William Boyce – författare

A Seat at the Table documents the participation of disability activists and organizations in public policy making in Canada. The authors combine studies of contemporary federal and provincial policy making with a historical perspective on the progress made by disability groups since World War I. The cases they discuss illustrate the tension between issues of human rights and personal capacities that the disability movement must deal with, but which have implications for other groups as well. An analysis of contemporary social policy networks in Canada makes it possible for the authors to suggest reasons for the inconsistent success that disability organizations have had in translating their requirements into policy. A Seat at the Table illuminates the key social-political factors of resources, roles, and reputations that must be taken into account by excluded groups seeking to gain a seat at the policy table. The insights it provides are important for the development of more professional lobbying practices by disability stakeholders as well as by women, aboriginals, ethnic groups, the elderly, and the poor.

Current policy initiatives that address the health of youth, a group where more than one set of developmental standards may apply, often are based on conflicting evidence. At the same time, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has provided an over-arching ethical framework with the goal of ensuring that all children and youth have equal human rights, regardless of their personal or family circumstances. How do these approaches coincide and are they working? In Adolescent Health a contemporary setting is used to illustrate the intersection of evidence and ethics in policy making. Individual chapters describe the social determinants of youth health (chronic conditions, ethnicity, family income, school and peer relationships) and youth health behaviours and outcomes (substance use, violence, sexual and physical activity). Within this broad landscape of youth health issues, the authors apply the human rights principles of the Convention to their research to illustrate the often competing frameworks of evidence and ethics. The underlying question is whether social policy, in the real world, depends on science or human rights. Current knowledge translation practices are examined to detect the pathway most likely to influence youth health policy.