Erosão orçamentário-financeira dos direitos sociais na Constituição de 1988 / Budgetary-financial erosion of social rights in the Constitution of 1988

Resumo Ao longo das três décadas de vigência da Constituição Federal, redesenhos normativos e fiscais foram introduzidos pela União nas garantias de organização federativa solidária e de custeio dos direitos sociais, a pretexto de resguardar a sustentabilidade intertemporal da dívida pública brasileira. Para equalizar a tensão entre estabilidade econômica e efetividade dos direitos sociais e sua repercussão para o processo de endividamento, foram mitigados paulatinamente os pisos de custeio da saúde e educação e o orçamento da seguridade social, os quais operavam, tanto no campo simbólico, quanto no pragmático, como uma espécie de contrapeso fiscal à necessidade de custo alegadamente ilimitado para as políticas monetária e cambial. Desvincular receitas, reduzir o escopo dos regimes de gasto mínimo e restringir o alcance interpretativo de transferências intergovernamentais equalizadoras das distorções federativas tornou-se estratégia, assumida - direta ou indiretamente - pela União desde o início da década de 1990, de estabilização macroeconômica, sobretudo, monetária. Assim tem sido empreendido um longo e ainda atual processo de desconstrução orçamentário-financeira dos direitos sociais, que restringe a identidade estrutural da CF/1988, a pretexto de consolidação fiscal cada vez mais exigente da redução do tamanho do Estado.

Abstract Throughout the three decades of the Federal Constitution, normative and fiscal redesigns were introduced by the Union in the guarantees of solidary federative organization and of social rights costing, under the pretext of safeguarding the intertemporal sustainability of the Brazilian public debt. In order to equalize the tension between economic stability and the effectiveness of social rights and their repercussion for the indebtedness process, the health and education minimum spending and the social security budget were gradually mitigated, which operated both in the symbolic field and in the pragmatic, as a kind of fiscal balance to the need for allegedly unlimited cost for monetary and cambial policies. Unlink taxes, reduce the scope of minimum spending regimes and restrict the interpretative scope of intergovernmental equalization transfers of federative distortions has become a strategy, assumed - directly or indirectly - by the Union since the early 1990s, of macroeconomic stabilization policy, above all, monetary. Thus, a long and still ongoing process of budgetary and financial deconstruction of social rights has been undertaken, which restricts the structural identity of the FC/1988, under the pretext of increasingly demanding fiscal consolidation of the reduction of the size of the state.

Budgetary-financial erosion of social rights in the Constitution of 1988. / Erosão orçamentário-financeira dos direitos sociais na Constituição de 1988.

Throughout the three decades of the Federal Constitution, normative and fiscal redesigns were introduced by the Union in the guarantees of solidary federative organization and of social rights costing, under the pretext of safeguarding the intertemporal sustainability of the Brazilian public debt. In order to equalize the tension between economic stability and the effectiveness of social rights and their repercussion for the indebtedness process, the health and education minimum spending and the social security budget were gradually mitigated, which operated both in the symbolic field and in the pragmatic, as a kind of fiscal balance to the need for allegedly unlimited cost for monetary and cambial policies. Unlink taxes, reduce the scope of minimum spending regimes and restrict the interpretative scope of intergovernmental equalization transfers of federative distortions has become a strategy, assumed - directly or indirectly - by the Union since the early 1990s, of macroeconomic stabilization policy, above all, monetary. Thus, a long and still ongoing process of budgetary and financial deconstruction of social rights has been undertaken, which restricts the structural identity of the FC/1988, under the pretext of increasingly demanding fiscal consolidation of the reduction of the size of the state.

Ao longo das três décadas de vigência da Constituição Federal, redesenhos normativos e fiscais foram introduzidos pela União nas garantias de organização federativa solidária e de custeio dos direitos sociais, a pretexto de resguardar a sustentabilidade intertemporal da dívida pública brasileira. Para equalizar a tensão entre estabilidade econômica e efetividade dos direitos sociais e sua repercussão para o processo de endividamento, foram mitigados paulatinamente os pisos de custeio da saúde e educação e o orçamento da seguridade social, os quais operavam, tanto no campo simbólico, quanto no pragmático, como uma espécie de contrapeso fiscal à necessidade de custo alegadamente ilimitado para as políticas monetária e cambial. Desvincular receitas, reduzir o escopo dos regimes de gasto mínimo e restringir o alcance interpretativo de transferências intergovernamentais equalizadoras das distorções federativas tornou-se estratégia, assumida ­ direta ou indiretamente ­ pela União desde o início da década de 1990, de estabilização macroeconômica, sobretudo, monetária. Assim tem sido empreendido um longo e ainda atual processo de desconstrução orçamentário-financeira dos direitos sociais, que restringe a identidade estrutural da CF/1988, a pretexto de consolidação fiscal cada vez mais exigente da redução do tamanho do Estado.

