How Does the Individual Find a Place in French Sociology?

In France over the last four decades increasing interest in the small, the specific and the subjective can be observed. This involves a shift away from a holist approach towards social analysis focused on the individual and often carried out by researchers as specified and reflexive individuals. To be understood, this movement must be situated in the context of the development of French sociology, largely dominated at its origins by Durkheimian sociology. Thus, when the individual has appeared this is often not in his or her own right, but as representative of a social trend or group. As from the 1980s, new perspectives, very often imported from American sociology bring into play individual action, emotions and bodies, often studied as socially shaped. More recently, individual characteristics have been examined as a constraint on the possibilities of action, and discussion has also revolved around the reality of the person as an autonomous subject.     

Neoliberalism and Health: The Linkages and the Dangers

A recent book addresses the health effects of neoliberalism using the provocative rubric of ‘ neoliberal epidemics ’. This article reviews literature on the health effects of neoliberalism starting with the structural adjustment conditionalities mandated by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It continues with an analysis of how neoliberalism increases economic insecurity and inequality , and the effects on health , with a section specific to the health impacts of austerity measures undertaken after the financial crisis that began in 2007. The next section considers contemporary trade policy as an embodiment of neoliberal ideology, and reviews current and anticipated health effects. The article concludes with a brief examination of two paradoxes that are evident in the research literature on neoliberalism and health .     

GUEST EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION

Social Indicators Research -     

MONEY MATTERS; A REALITY CHECK,WITH HELP FROM VIRGINIA WOOLF

This article provides a qualified defence of economic indicators of human well being. Purchasing power obviously matters as a prerequisite for obtaining basic needs; abundant examples of human behaviour even in the richest countries in the world suggest that it matters for many other reasons, as well. Despite the shortcomings of indicators like GDP and GNP, richer nations (like richer individuals) have options that are simply not available to poorer ones. A particularly serious limitation of such indicators arises from their failure to take into account the distribution of income and wealth, both within and among nations. Higher income does not automatically lead to increased well being, but extreme caution is in order about attempts to dismiss its contribution, or to pathologize certain forms of consumption. While arguing the merits of a lifestyle less organized around consumption, proponents of sustainable development must acknowledge the strength of the evidence that money matters.