Uploaded May 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
This first webinar hosted by transform! europe was moderated by Francine Mestrum, co-ordinator of Global Social Justice and member of the AEPF (Asian European People Forum) and had as invited speakers Armando De Negri Filho (epidemiologist, coordinator of the WSF on Health and Social Security and also working for the UN human rights Council in Latin-America - Brasil), Vittorio Agnoleto (Professor at the University of Milan, former MEP and scientific responsible for the Coronavirus Observatory in Lombardie - Italy) and Dinesh Abrol (researcher on Intelectual Property and innovative pharmaceuticals and member of All Indian Peoples Science Network (AIPSN) - India).
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The concept of “Common” towards an economic and social democracy
The common goods' point of view seems to us to be a particularly useful and profitable point of view for understanding the crisis of the pandemic, both on the health and on the economic and social aspect.
This also, and above all, to define the answers to get out of this crisis, identifying the forms of a new economic and social model.
The first element that appears decisive is undoubtedly the health system. The role of the public in addressing the crisis is a fact acquired for both the general public opinion and for the economic and political elites themselves, but only through the role of democratic control of health as a common good, it is possible to prevent a return of the logic of market that have brought us to this point, with decades of cuts in healthcare spending and with a privatization process that has demonstrated weakness in dealing with the situation.
After decades of TINA (there is not alternative) in which the collective interest was denied, the pandemic offers us the opportunity to question this mantra and impose political choices in favor of the well-being of citizens and communities .
Starting from the point of view of common goods also means including the terrain of social conflict, without which no result is possible. Every social conquest is the result of the mobilization and fight, the conception of common goods must be able to include and promote this aspect, in order to advance the change in the current economic paradigm.
Another dimension that we intend to focus on is the dimension of the crisis of globalism that the pandemic highlights. The only antidote to xenophobic and reactionary nationalism that this crisis could be promoted in each country, is an international response of solidarity and satisfaction of the needs and interests of people at the expense of the interests of multinationals and finance, reinforcing the democratic participation and "using" the solidarity experience we have seen during the crisis.
This first webinar hosted by transform! europe was moderated by Francine Mestrum, co-ordinator of Global Social Justice and member of the AEPF (Asian European People Forum) and had as invited speakers Armando De Negri Filho (epidemiologist, coordinator of the WSF on Health and Social Security and also working for the UN human rights Council in Latin-America - Brasil), Vittorio Agnoleto (Professor at the University of Milan, former MEP and scientific responsible for the Coronavirus Observatory in Lombardie - Italy) and Dinesh Abrol (researcher on Intelectual Property and innovative pharmaceuticals and member of All Indian Peoples Science Network (AIPSN) - India).
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The concept of “Common” towards an economic and social democracy
The common goods' point of view seems to us to be a particularly useful and profitable point of view for understanding the crisis of the pandemic, both on the health and on the economic and social aspect.
This also, and above all, to define the answers to get out of this crisis, identifying the forms of a new economic and social model.
The first element that appears decisive is undoubtedly the health system. The role of the public in addressing the crisis is a fact acquired for both the general public opinion and for the economic and political elites themselves, but only through the role of democratic control of health as a common good, it is possible to prevent a return of the logic of market that have brought us to this point, with decades of cuts in healthcare spending and with a privatization process that has demonstrated weakness in dealing with the situation.
After decades of TINA (there is not alternative) in which the collective interest was denied, the pandemic offers us the opportunity to question this mantra and impose political choices in favor of the well-being of citizens and communities .
Starting from the point of view of common goods also means including the terrain of social conflict, without which no result is possible. Every social conquest is the result of the mobilization and fight, the conception of common goods must be able to include and promote this aspect, in order to advance the change in the current economic paradigm.
Another dimension that we intend to focus on is the dimension of the crisis of globalism that the pandemic highlights. The only antidote to xenophobic and reactionary nationalism that this crisis could be promoted in each country, is an international response of solidarity and satisfaction of the needs and interests of people at the expense of the interests of multinationals and finance, reinforcing the democratic participation and "using" the solidarity experience we have seen during the crisis.
