The Politics of Ailment: A New Approach to Care

Deficiencies in old age care are a major human rights concern in mature welfare states, and this book challenges the ethics of viewing care as a tradeable commodity. It introduces a novel framework for understanding and analysing social care through the concept of ailment and demonstrates how ailment shapes societies from the micro to the macro level. It also highlights increasing inequalities in care and argues that the politics of care should begin with a politics of ailment.

Format: Hardback
Length: 134 pages
Publication date: 22 July 2022
Publisher: Bristol University Press

Deficiencies in old age care are among the most pressing human rights concerns in mature welfare states. This book challenges the ethics of viewing care as a tradeable commodity and introduces a novel framework for understanding and analysing social care through the concept of ailment. Providing examples from the British and Finnish welfare states, it demonstrates how ailment shapes societies from the micro to the macro level. Addressing the marketisation and financialisation of care, the authors bring to light increasing inequalities in care. This book argues that ailment is part of human life and society, and therefore the politics of care should begin with a politics of ailment.

Weight: 235g
Dimension: 203 x 127 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781447343479