Pain and pleasure affect us all. Knowing this with empathy, and acting upon it, civilises us. Wit... more Pain and pleasure affect us all. Knowing this with empathy, and acting upon it, civilises us. Without such empathy, pain can become a means of domination and injustice. Moreover, pain is expressed and responded to in all social contexts, and the word "pain" has diverse meanings, depending on the associated activities. To observe various ways in which we say that it hurts, and the many meanings of pain, I follow ordinary-language philosophy, particularly Ludwig Wittgenstein and J.L. Austin, and I consider a range of social and historical contexts, from the closest intimacy, everyday chatter, the clinic, and beyond, to the domain of public policy and human rights. This addresses our verbal expressions of pain, their lived contexts and effects, within relationships and among social groups, altering mutual obligations, eliciting actions and reactions, and thence creating moral, legal and political norms. My aim, then, is to consider the social and political implications of ordinary performative pain-talk, in particular regarding the relationship between pain and justice, public policy, human rights and law.
Recent research in economics, sociology and psychology has re-ignited interest in human happiness... more Recent research in economics, sociology and psychology has re-ignited interest in human happiness, and this interest has extended into social policy research and analysis. Happiness research has challenged some of the axioms of standard economic theories of utility and welfare, but the assumptions underlying this research remain utilitarian. Further, there are significant semantic problems for happiness surveys concerning the contemporary uses of the words happiness and happy. While happiness research has stimulated some self-critical reflection about social and economic policy priorities, it has yet to provide any convincing basis for the setting of policy goals or the evaluation of outcomes.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 03085140303134, Dec 2, 2010
ABSTRACT This article examines the medico-legal systems of workers' compensation. It is d... more ABSTRACT This article examines the medico-legal systems of workers' compensation. It is divided into three parts, the first taking an historical perspective to locate the first workers' compensation laws, the circumstances which led to their implementation, and their consequences in terms of the shift from individual fault to industrial risk. In the second part, the discursive practices of medico-legal knowledge-power typically found in workers' compensation systems are examined, especially the principles and clinical practices that are deployed to 'police' the boundaries of such schemes and to mitigate costs. Part three then summarizes the effect of neo-liberal governmentality and its underlying economic rationality as it attempts to regulate, by means of the artifice of liberty, the behaviours of firms and workers. Workers' compensation deserves analysis for the special technical and insurantial problems it entails, given its complex triangular insurance relation (involving the insurer, the firm, and the worker), its deployment of medical, economic and actuarial knowledges, and its production of special problems and uncertainties surrounding the governing of a class of persons incapacitated for productive work.
While New Zealand may have served as a model of neo-liberal policy, the present article argues th... more While New Zealand may have served as a model of neo-liberal policy, the present article argues that the analysis and critique of neo-liberalism is increasingly of historical interest only. This emerges from and extends a ‘review symposium’ in this journal (New Zealand Sociology, vol 26, issues 1 and 2) that began with a critique of the Key government by Roper (2011). While the achievements of the neo-liberal era are still with us, it is hypothesised here that neo-liberalism, as an historically contingent Anglo-American assemblage of ideas and practices, is in decline. In order to address this hypothesis, consideration is given to the political-economic consequences of China’s rapid growth.
This article reports original research conducted with 20 adoptees, adopted under closed-stranger ... more This article reports original research conducted with 20 adoptees, adopted under closed-stranger protocols, who have been experiencing regular post-reunion contact with their birth families for more than 10 years. It expands on earlier research that focused on the search, reunion and immediate post-reunion stages. Drawing upon in-depth interviews, it examines the long-term experiences of adoptees in post-reunion. It examines the themes of the mothering role, family obligation and family membership to uncover how adoptees navigate their family membership within and between two families (adoptive and birth family). This study is informed by the thoughts, feelings and observations of the participants, in their own words, to convey a deeper understanding of their experiences. The findings indicate that long-term reunited relationships have no predictable pathways and are approached with varying levels of ambivalence and emotional strain; that no fixed pattern of family arrangements and ...
