Health Equity: What People Think

We propose a small workshop to explore research opportunities in asking people about what they think of health equity. How to allocate finite health care resources, and who has the most urgent need for health care, for example, are a few examples of value-related questions that jurisdictions at various levels, from districts to the federal government, routinely face. Some of the challenging questions that call for ethical judgments are related to health equity, a health policy goal endorsed by many jurisdictions, including Canada. Any efforts to achieve health equity must start by defining what is unfair about the fact that some people are healthy and others are not. An ethical judgment is also necessary to identify which health inequity demands societal interventions most urgently among the many we regrettably observe. Analytical ethics is a traditional approach to explore ethical questions related to health equity. It seeks answers through logic and rational thinking. Empirical ethics is an emerging approach that asks people about what they think of health equity. Both approaches are important and can complement health policy making. Yet, only recently, some researchers have begun to pay serious attention to the potential contribution of empirical ethics to health equity research and policy. This workshop aims to advance this emerging inquiry of empirical ethics in health equity research and policy by networking pioneers and discussing its importance, methods, and usefulness. The workshop is small, to encourage close and intensive exchange. It is interdisciplinary by inviting researchers with diverse backgrounds. It is international, gathering Canadian and international researchers and health policy leaders, for global relevance. The proposed workshop will make an important contribution to enhance citizen engagement in health equity research and policy.