How Can a Global Social Support System Hope to Achieve Fairer Competiveness? Comment on "A Global Social Support System: What the International Community Could Learn From the United States' National Basketball Association".

Peter Goldblatt

doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2015.211

Abstract

Ooms et al sets out some good general principles for a global social support system to improve fairer global competitiveness as a result of redistribution. This commentary sets out to summarize some of the conditions that would need to be satisfied for it to level up gradients in inequality through such a social support system, using the National Basketball Association (NBA) example as a point of reference. From this, the minimal conditions are described that would be required for the support system, proposed in the article by Ooms et al, to succeed.

Highlights

The paper by Ooms et al[1] sets out some good general principles for a global social support system
If global trade were fair, international aid would be unnecessary and inequalities inherent to the economic system would be justifiable. They suggest that the example of the National Basketball Association (NBA) illustrates how system-wide competitiveness of the entire field can be improved as a result of redistribution
Significant limitations exist in trying to extend the NBA’s success in redistributing new talent, within the relatively closed system of a baseball league, to the infinitely more complex issue of the world economy. These are, recognized in the article. It is worth summarizing some of the principles that constitute necessary conditions for levelling up gradients through a social support system, using this example as a point of reference

Summary

Introduction

The paper by Ooms et al[1] sets out some good general principles for a global social support system. Some key principles that are increasingly seen as necessary to improve equity of outcomes from social support systems are proportionate universalism, governance structures and adequate scale and intensity.[2,3,4] There is evidence, for example, that these are critical success factors in ensuring that social support systems in European countries are associated with greater equity in health and well-being.[5] The NBA scheme certainly meets the first of these criteria.

Results

Conclusion