The Body Economic closes with a challenge. “To achieve a real, lasting human recovery,” the authors emphasize, “we must fundamentally change the way we think about what’s important.” The challenge posed is, at its essence, a deeply moral one. It begs those in charge of our policies to transcend the political biases that are so embedded in every decision they make. It implores the men and women who ultimately determine our quality of life to rise above the doctrine of their respective political parties and to respond to difficulty with an increased sense of accountability. It asks them to put the people first. When a government invests in the health and future of its people, both benefit. In biological terms, it would be considered a mutualistic relationship. Many political pundits, however, would have you believe that it more closely resembles a parasitic one. While the people revel in their free healthcare, the poor, old government digs itself deeper and deeper into a bottomless pit of despair (and debt). Yet, the two doctors, Stuckler and Basu, procure enough evidence to conclusively show that the highest economic return is received from investments in health, education and social protection programs. At a time when the public opinion of governments around the globe has never been worse it has become the responsibility of the citizens to hold their governments accountable to growth strategies that do not detract from their health, wealth and dignity.
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