This paper aims to clarify the relation between health and development, and the role of what we call “relational learning” as a facilitator of democratic participation in health. In this work, development is defined as a process aimed at increasing the well-being of a community, as democratically determined by the community itself. Health has an intertwining relation with development, since it is at the same time a goal, an outcome and a means for development. It is therefore important that its aims are set by the locality it affects. Nevertheless, the increasing complexity that has been characterising health in recent years can represent an obstacle difficult to overcome for lay people. Schooling education and self-learning could be not enough – if not even misleading – when trying to understand topics such as genetic testing, cloning, or the impact of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In this framework, we suggest a process of learning based on relations among people and with experts as a way to facilitate the approach of the community to highly complicated issues. Since those actors, in some cases, could have insufficient incentives to spontaneously dialogue with each other and to exchange experiences and knowledge, the government could favour it by introducing inclusion and participation mechanisms also able to foster interaction, dialogue and relational learning. The first section will briefly define development and its linkage with the so-called “participatory democracy”. The second section will then analyse the relation between development and health. Section 3 will introduce the concept of “relational learning”, as deriving from the interaction among actors. Section 4 will then review some of the consultation and deliberation mechanisms used to involve the public in the decision-making process on health-related topics, also in the light of their potential in terms of relational learning. Conclusions will be presented in the final section.
Development and health: “Relational learning” as a tool for democratisation
RUBINI, Lauretta
2006
Abstract
This paper aims to clarify the relation between health and development, and the role of what we call “relational learning” as a facilitator of democratic participation in health. In this work, development is defined as a process aimed at increasing the well-being of a community, as democratically determined by the community itself. Health has an intertwining relation with development, since it is at the same time a goal, an outcome and a means for development. It is therefore important that its aims are set by the locality it affects. Nevertheless, the increasing complexity that has been characterising health in recent years can represent an obstacle difficult to overcome for lay people. Schooling education and self-learning could be not enough – if not even misleading – when trying to understand topics such as genetic testing, cloning, or the impact of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In this framework, we suggest a process of learning based on relations among people and with experts as a way to facilitate the approach of the community to highly complicated issues. Since those actors, in some cases, could have insufficient incentives to spontaneously dialogue with each other and to exchange experiences and knowledge, the government could favour it by introducing inclusion and participation mechanisms also able to foster interaction, dialogue and relational learning. The first section will briefly define development and its linkage with the so-called “participatory democracy”. The second section will then analyse the relation between development and health. Section 3 will introduce the concept of “relational learning”, as deriving from the interaction among actors. Section 4 will then review some of the consultation and deliberation mechanisms used to involve the public in the decision-making process on health-related topics, also in the light of their potential in terms of relational learning. Conclusions will be presented in the final section.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