Lyotard's concept of 'performativity' has proved itself to be especially applicabl... more Lyotard's concept of 'performativity' has proved itself to be especially applicable (if not prophetic) in understanding the major shifts in the institutional discourses of universities in recent times. The New Zealand government's Tertiary Education Strategy (TES) and Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) are exemplary. This chapter outlines some of the main elements of these new political devices, especially their use of a 'commodity' theory of knowledge. Attention is focused particularly on the PBRF. It is shown that the PBRF: Is being used to make claims about research productivity that do not meet the normative standards of research methodology; in effect, breaches the spirit of the Education Act's requirement to give effect to academic freedom; is being misused by university managers for disciplinary purposes; and promotes the perverse perception that the purpose of research is to make money (commodifying research and researchers), rather tha...
In the last two decades there have been many critics of western biomedicine's poor integration of... more In the last two decades there have been many critics of western biomedicine's poor integration of social and psychological factors in questions of human health. Such critiques frequently begin with a rejection of Descartes' mind-body dualism, viewing this as the decisive philosophical moment, radically separating the two realms in both theory and practice. It is argued here, however, that many such readings of Descartes have been selective and misleading. Contrary to the assumptions of many recent authors, Descartes' dualism does attempt to explain the union of psyche and soma -with more depth than is often appreciated. Pain plays a key role in Cartesian as well as contemporary thinking about the problem of dualism. Theories of the psychological origins of pain symptoms persisted throughout the history of modern medicine and were not necessarily discouraged by Cartesian mental philosophy. Moreover, the recently developed biopsychosocial model of pain may have more in common with Cartesian dualism than it purports to have. This article presents a rereading of Descartes' mental philosophy and his views on pain. The intention is not to defend his theories, but to re-evaluate them and to ask in what respect contemporary theories represent any significant advance in philosophical terms.
Maternal schizophrenia is known to have an adverse effect on the quality of mother-infant interac... more Maternal schizophrenia is known to have an adverse effect on the quality of mother-infant interaction; and children of parents with severe mental illness run a higher risk of poor mental health and social outcomes. Hence, children raised by a parent with schizophrenia may be less likely to attain secure attachment, although there is less evidence so far to support this. Moreover, there is a lack of research in this field that focusses on the needs and experiences, the strengths and vulnerabilities, of the children themselves. Qualitative methods are thus needed to generate new insights and hypotheses. The present study uses semi-structured interviews with 23 adults who, as children, were raised with a parent who experienced schizophrenia. This reveals a range of attachment problems, resulting in difficulties in forming secure adult relationships. Problems with trust and intimacy were found to be common.
In recent years, New Zealand has attracted some international attention for its relatively rigoro... more In recent years, New Zealand has attracted some international attention for its relatively rigorous application of monetarist, neo-liberal social and economic policies. This has led to its transformation from being one of the most socialized and protected economies in the ...
This article examines the medico-legal systems of workers' compensation. It is divided i... more This article examines the medico-legal systems of workers' compensation. It is divided into three parts, the first taking an historical perspective to locate the first workers' compensation laws, the circumstances which led to their implementation, and their consequences in ...
The Woodhouse Report is most widely remembered for its recommendation to remove claims for compen... more The Woodhouse Report is most widely remembered for its recommendation to remove claims for compensation for personal injury from the New Zealand courts, and instead to refer all personal injury cases to a social insurance provider for assessment of cover on a ...
Across its history ACC policy on rehabilitation has fluctuated, as has the approach to compensati... more Across its history ACC policy on rehabilitation has fluctuated, as has the approach to compensating victims with partial but permanent incapacity. These procedures offer an important window onto shifting ACC attitudes to entitlements, social equity, and cost ...
Restricted Item. Print thesis available in the University of Auckland Library or may be available... more Restricted Item. Print thesis available in the University of Auckland Library or may be available through Inter-Library Loan. Through the use of historical and cross-cultural examples, ideas of 'psychosomatic'and 'holistic'medicine are explored and clarified. The ...
Recent research in economics, sociology and psychology has re-ignited interest in human happiness... more Recent research in economics, sociology and psychology has re-ignited interest in human happiness, and this interest has extended into social policy research and analysis. Happiness research has challenged some of the axioms of standard economic theories of utility and welfare, but the assumptions underlying this research remain utilitarian. Further, there are significant semantic problems for happiness surveys concerning the contemporary uses of the words happiness and happy. While happiness research has stimulated some self-critical reflection about social and economic policy priorities, it has yet to provide any convincing basis for the setting of policy goals or the evaluation of outcomes.