Economic sanctions and academia: Overlooked impact and long-term consequences.

Financial sanctions are often thought of as the "soft alternative" to armed conflict and are widely used in the 21st century. Nonetheless, sanctions are often criticized for being non-specific in their action, and having impact beyond their intended remit. One often-overlooked area affected by sanctions are academic systems of research and education. Sanctions place "invisible barriers" for research in these countries by limiting access to necessary resources and curtailing their effective use. In this paper we present a national survey of Sudanese academics focused on the impact of 20 years of economic sanctions on their work. It identifies key areas of academic research and education that have been impacted by international sanctions. Moreover, these data highlight how the impact of sanctions on academia is likely to persist long after they are formally lifted. The paper concludes by problematising the current interpretation of jus post bellum, or moral behaviour after conflict. It suggests that the responsibility to make reparations in the form of support for academic systems applies to countries who impose economic sanctions.

Whither a Welfare-Funded 'Sex Doula' Programme?

The sexual citizenship of disabled persons is an ethically contentious issue with important and broad-reaching ramifications. Awareness of the issue has risen considerably due to the increasingly public responses from charitable organisations which have recently sought to respond to the needs of disabled persons-yet this important debate still struggles for traction in academia. In response, this paper continues the debate raised in this journal between Appel and Di Nucci, concurring with Appel's proposals that sexual pleasure is a fundamental human right and that access to sexual citizenship for the severely disabled should be publicly funded. To that endeavour, this paper refutes Di Nucci's criticism of Appel's sex rights for the disabled and shows how Di Nucci's alternative solution is iniquitous. To advance the debate, I argue that a welfare-funded 'sex doula' programme would be uniquely positioned to respond to the sexual citizenship issues of disabled persons.

Equal Pay for Equal Work: Medicare Procedure Volume and Reimbursement for Male and Female Surgeons Performing Total Knee and Total Hip Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: The observed sex gap in physician salary has been the topic of much recent debate in the United States, but it has not been well-described among orthopaedic surgeons. The objective of this study was to evaluate for sex differences in Medicare claim volume and reimbursement among orthopaedic surgeons. METHODS: The Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Public Use File was used to compare claim volume and reimbursement between female and male orthopaedic surgeons in 2013. Data were extracted for each billing code per orthopaedic surgeon in the year 2013 for total claims, surgical claims, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) claims, and total hip arthroplasty (THA) claims. RESULTS: A total of 20,546 orthopaedic surgeons who treated traditional Medicare patients were included in the initial analysis. Claim volume and reimbursement received were approximately twofold higher for all claims and more than threefold higher for surgical claims for male surgeons when compared with female surgeons (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). A total of 7,013 and 3,839 surgeons performed >10 TKAs and THAs, respectively, in 2013 for Medicare patients and were included in the subset analyses. Although male surgeons performed a higher mean number of TKAs than female surgeons (mean and standard deviation, 37 ± 33 compared with 26 ± 17, respectively, p < 0.001), the claim volume for THAs was similar (29 ± 22 compared with 24 ± 13, respectively, p = 0.080). However, there was no significant difference in mean reimbursement payments received per surgeon between men and women for TKA or THA ($1,135 ± $228 compared with $1,137 ± $184 for TKA, respectively, p = 0.380; $1,049 ± $226 compared with $1,043 ± $266 for THA, respectively, p = 0.310). CONCLUSIONS: Female surgeons had a lower number of total claims and reimbursements compared with male surgeons. However, among surgeons who performed >10 THAs and TKAs, there were no sex differences in the mean reimbursement payment per surgeon. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The number of women in orthopaedics is rising, and there is much interest in how their productivity and compensation compare with their male counterparts.

Como a atenção primária à saúde pode fortalecer a alimentação adequada enquanto direito na América Latina? / Can primary health care strengthen the right to adequate food as a human right in Latin America? / ¿Cómo la atención primaria de salud puede fortalecer la alimentación adecuada como derecho en América Latina?

