Unhealthy Politics - by Eric M Patashnik & Alan S Gerber & Conor M Dowling (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

How partisanship, polarization, and medical authority stand in the way of evidence-based medicine

The U.S. medical system is touted as the most advanced in the world, yet many common treatments are not based on sound science. Unhealthy Politics sheds new light on why the government's response to this troubling situation has been so inadequate, and why efforts to improve the evidence base of U.S. medicine continue to cause so much political controversy. This critically important book paints a portrait of a medical industry with vast influence over which procedures and treatments get adopted, and a public burdened by the rising costs of health care yet fearful of going against "doctor's orders." Now with a new preface by the authors, Unhealthy Politics offers vital insights into the limits of science, expertise, and professionalism in American politics.

Review Quotes

"Winner of the 2018 Don K. Price Award, Science, Technology & Environmental Politics Section of the American Political Science Association"

"Winner of the 2018 Louis Brownlow Book Award, National Academy of Public Administration"

About the Author

Eric M. Patashnik is the Julis-Rabinowitz Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Brown University. Alan S. Gerber is the Charles C. and Dorathea S. Dilley Professor of Political Science at Yale University. Conor M. Dowling is associate professor of political science at the University of Mississippi.