The New Zealand Cabinet Manual is regarded as an authoritative guide to the conduct of the execut... more The New Zealand Cabinet Manual is regarded as an authoritative guide to the conduct of the executive in that country, and it is now a public document accessible on-line. A similar Manual has been adopted in the UK. But these documents raise questions about the consequences of creating an authoritative written version of constitutional convention. For instance, could a Cabinet Manual prevent constitutional change or lead to biased understandings of conventions? Could the content of a Cabinet Manual have a decisive effect on judicial review? The present article examines the experience surrounding the New Zealand Cabinet Manual in order to address some of the critical questions that parliamentarians and academics have raised about the possible effects of such documents upon constitutional conventions. While the New Zealand Cabinet Manual is supposed not to affect constitutional convention, it has nonetheless helped to shape it.
Author’s final MS for the forthcoming text:
Constitutional Conventions in Westminster Systems: Co... more Author’s final MS for the forthcoming text: Constitutional Conventions in Westminster Systems: Controversies, Changes and Challenges Brian Galligan and Scott Brenton (eds) Cambridge University Press
Policy-making that re-presents -as objects of concern and by means of statistics -the suffering o... more Policy-making that re-presents -as objects of concern and by means of statistics -the suffering or depression and the happiness of populations indicates an evolving form of governance that examines and reshapes subjectivity itself. Never before have states of subjectivity been acted upon, through surveys, statistical and policy analysis, and scientific disciplines, to the extent seen today.
Recent social surveys of happiness (subjective well-being) have given a new stimulus to utilitari... more Recent social surveys of happiness (subjective well-being) have given a new stimulus to utilitarian political theory by providing a statistically reliable measure of the ‘happiness’ of individuals that can then be correlated with other variables. One general finding is that greater happiness does not correlate strongly with increased wealth, beyond modest levels, and this has led to calls for governments to shift priorities away from economic growth and towards other social values. This paper notes how the conclusions of this research help to address some of the traditional objections to utilitarianism. The question of how happiness research findings can be used to set happiness-maximization goals for public policy needs careful examination, as the translation from research to policy is not always straightforward. Some empirical and ethical objections to this ‘new utilitarianism’ are raised. The complicating factors of public expectations of, and trust in, governments pose obstacles to any proposal that happiness research may lead to changes in public policy and hence to ‘happier’ populations.
Pain and pleasure affect us all. Knowing this with empathy, and acting upon it, civilises us. Wit... more Pain and pleasure affect us all. Knowing this with empathy, and acting upon it, civilises us. Without such empathy, pain can become a means of domination and injustice. Moreover, pain is expressed and responded to in all social contexts, and the word "pain" has diverse meanings, depending on the associated activities. To observe various ways in which we say that it hurts, and the many meanings of pain, I follow ordinary-language philosophy, particularly Ludwig Wittgenstein and J.L. Austin, and I consider a range of social and historical contexts, from the closest intimacy, everyday chatter, the clinic, and beyond, to the domain of public policy and human rights. This addresses our verbal expressions of pain, their lived contexts and effects, within relationships and among social groups, altering mutual obligations, eliciting actions and reactions, and thence creating moral, legal and political norms. My aim, then, is to consider the social and political implications of ordinary performative pain-talk, in particular regarding the relationship between pain and justice, public policy, human rights and law.
