What Makes Health Public? A Critical Evaluation of Moral, Legal, and Political Claims in Public Health

John Coggon argues that the important question for analysts in the fields of public health law and ethics is 'what makes health public?' He offers a conceptual and analytic scrutiny of the salient issues raised by this question, outlines the concepts entailed in, or denoted by, the term 'public health' and argues why and how normative analyses in public health are inquiries in political theory. The arguments expose and explain the political claims inherent in key works in public health ethics. Coggon then develops and defends a particular understanding of political liberalism, describing its implications for critical study of public health policies and practices. Covering important works from legal, moral, and political theory, public health, public health law and ethics, and bioethics, this is a foundational text for scholars, practitioners and policy bodies interested in freedoms, rights and responsibilities relating to health.

• Functions as both a foundational text and as an analytic critique to those interested in public health ethics and public health law

• Develops a 'self-aware' methodological approach to engagement with political theory, allowing readers to evaluate the complex issues involved in the development and assessment of moral, legal and political claims

• Demonstrates and evaluates the broad nature and scope of public health's apparent 'jurisdiction' and responds to those concerned about public health's 'overreach' and those concerned that important health-related issues should not be lost in analysis or ignored by policy-makers