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Economy & Livelihoods

Human and Economic Development are coupled—but not always in ways advantageous to health and wellbeing. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) annually publishes a Global Human Development Report. There are also National Human Development Reports (NHDRs) produced in 135 countries, and 31 regional reports. The NHDRs include a Human Development Index made up of statistical indicators of income, health, and education.

“Twenty years after the appearance of the first Human Development Report, there is much to celebrate in what has been achieved. But we also have to be alive to ways of improving the assessment of old adversities and of recognizing—and responding to—new threats that endanger human well-being and freedom.“ Amartya Sen, Human Development Report 2010 (20th Anniversary Edition) (p. vii).


The Human Development concept

Human Development is a development paradigm that is about much more than the rise or fall of national incomes. It is about creating an environment in which people can develop their full potential and lead productive, creative lives in accord with their needs and interests. People are the real wealth of nations. Development is thus about expanding the choices people have to lead lives that they value. And it is thus about much more than economic growth, which is only a means —if a very important one —of enlarging people’s choices. Fundamental to enlarging these choices is building human capabilities —the range of things that people can do or be in life. The most basic capabilities for human development are to lead long and healthy lives, to be knowledgeable, to have access to the resources needed for a decent standard of living and to be able to participate in the life of the community. Without these, many choices are simply not available, and many opportunities in life remain inaccessible. Source: UNDP Human Development Report Website, viewed Nov. 20, 2010.

A good example of a program that couples health and human development through university-community partnerships and education is the Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH) program based in the USA’s National Institutes of Health. The PEPH brings together scientists, community members, educators, health care providers, public health officials, and policy makers in the shared goal of advancing the impact of environmental public health research at local, regional, and national levels. PEPH leaders define Environmental Public Health as the science of conducting and translating research into action to address environmental exposures and health risks of concern to the public. By fostering local, regional, and national partnerships between and among community residents/organizations, researchers, and other stakeholders in the research process, vital information about the linkages between exposures and disease can be discovered and used to promote health and reduce the risk of disease across the populations at highest risk. Source: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/programs/peph/index.cfm

Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH) is an example of an integrated program; it strives to:

•Strategically coordinate and integrate the various new and existing initiatives that involve communities and scientists working together on contemporary issues in Environmental Public Health research
•Develop and evaluate strategies to communicate environmental public health messages to a diversity of audiences
•Create and provide materials to increase awareness and literacy about environmental health risks
•Evaluate program contributions to the advancement of environmental public health

A hallmark of this program is that communities are actively engaged in all stages of the research, dissemination, and evaluation. Emphasis is placed on robust research to investigate linkages between exposure and disease, as well as research and evaluation to improve the theories, methods, and implementation strategies for working with communities to address their environmental health concerns. The program emphasizes both scientific advances and development of practical materials for use in communities, with a focus on translating research findings into tools, materials, and resources that can be used by a variety of audiences to prevent, reduce, or eliminate adverse health outcomes caused by environmental exposures.  http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/programs/peph/index.cfm


USDA Launches Online Food Hub Resource

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on August 26, 2011 at 10:23 PM


Capitalism on shaky ground?

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on June 16, 2011 at 09:32 AM


Political Equator 3

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on June 11, 2011 at 04:22 PM


San Diego Urban-Rural Roundtable Recommendations

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on June 11, 2011 at 07:32 AM


Perfect storm

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on May 31, 2011 at 06:23 PM


Undergraduate Education

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on May 20, 2011 at 10:22 AM


Integrating Public Health into the Sustainable Comprehensive Plan

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on May 17, 2011 at 01:47 PM


Julian Agyeman on Meaning of Just Sustainability

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on May 16, 2011 at 12:07 PM


Asset building and community development

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on May 14, 2011 at 02:37 PM


Measuring efforts to translate science into public health action

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on February 21, 2011 at 08:21 AM


Linking progressive planning research to action regionally and globally

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on February 13, 2011 at 01:22 PM


New Food System Principles Emphasize Health Benefits

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on December 22, 2010 at 10:38 AM


New biology applied to plants

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on December 03, 2010 at 09:04 PM


Action Research Books

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on November 05, 2010 at 01:50 PM


Food Justice

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on November 05, 2010 at 01:34 PM


Climate Change Resources

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on October 27, 2010 at 10:40 PM


Human-induced environmental changes and the emergence and transmission of infectious diseases

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on October 19, 2010 at 11:45 PM


Public health to be addressed in regional planning

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on October 01, 2010 at 09:17 PM


Partnerships for Environmental Public Health (PEPH)

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on September 21, 2010 at 06:25 PM


How transportation policy affects the nation’s health and contributes to health inequalties

Posted by Keith Pezzoli on September 21, 2010 at 04:45 PM



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Watch Economist: Wake up to "Misplaced Priorities" on PBS. See more from NOW on PBS.

Cooperatives Put People—and Democracy—to Work How worker-owned businesses from Cleveland to Spain are nurturing life and jobs outside the corporate framework. Copied from Yes Magazine Spring 2012

SHIFT CHANGE - Putting Democracy to Work - preview from Mark Dworkin on Vimeo Shift Change—Putting Democracy to Work, a film by Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin about life outside the corporate framework, is slated for release in July 2012. Examining cooperatives in both the United States and Spain, it documents the growing number of employee-owned businesses. At a time when many people are out of work, job security is not easily attainable, and big corporations are increasingly unpopular, cooperatives provide a way for people not only to make a living, but to be invested in their work like never before.

Video Courtesty of TEDxTalks, Copied from the Yes Magazine Web site Cleveland, often ranked one of the top five poorest cities in the U.S., has produced a model for creating a sustainable economy and revitalizing suffering neighborhoods. The goal is not just to create jobs, but also to build wealth and anchor capital in the local communities.