Orders of worth and the moral conceptions of health in global politics

What is it about?

International institutions understand health in many different ways: as a security problem, a problem of fairness, a problem of efficient life planning, or a spiritual achievement. The article reconstructs these meanings and and the policy tools that are used to measure and improve health. These alternative conceptualizations have not only distributional consequences, but also re-articulate competing visions of the global community. In theoretical terms, the article offers a taxonomy of evaluative orders based on the French school of pragmatist sociology.

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Why is it important?

The article offers a taxonomy of evaluative orders based on the French school of pragmatist sociology. It helps to understand why so many institutions and policies can claim to benefit health, even if they contradict each other.