International Centre for Health & Society, UCL
2003 Seminar Series.
Monday 7 July, 5pm
(RSVP attendance essential)
'Economic growth, human security and population health - the
historical perspective'
Dr Simon Szreter
Reader, History &Public Policy, Cambridge, and Fellow of St John’s
College, Cambridge
Abstract:
The long-term historical perspective of the last several millennia
indicates that significant episodes of economic growth, far from
providing any guarantees of enhanced human security and welfare,
have been disruptive processes, which challenged population health.
The more recent historical record in Britain since 1500 will be
examined. This confirms that modern forms of industrialising economic
growth remain intrinsically disruptive of population health. Analysis of
the modern British historical record also indicates how societies can
learn to live with rapid economic growth and experience population
health benefits. Unfortunately these appear to be historical lessons,
which have been forgotten by the international community during the
last 25 years.
Simon Szreter is Reader in History and Public Policy, University of
Cambridge, and Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge. In 2002 he
co-founded a joint University of Cambridge/Institute of Contemporary
History website - www.historyandpolitics.org. Today’s presentation
draws from a chapter, ‘Health and human security in an historical
perspective’ to be published in Global Health Challenges for
Human Security edited by Lincoln Chen et al., (Harvard U.Press
2003 forthcoming).
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