RESUMO Há 40 anos, a Declaração de Alma-Ata reforçou a saúde como direito humano, apresentou a atenção primária à saúde (APS) como caminho para atingir um grau de saúde aceitável para todos e incorporou a questão alimentar e nutricional como parte integrante dos cuidados primários em saúde. O direito humano à alimentação adequada (DHAA) está intimamente relacionado com o direito à saúde, pois é requisito para a existência de condições de vida digna para promover a saúde. As particularidades históricas e a posição político- econômica da América Latina representam barreiras para a realização plena dos direitos humanos, e especialmente dos direitos sociais. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste artigo é explorar os modos pelos quais os serviços de APS podem alavancar o DHAA na América Latina. Adicionalmente, são apresentadas medidas que exemplificam como os países podem fortalecer o DHAA a partir da APS. Finalmente, o texto se propõe a resgatar o potencial emancipatório da APS na América Latina vislumbrando sua atuação na realização de direitos humanos para além do direito à saúde. O panorama apresentado demonstra a capacidade de resposta da APS no sentido de efetivar direitos humanos interdependentes da saúde no contexto latino-americano.

ABSTRACT Forty years ago, the Declaration of Alma-Ata emphasized health as a human right, introduced primary health care (PHC) as a strategy to attain an acceptable level of health for all, and included the issue of food and nutrition as an integral part of PHC. The right to adequate food (RAF) is closely related to the right to health, since it is essential to ensure dignified living conditions that promote health. The historical peculiarities and the political and economic position of Latin America constitute barriers for the full realization of human rights, and especially social rights. In this sense, the present article aims to explore the modes by which PHC services can leverage the RAF in Latin America. In addition, the article describes measures that exemplify how countries can strengthen RAF through PHC. Finally, the text seeks to recover the emancipatory potential of PHC through a vision of human rights enforcement beyond the right to health. The overview shows that PHC has the capacity to fulfill human rights that are interdependent on health in the Latin American context.

RESUMEN Hace 40 años, la Declaración de Alma-Ata reforzó la salud como derecho humano, presentó la atención primaria de salud (APS) como camino para alcanzar un grado de salud aceptable para todos e incorporó la alimentación y nutrición como parte de los cuidados primarios en salud. El derecho humano a la alimentación adecuada (DHAA) está íntimamente relacionado con el derecho a la salud, pues es un requisito indispensabel para la existencia de condiciones dignas para promover la salud. Las particularidades históricas y la posición político-económica de América Latina representan barreras para la promoción plena de los derechos humanos, y especialmente de los derechos sociales. En este sentido, el objetivo de este artículo es explorar la manera como los servicios de APS pueden impulsar el DHAA en América Latina. Adicionalmente, se presentan medidas que ejemplifican cómo los países pueden fortalecer el DHAA a partir de la APS. Finalmente, el texto se propone rescatar el potencial emancipatorio de la APS en América Latina vislumbrando su actuación en la promoción de derechos humanos más allá del derecho a la salud. El panorama presentado demuestra la capacidad de respuesta de la APS para hacer efectivos los derechos humanos interdependientes de la salud en el contexto latinoamericano.

Cancer Care and Control as a Human Right: Recognizing Global Oncology as an Academic Field.

The global burden of cancer incidence and mortality is on the rise. There are major differences in cancer fatality rates due to profound disparities in the burden and resource allocation for cancer care and control in developed compared with developing countries. The right to cancer care and control should be a human right accessible to all patients with cancer, regardless of geographic or economic region, to avoid unnecessary deaths and suffering from cancer. National cancer planning should include an integrated approach that incorporates a continuum of education, prevention, cancer diagnostics, treatment, survivorship, and palliative care. Global oncology as an academic field should offer the knowledge and skills needed to efficiently assess situations and work on solutions, in close partnership. We need medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, pediatric oncologists, gynecologic oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists trained to think about well-tailored resource-stratified solutions to cancer care in the developing world. Moreover, the multidisciplinary fundamental team approach needed to treat most neoplastic diseases requires coordinated investment in several areas. Current innovative approaches have relied on partnerships between academic institutions in developed countries and local governments and ministries of health in developing countries to provide the expertise needed to implement effective cancer control programs. Global oncology is a viable and necessary field that needs to be emphasized because of its critical role in proposing not only solutions in developing countries, but also solutions that can be applied to similar challenges of access to cancer care and control faced by underserved populations in developed countries.