Recent research in economics, sociology and psychology has re-ignited interest in human happiness... more Recent research in economics, sociology and psychology has re-ignited interest in human happiness, and this interest has extended into social policy research and analysis. Happiness research has challenged some of the axioms of standard economic theories of utility and welfare, but the assumptions underlying this research remain utilitarian. Further, there are significant semantic problems for happiness surveys concerning the contemporary uses of the words happiness and happy. While happiness research has stimulated some self-critical reflection about social and economic policy priorities, it has yet to provide any convincing basis for the setting of policy goals or the evaluation of outcomes.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 03085140303134, Dec 2, 2010
ABSTRACT This article examines the medico-legal systems of workers' compensation. It is d... more ABSTRACT This article examines the medico-legal systems of workers' compensation. It is divided into three parts, the first taking an historical perspective to locate the first workers' compensation laws, the circumstances which led to their implementation, and their consequences in terms of the shift from individual fault to industrial risk. In the second part, the discursive practices of medico-legal knowledge-power typically found in workers' compensation systems are examined, especially the principles and clinical practices that are deployed to 'police' the boundaries of such schemes and to mitigate costs. Part three then summarizes the effect of neo-liberal governmentality and its underlying economic rationality as it attempts to regulate, by means of the artifice of liberty, the behaviours of firms and workers. Workers' compensation deserves analysis for the special technical and insurantial problems it entails, given its complex triangular insurance relation (involving the insurer, the firm, and the worker), its deployment of medical, economic and actuarial knowledges, and its production of special problems and uncertainties surrounding the governing of a class of persons incapacitated for productive work.
While New Zealand may have served as a model of neo-liberal policy, the present article argues th... more While New Zealand may have served as a model of neo-liberal policy, the present article argues that the analysis and critique of neo-liberalism is increasingly of historical interest only. This emerges from and extends a ‘review symposium’ in this journal (New Zealand Sociology, vol 26, issues 1 and 2) that began with a critique of the Key government by Roper (2011). While the achievements of the neo-liberal era are still with us, it is hypothesised here that neo-liberalism, as an historically contingent Anglo-American assemblage of ideas and practices, is in decline. In order to address this hypothesis, consideration is given to the political-economic consequences of China’s rapid growth.
This article reports original research conducted with 20 adoptees, adopted under closed-stranger ... more This article reports original research conducted with 20 adoptees, adopted under closed-stranger protocols, who have been experiencing regular post-reunion contact with their birth families for more than 10 years. It expands on earlier research that focused on the search, reunion and immediate post-reunion stages. Drawing upon in-depth interviews, it examines the long-term experiences of adoptees in post-reunion. It examines the themes of the mothering role, family obligation and family membership to uncover how adoptees navigate their family membership within and between two families (adoptive and birth family). This study is informed by the thoughts, feelings and observations of the participants, in their own words, to convey a deeper understanding of their experiences. The findings indicate that long-term reunited relationships have no predictable pathways and are approached with varying levels of ambivalence and emotional strain; that no fixed pattern of family arrangements and ...
Lyotard's concept of 'performativity' has proved itself to be especially applicabl... more Lyotard's concept of 'performativity' has proved itself to be especially applicable (if not prophetic) in understanding the major shifts in the institutional discourses of universities in recent times. The New Zealand government's Tertiary Education Strategy (TES) and Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF) are exemplary. This chapter outlines some of the main elements of these new political devices, especially their use of a 'commodity' theory of knowledge. Attention is focused particularly on the PBRF. It is shown that the PBRF: Is being used to make claims about research productivity that do not meet the normative standards of research methodology; in effect, breaches the spirit of the Education Act's requirement to give effect to academic freedom; is being misused by university managers for disciplinary purposes; and promotes the perverse perception that the purpose of research is to make money (commodifying research and researchers), rather tha...
In the last two decades there have been many critics of western biomedicine's poor integration of... more In the last two decades there have been many critics of western biomedicine's poor integration of social and psychological factors in questions of human health. Such critiques frequently begin with a rejection of Descartes' mind-body dualism, viewing this as the decisive philosophical moment, radically separating the two realms in both theory and practice. It is argued here, however, that many such readings of Descartes have been selective and misleading. Contrary to the assumptions of many recent authors, Descartes' dualism does attempt to explain the union of psyche and soma -with more depth than is often appreciated. Pain plays a key role in Cartesian as well as contemporary thinking about the problem of dualism. Theories of the psychological origins of pain symptoms persisted throughout the history of modern medicine and were not necessarily discouraged by Cartesian mental philosophy. Moreover, the recently developed biopsychosocial model of pain may have more in common with Cartesian dualism than it purports to have. This article presents a rereading of Descartes' mental philosophy and his views on pain. The intention is not to defend his theories, but to re-evaluate them and to ask in what respect contemporary theories represent any significant advance in philosophical terms.
