Dorothy Broom (Emeritus Professor, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University)
David Primrose (Postgraduate research candidate, Department of Political Economy, University of Sydney).

Rationale

The political economy of health constitutes a major field of concern for global political economic scholars and policy makers. Matters of public health – ranging from food and diet-related issues and access to affordable medication, through to provision of quality housing, employment security and occupational health and safety – are widely recognised as central in determining the prevailing quality of life. In such areas, the neoliberal turn in contemporary Australian capitalism has given rise to processes that threaten the state of the country's health, in spite of the institutionalised provision of universal public medical and hospital care through Medicare. Paradoxically, however, while a vast literature has been produced concerned with analysing recent developments in Australia's health – derived predominantly from mainstream economic and medical approaches – comparatively little has been written from a systematically critical political economic standpoint. This is particularly problematic, given the increasing magnitude of the Australian health industry has paralleled its increasing centrality as a site of capital accumulation.

These concerns were of passionate interest to Gavin Moony and his partner Del Watson, who died tragically in December 2012. Their deaths have prompted the editorial collective of the Journal of Australian Political Economy to instigate a special issue on the political economy of health in Australia. The issue will examine how matters relating to the neoliberalisation of contemporary political, economic and social processes bear on health and health systems in Australia and the region. Submissions are now sought from people who wish to contribute to this special issue. Papers accepted for publication will appear in the Winter 2014 edition of JAPE.

Papers might explore how a critical political economic analysis of health in contemporary Australian capitalism illuminates important themes such as:

• Theoretical constraints underpinning mainstream economic and medical approaches to health;
• Political, economic and social determinants of the neoliberalisation of healthcare in Australia;
• Healthcare as an object of struggle, particularly over inequality of access and further commodification/privatisation;
• The political economy of diet/obesity-related issues in Australia;
• PBS and free trade agreements;
• The human genome project and potential health outcomes;
• Political economy of health inequalities;
• Occupational health and safety;
• The medicalisation of the human body;
• Indigenous health;
• Asylum-seeker and refugee health;
• Corporate structure of the Australian health industry (the pharmaceutical, insurance, medical technology and healthcare provider firms);
• Medicare and private providers of health insurance;
• Alternative health arrangements;
• Australian health aid in the region;
• Parallels between changes in the Australian and international health systems;
• Gavin Mooney's contribution to the political economy of health

This list is illustrative rather than exhaustive and authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts on any theme relevant to the political economy of health in Australia.

Instructions to Authors

Articles should be a minimum of 6,000 words and not exceed 8,000 words in length. Submissions should also include an abstract of 40-80 words and be formatted according to the guidelines stipulated on the JAPE website. Manuscripts should be sent to David Primrose (david.primrose@sydney.edu.au) or Dorothy Broom (dorothy.broom@gmail.com). Please include a postal address and telephone number to facilitate editorial liaison. All contributions will go through a double-blind refereeing process to determine their suitability for publication.

Deadline for Submissions: 30 September 2013