[Work and health: The constitutional court and the protection of constitutional rights in work-related accidents and illnesses]. / Trabajo y salud: La Corte Constitucional frente a la tutela por accidentes y enfermedades laborales.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the way in which the Constitutional Court of Colombia has interpreted the use of the writ for the protection of constitutional rights in work-related illnesses. The paper explains in which cases the court has defended the use of this action and the key judicial precedents on the subject. METHOD: Analysis of a representative sample of the decisions of the Constitutional Court regarding writs for the protection of constitutional rights in work-related illnesses between 1992 and 2014. We coded 58 rulings, providing descriptive statistics and analyzing the main judicial precedents. RESULTS: The Court has assumed a protectionist position in support of workers. In 79.3 % of the cases, the Court revoked the decisions of lower courts and granted the action to employees. The Court has defended that employers cannot dismiss workers who suffered from a labor accident or illness without approval from the labor office; these workers have to be reincorporated and relocated, if needed, in a new working place. The Court has also stated that workers do not have to bear the uncertainty of not knowing which entity should cover their health and economic costs during recovery; health promoting companies (EPS, the Spanish acronym) or occupational risk managers (ARL, the Spanish acronym) should cover these costs while courts have a definite ruling. DISCUSSION: The institutional structure of labor risks in which EPS takes-over sicknesses and accidents from a common origin, and ARL the ones from a labor origin, incentivize EPS and ARL rejection of the services and, therefore, the use of the legal action of writ for the protection of constitutional rights. In spite of the clarity of judicial precedents, the same judicial controversies keep re-emerging, and lower courts continue to fail to comply with the precedents established by the Court.

OBJETIVO: Describir la forma en que la Corte Constitucional de Colombia ha interpretado el uso de la tutela en riesgos laborales. Se presenta en qué casos ha defendido el uso de la tutela y las líneas jurisprudenciales principales del tema. MÉTODO: Análisis de una muestra representativa de las decisiones de la Corte Constitucional en tutelas en riesgos laborales durante el periodo 1992-2014. Se sistematizaron 58 tutelas con estadísticas descriptivas y se analizaron las principales líneas jurisprudenciales. RESULTADOS: La Corte ha asumido una posición proteccionista del trabajador. En 79,3 % de los casos revocó la decisión de primera o segunda instancia y concedió las pretensiones de la tutela. Ha sostenido que no se puede despedir a trabajadores que han sufrido un accidente o una enfermedad laboral sin permiso de la oficina del trabajo, y deben ser reincorporados y reubicados si es el caso. Además, ha sostenido que los trabajadores no deben soportar la incertidumbre sobre quién debe cubrir sus prestaciones, que deben ser otorgadas mientras estas discusiones se libran. DISCUSIÓN: La estructura institucional en donde las empresas promotoras de salud (EPS) atienden las enfermedades y accidentes de origen común y las administradoras de riesgos laborales (ARL) las de origen laboral, incentiva la negación de sus servicios y como efecto el uso de la tutela en este campo. A pesar de la claridad de las líneas jurisprudenciales, los mismos problemas jurídicos se siguen presentando a través de los años y los jueces de instancia siguen incumpliendo los precedentes establecidos por la Corte.

Equidad y desarrollo humano sobre la base del acceso al agua / Equity and human development on the basis of water access

Al abordar el tema del agua es fundamental hablar de la carencia o deficiencia de los recursos hídricos en el mundo, ya sea porque para consumo humano sólo se tiene el 3% de agua del planeta, o bien por la cantidad de gente que carece de agua a nivel mundial. Estos dos supuestos polariza la situación del agua, por una parte quienes la consideran como un derecho humano, el cual es un servicio a cargo del estado, porque al insertarse en el texto constitucional de México se vinculó al Estado; por el otro lado, ante la insuficiencia de agua, se le concede el carácter de mercancía, y como tal se pretende que pueda tener el justo valor que requiere, al tratarse de un bien que poco a poco se vuelve más preciado, requiriendo de inversiones para su obtención y prestación del servicio. En cuanto a equidad, la primera de las posturas buscaría beneficiar a toda la población; pero la segunda determina que solo aquellos con el suficiente recurso económico podrán disponer de agua. El último razonamiento provocaría limitación de la existencia y vida digna de muchas personas que carecen de los recursos económicos suficientes para pagar por ella (AU).

To approach the concept of water in the present, it is essential to speak of the lack or deficiency of the water resources in the world, either because for human consumption is only 3% of water on the planet, or by the number of people whom deficiency of water worldwide. These two assumptions polarizes the water situation, on the one hand those who considered it as a human right, which is a service in charge of the state, because when isintroduced into the text of the Constitution of Mexico already link up to the State; on the other hand, given the insufficiency of water, is granted the nature of goods, and as such it is intended that may have the fair value that requires to be a well that little by little becomes more precious, requiring investment for their collection and provision of the service. With regard to equity, the first of the positions would seek to benefit the entire population; but the second determines that only those with sufficient economic resource may have water. The last reasoning would lead to limitation of the existence and dignified life of many people who lack the economic resources to pay for it (AU).