Maternal schizophrenia is known to have an adverse effect on the quality of mother-infant interac... more Maternal schizophrenia is known to have an adverse effect on the quality of mother-infant interaction; and children of parents with severe mental illness run a higher risk of poor mental health and social outcomes. Hence, children raised by a parent with schizophrenia may be less likely to attain secure attachment, although there is less evidence so far to support this. Moreover, there is a lack of research in this field that focusses on the needs and experiences, the strengths and vulnerabilities, of the children themselves. Qualitative methods are thus needed to generate new insights and hypotheses. The present study uses semi-structured interviews with 23 adults who, as children, were raised with a parent who experienced schizophrenia. This reveals a range of attachment problems, resulting in difficulties in forming secure adult relationships. Problems with trust and intimacy were found to be common.
In recent years, New Zealand has attracted some international attention for its relatively rigoro... more In recent years, New Zealand has attracted some international attention for its relatively rigorous application of monetarist, neo-liberal social and economic policies. This has led to its transformation from being one of the most socialized and protected economies in the ...
This article examines the medico-legal systems of workers' compensation. It is divided i... more This article examines the medico-legal systems of workers' compensation. It is divided into three parts, the first taking an historical perspective to locate the first workers' compensation laws, the circumstances which led to their implementation, and their consequences in ...
The Woodhouse Report is most widely remembered for its recommendation to remove claims for compen... more The Woodhouse Report is most widely remembered for its recommendation to remove claims for compensation for personal injury from the New Zealand courts, and instead to refer all personal injury cases to a social insurance provider for assessment of cover on a ...
Across its history ACC policy on rehabilitation has fluctuated, as has the approach to compensati... more Across its history ACC policy on rehabilitation has fluctuated, as has the approach to compensating victims with partial but permanent incapacity. These procedures offer an important window onto shifting ACC attitudes to entitlements, social equity, and cost ...
Restricted Item. Print thesis available in the University of Auckland Library or may be available... more Restricted Item. Print thesis available in the University of Auckland Library or may be available through Inter-Library Loan. Through the use of historical and cross-cultural examples, ideas of 'psychosomatic'and 'holistic'medicine are explored and clarified. The ...
Recent research in economics, sociology and psychology has re-ignited interest in human happiness... more Recent research in economics, sociology and psychology has re-ignited interest in human happiness, and this interest has extended into social policy research and analysis. Happiness research has challenged some of the axioms of standard economic theories of utility and welfare, but the assumptions underlying this research remain utilitarian. Further, there are significant semantic problems for happiness surveys concerning the contemporary uses of the words happiness and happy. While happiness research has stimulated some self-critical reflection about social and economic policy priorities, it has yet to provide any convincing basis for the setting of policy goals or the evaluation of outcomes.
The New Zealand Cabinet Manual is regarded as an authoritative guide to the conduct of the execut... more The New Zealand Cabinet Manual is regarded as an authoritative guide to the conduct of the executive in that country, and it is now a public document accessible on-line. A similar Manual has been adopted in the UK. But these documents raise questions about the consequences of creating an authoritative written version of constitutional convention. For instance, could a Cabinet Manual prevent constitutional change or lead to biased understandings of conventions? Could the content of a Cabinet Manual have a decisive effect on judicial review? The present article examines the experience surrounding the New Zealand Cabinet Manual in order to address some of the critical questions that parliamentarians and academics have raised about the possible effects of such documents upon constitutional conventions. While the New Zealand Cabinet Manual is supposed not to affect constitutional convention, it has nonetheless helped to shape it.
Author’s final MS for the forthcoming text:
Constitutional Conventions in Westminster Systems: Co... more Author’s final MS for the forthcoming text: Constitutional Conventions in Westminster Systems: Controversies, Changes and Challenges Brian Galligan and Scott Brenton (eds) Cambridge University Press
Policy-making that re-presents -as objects of concern and by means of statistics -the suffering o... more Policy-making that re-presents -as objects of concern and by means of statistics -the suffering or depression and the happiness of populations indicates an evolving form of governance that examines and reshapes subjectivity itself. Never before have states of subjectivity been acted upon, through surveys, statistical and policy analysis, and scientific disciplines, to the extent seen today.
