EPIK Journals Online Vol. 2 Iss. 05

 

The Effect of Corruption and Environmental Performance on Economic Sustainability, and the Role of Social Networking in a Vision for a Sustainable Future

 

Author: Carol Kim, Brown University

 

Introduction:

In an age of uncertainty, marked by the end of a superpower’s economic hegemony, rebellions in the Middle East, and natural disasters worldwide, there are very few things that are definite and unchanging. What is becoming even more certain, however, is that we are living in an increasingly globalized society, where political and economic events that originate in one nation can have ramifications for, or may very well resurface, in another. A rebellion against a dictatorship in Tunisia flamed into a series of protests and uprisings throughout the Middle East, which came to be known as the Arab Spring.1 The 2007 financial crisis, whose early signs were first seen with the collapse of a United Kingdom bank, but whose effects were felt across the globe, illustrates the hyper-connected, interdependent nature of our nations’ economies. And the recent downgrade of the United States’ credit rating is a matter of great concern not only for the U.S., but for the numerous countries that hold U.S. debt.

 

The hyper-connected nature of our present-day society exacerbates the issue of natural resource depletion. We have a “finite resource pie” that must be divided among an exponentially growing population, and the rate at which the population consumes these resources cannot be sustained...(Continued)

 

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EPIK Journals Online Vol. 2 Iss. 06  

2011 EPIK Young Leaders Essay Competition Award-Winning Work (1st Prize)

 

Medical Sustainability – Why it is critical for our future and what needs to be done

 

Author: Il Hoon Do, University of Oxford Medicine

 

Introduction: 

On March 23rd 2010, President Barack Obama of the United States signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act, an unprecedented new legislation, the passing of which he hailed as the “Call of History”1. Then in January 2011, David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, proposed the most radical changes to the National Health Service since its inception in 19482. The former is the first time that universal healthcare was promised to the whole American nation, whilst the latter attempted to reshuffle how spending decisions are handled for the NHS, likely involving increased privatization of the state-funded service. It is no coincidence that such unprecedented changes in healthcare are taking place, right now, in two of the world’s leading nations, the USA and the U.K. Their respective leaders both knew that healthcare needed to change, and it needed to change now. And amidst intense criticism, there is no doubt that the legacies of Barack Obama and David Cameron will be in large part defined by the success and failure of their healthcare reforms.

 

Thus, medical sustainability [as will be defined later: the ability of medical systems to provide adequate care to the present generation, without sacrificing the needs and well-being of future generations] simply cannot be excluded in any discussion of a sustainable future. Here are the reasons why:

 

First, healthcare systems all over the world are failing. Modern medicine has become incredibly expensive, and yet when the dilemma is between greater spending and losing lives, there can be no choice but to keep pouring in money. In the finite real world, this means that spending rises uncontrollably and when it can no longer keep up, lives suffer...(Continued)

 

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EPIK Journals Online Vol. 2 Iss. 07 

 

In Face of Public Debt Buildups: Is Social Spending Sustainable in the Long Run?

 

Author: So Jin Lee, Mount Holyoke College

 

Introduction:

Say that you are burdened by debt. The initial amount of your loan was used to purchase your house. As long as the price of your house stays high or even better, is on a continuous rise, then you can be in a financially sustainable state – at least in the short run. However, if the price of your house falls, or if you make further loans with your income remaining the same, you are not considered to be in a sustainable position. In this light, the concept of sustainability used in this paper does not reflect the typical image of a “green environment”, but rather signifies something that is long-term, permanent, robust and healthy.

 

Nowadays, many of the advanced industrial countries face unprecedented levels of public debt. These incredible levels of central government debt have been looming larger and larger over the recent decades. As Table 1 illustrates, the level of public debt as percentage of GDP almost doubled in America and in the European periphery. In the US, the central government debt as percentage of GDP grew from 33.9 in 2000 to 61.3 in 2010; in the UK, the same figure grew from 42.2 to 85.5; in Ireland, it grew from 34.8 to 60.7; in Portugal, it grew from 52.1 to 88.0; and in Greece, it grew from 108.9 to 147.8. For Japan, this figure is more serious, as its central government debt, as measured by percentage of GDP, grew from 106.1 in 2000 to 164.5 in 2005. Even in South Korea, a country traditionally considered to be debt-free, the level of public debt is growing. The figure grew from 16.7 in 2000 to 31.9 in 2010...(Continued)

 

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