Equidad y desarrollo humano sobre la base del acceso al agua / Equity and human development on the basis of water access

Al abordar el tema del agua es fundamental hablar de la carencia o deficiencia de los recursos hídricos en el mundo, ya sea porque para consumo humano sólo se tiene el 3% de agua del planeta, o bien por la cantidad de gente que carece de agua a nivel mundial. Estos dos supuestos polariza la situación del agua, por una parte quienes la consideran como un derecho humano, el cual es un servicio a cargo del estado, porque al insertarse en el texto constitucional de México se vinculó al Estado; por el otro lado, ante la insuficiencia de agua, se le concede el carácter de mercancía, y como tal se pretende que pueda tener el justo valor que requiere, al tratarse de un bien que poco a poco se vuelve más preciado, requiriendo de inversiones para su obtención y prestación del servicio. En cuanto a equidad, la primera de las posturas buscaría beneficiar a toda la población; pero la segunda determina que solo aquellos con el suficiente recurso económico podrán disponer de agua. El último razonamiento provocaría limitación de la existencia y vida digna de muchas personas que carecen de los recursos económicos suficientes para pagar por ella (AU).

To approach the concept of water in the present, it is essential to speak of the lack or deficiency of the water resources in the world, either because for human consumption is only 3% of water on the planet, or by the number of people whom deficiency of water worldwide. These two assumptions polarizes the water situation, on the one hand those who considered it as a human right, which is a service in charge of the state, because when isintroduced into the text of the Constitution of Mexico already link up to the State; on the other hand, given the insufficiency of water, is granted the nature of goods, and as such it is intended that may have the fair value that requires to be a well that little by little becomes more precious, requiring investment for their collection and provision of the service. With regard to equity, the first of the positions would seek to benefit the entire population; but the second determines that only those with sufficient economic resource may have water. The last reasoning would lead to limitation of the existence and dignified life of many people who lack the economic resources to pay for it (AU).

[Essential medicines and the TRIPS Agreement: collision between the right to health and intellectual property rights]. / Medicamentos esenciales y Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC: colisión entre el derecho a la salud y el derecho de propiedad intelectual.

The strengthening of pharmaceutical patent protection globally puts strains on access to essential medicines. According to the present paper, this process has led to the collision of the intellectual property rights adopted in the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement and the right to health stated in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Several controversies disputed in the WTO illustrate the confrontation between countries with a powerful pharmaceutical industry and the interests of developing countries. It is concluded that the TRIPS-plus rules subscribed to by developing countries in free trade agreements which give the pharmaceutical patent holder more rights than those stipulated in the original TRIPS Agreement are incompatible with the obligations to provide access to essential medicines under the right to health of the ICESCR.

Is the Non-rivalrousness of Intellectual Objects a Problem for the Moral Justification of Economic Rights to Intellectual Property?

It is often argued that the fact that intellectual objects-objects like ideas, inventions, concepts, and melodies-can be used by several people simultaneously makes intellectual property rights impossible or particularly difficult to morally justify. In this article, I assess the line of criticism of intellectual ownership in connection with a central category of intellectual property rights, economic rights to intellectual property. I maintain that it is unconvincing.

Impact of socio-economic status in meeting the needs of people with mental illness; human rights perspective.

The present descriptive study investigated the impact of socio-economic status in meeting the human rights needs among randomly selected recovered psychiatric patients (n = 100) at a tertiary care center. Data was collected through face to face interview, using structured Needs Assessment Questionnaire. The findings revealed that the participants from below poverty line were deprived of physical needs such as 'electricity facilities' (χ (2) = 6.821, p < .009) 'safe drinking water' (χ (2) = 13.506, p < .004) and purchasing medications (χ (2) = 9.958, p < .019). Conversely, participants from above poverty line were dissatisfied in emotional needs dimension i.e. 'commenting on physical appearance (χ (2) = 8.337, p < .040), afraid of family members (χ (2) = 17.809, p < .000). Thus, there is an urgent need to implement mental illness awareness campaigns and government should take active steps for providing employment, disability pension, free housing, free treatment and free transportation service for people with mental illness to attend hospital or rehabilitation centres.