Recent social surveys of happiness (subjective well-being) have given a new stimulus to utilitari... more Recent social surveys of happiness (subjective well-being) have given a new stimulus to utilitarian political theory by providing a statistically reliable measure of the ‘happiness’ of individuals that can then be correlated with other variables. One general finding is that greater happiness does not correlate strongly with increased wealth, beyond modest levels, and this has led to calls for governments to shift priorities away from economic growth and towards other social values. This paper notes how the conclusions of this research help to address some of the traditional objections to utilitarianism. The question of how happiness research findings can be used to set happiness-maximization goals for public policy needs careful examination, as the translation from research to policy is not always straightforward. Some empirical and ethical objections to this ‘new utilitarianism’ are raised. The complicating factors of public expectations of, and trust in, governments pose obstacles to any proposal that happiness research may lead to changes in public policy and hence to ‘happier’ populations.
Pain and pleasure affect us all. Knowing this with empathy, and acting upon it, civilises us. Wit... more Pain and pleasure affect us all. Knowing this with empathy, and acting upon it, civilises us. Without such empathy, pain can become a means of domination and injustice. Moreover, pain is expressed and responded to in all social contexts, and the word " pain " has diverse meanings, depending on the associated activities. To observe various ways in which we say that it hurts, and the many meanings of pain, I follow ordinary-language philosophy, particularly Ludwig Wittgenstein and J.L. Austin, and I consider a range of social and historical contexts, from the closest intimacy, everyday chatter, the clinic, and beyond, to the domain of public policy and human rights. This addresses our verbal expressions of pain, their lived contexts and effects, within relationships and among social groups, altering mutual obligations, eliciting actions and reactions, and thence creating moral, legal and political norms. My aim, then, is to consider the social and political implications of ordinary performative pain-talk, in particular regarding the relationship between pain and justice, public policy, human rights and law.
Based on a rereading of philosophical and empirical literature, this paper challenges and revises... more Based on a rereading of philosophical and empirical literature, this paper challenges and revises the political and sociological understanding of trust. Given recent turmoil in democracies, basic assumptions of political thought and action, especially trust, are under the spotlight. Political controversies have been characterized in terms of popular distrust in government, political establishments, public figures and neoliberal policies. Social surveys report 'declining' political trust throughout democratic countries. Trust, or lack thereof, has been used to explain a huge variety of things, however, from fish behaviour to the global financial crisis – a big workload for one word. It appears, moreover, as a political 'solvent' that works for the left and the right, liberal and conservative. Existing definitions and conceptualizations of trust are narrow and partial, based on an essentialist and individualistic model that is often transactional, self-interested and economistic, failing to take account of normative-cultural contexts. They call for reformulation. To do this, we need to go back to the beginning and ask how and why 'trust' entered into the modern political lexicon (through Locke, Burke and Mill), displacing older concepts, notably philía and fides. This paper asks how trust evolved from a quality of personal relationships into a critical factor for political institutions and representation, and thence to an abstract and impersonal factor that applies now to complex systems, including monetary systems – following Luhmann and Giddens. Given the inclusive ideals of trust models, there are also concerns about 'trust gaps' across racial and socioeconomic divides, and distrust may be a rational response to change and to marginalization. We need to reexamine how trust has been defined and deployed in contemporary social sciences, and so to disrupt and reconstitute its conceptual framework, along historical-dialectical lines. Reconceiving trust in pragmatic, dialectical and relational terms, including speech-act theory, better comprehends the kinds of exchanges that actively and reflexively form the concept itself. As a properly political factor, we find that trust is always 'in doubt' and 'in progress'.
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Papers by Grant Duncan
Constitutional Conventions in Westminster Systems: Controversies, Changes and Challenges
Brian Galligan and Scott Brenton (eds)
Cambridge University Press
Constitutional Conventions in Westminster Systems: Controversies, Changes and Challenges
Brian Galligan and Scott Brenton (eds)
Cambridge University Press