Lovanium Seminar in Ethics and Public Policy

Toon VANDEVELDE (KuLeuven) & Philippe VAN PARIJS (UCLouvain)

This joint KUleuven-UCLouvain seminar operates in English and takes place alternatively in Leuven and in Louvain-la-Neuve on a number of Thursdays (all day). It starts every year with a compact introduction to the main contemporary ethical theories that are relevant to the discussion of public policies and social institutions. 

The rest of the seminar focuses on a special theme that changes from year to year. Past themes include global justice, migration, justice and democracy, ethical limits of the market. In 2009-10, the main focus will be on justice and health.

The issues to be discussed include: What are the main factors of inequalities in health and life expectancy? What principles should guide the designing of institutions and policies in the area of health care and other domains that affect the distribution of illness, invalidity and mortality? What are the respective roles of the state, the market and the family in the provision of health care? Should institutionalized solidarity extend to cosmetic surgery, to fertility treatment, to long-term care? 

Should it be sensitive to the age of the patients? In the context of Belgium's federal state, should it ideally be organized at the central level, at the level of each Region or at the level of each Community.

For further information and reading material:
Antoon.Vandevelde@hiw.kuleuven.be or philippe.vanparijs@uclouvain.be

Dates for the second semester
Leuven, Thursday 4 March 2010, 10.30-17.00
Louvain-la-Neuve, Thursday 1 April 2010, 10.30-17.00
Leuven, Thursday 29 April 2010, , 10.30-17.00 (to be confirmed)

Programme for the first semester

Thursday 8 October 2009 (10.30am-5pm, Dupriez 350, 3 Place Montesquieu, LLN)
Philippe VAN PARIJS (UcLouvain): “A compact overview of contemporary theories of social justice ”.
Comments and complements by Toon VANDEVELDE (K.U.Leuven)
Geoffrey CUPIT (University of Waikato, NZ & Hoover Fellow, author of Justice as Fittingness, OUP 1996): “Allocating health resources by age: It may be fair but is it just?”

Thursday 22 October 2009 (10.30am-5pm, Raadzaal, 2 Kard. Mercierplein, Leuven)
Carine VAN DE VOORDE (K.U.Leuven): Key facts about health inequalities and other facts relevant to justice in health matters
Comments and complements by Toon VANDEVELDE (K.U.Leuven)
Yvonne DENIER (K.U.Leuven): Daniels on Just Health and other approaches to justice in health care
Comments and complements by Toon VANDEVELDE (K.U.Leuven)

Thursday 5 November 2009 (10.30am-5pm, Raadzaal, 2 Kard. Mercierplein, Leuven)
Eszter KOLLAR (Luiss University, Rome, and Hoover Fellow): “Global justice and the trans-national migration of health care workers”
Philippe VAN PARIJS (UcLouvain): Just Health Care in a Pluri-National State
Critical comment by  Helder DE SCHUTTER (K.U.Leuven)

Thursday 3 December 2009 (10.30am-5pm, Dupriez 350, 3 Place Montesquieu, LLN)
10.30: Enrico BIALE (Università di Milano & Hoover Fellow): “Economic inequalities, health reform and public reason”
14.00: Philippe SANCHEZ (Univ. Catholique de Lille): “Just health care versus just care for the disabled”
16.00: Discussion of the proposals for papers to be presented in the second semester. Programme of the seminar in the second semester.