Emma Saunders-Hastings: Philanthropy and Democracy

Overview & Shownotes Inquiries around the ethics of philanthropy might seem pretty cut-and-dry at first glance. Are the people receiving donations better off than they were before they received help? Even if the answer to that question is yes, political theorist Emma Saunders-Hastings argues that it’s not the only critical question we should be asking about philanthropy. On this episode of the podcast, we discuss her new book, Private Virtues, Public Vices: Philanthropy and Democratic Equality. For the episode transcript, download a copy or read it below. Contact us at [email protected] Links to people and ideas mentioned in the show Emma Saunders-Hastings, Private Virtues, Public Vices: Philanthropy and Democratic Equality Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Give Directly Please note that the Prindle Institute does not endorse any of the organizations linked in the show notes. Credits Thanks to Evelyn Brosius for our logo. Music featured in the show: “Gin Boheme” by Blue Dot Sessions “Songe d’Automne” by Latché Swing from the Free Music Archive. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 F

Private Virtues, Public Vices: Governing Philanthropy

Philanthropy is often considered an unproblematic way for individuals (and especially the rich) to benefit recipients and society by "giving their money away." But philanthropy also gives donors influence and authority, and these powers can be subject to criticism on democratic and egalitarian grounds. This dissertation frames philanthropy as one way in which private money can shape public options and the choices open to individuals. In light of this, it asks what kinds of regulation of philanthropy are appropriate for states committed both to liberal rights and to some vision of equality.Governmen

Do marine protected areas deliver flows of ecosystem services to support human welfare?

This paper examines the potential relationships between the ecosystem services provided by the coastal and marine environment and the designation of marine protected areas. The hypothesis is that relationships exist between the provision of ecosystem services and the features protected by marine protected areas. It is considered that protection will maintain these features in good ecological condition and in some cases will restore ecological functioning with positive effects on the delivery of ecosystem services, as pressures upon the protected features are reduced. As the number of marine protected area designations grows, system-wide effects to communities from improvements in delivery of a range of ecosystem services may be realised. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the jurisdictional marine protected area policies proposed by the English, Welsh and Scottish Governments. It presents structured assessment matrices developed from the literature and expert opinion, of ecosystem service provision by marine protected habitats and species and applies the findings to a range of existing UK marine protected areas to demonstrate its relevance. The approach and case study findings are discussed within the wider context of marine ecosystem services and marine protected area management

Linking ecosystem services of marine protected areas to benefits in human wellbeing?

This chapter examines the potential relationship between ecosystem services provided by coastal ecosystems and the design and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). While all coastal and marine habitats provide a range of ecosystem services, the implementation and management of an MPA may result in improvements in the quality or supply of an ecosystem service as pressures upon protected features are minimised. This chapter focuses on the United Kingdom (UK) and examines the contrasting approaches to MPA designation applied in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We argue that MPAs are able to influence ecosystem services and this is dependent on design concepts such as the scale of the site, the listed features, and management measures. Understanding the portfolio of services derived from features within MPAs will improve planning and management, particularly in the context of making site specific or regional trade-offs over designation, or in understanding the benefits and impacts of setting conservation objectives and introducing measures to achieve them

Do marine protected areas deliver flows of ecosystem services to support human welfare?

This paper examines the potential relationships between the ecosystem services provided by the coastal and marine environment and the designation of marine protected areas. The hypothesis is that relationships exist between the provision of ecosystem services and the features protected by marine protected areas. It is considered that protection will maintain these features in good ecological condition and in some cases will restore ecological functioning with positive effects on the delivery of ecosystem services, as pressures upon the protected features are reduced. As the number of marine protected area designations grows, system-wide effects to communities from improvements in delivery of a range of ecosystem services may be realised. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the jurisdictional marine protected area policies proposed by the English, Welsh and Scottish Governments. It presents structured assessment matrices developed from the literature and expert opinion, of ecosystem service provision by marine protected habitats and species and applies the findings to a range of existing UK marine protected areas to demonstrate its relevance. The approach and case study findings are discussed within the wider context of marine ecosystem services and marine protected area management

Linking ecosystem services of marine protected areas to benefits in human wellbeing?

This chapter examines the potential relationship between ecosystem services provided by coastal ecosystems and the design and management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). While all coastal and marine habitats provide a range of ecosystem services, the implementation and management of an MPA may result in improvements in the quality or supply of an ecosystem service as pressures upon protected features are minimised. This chapter focuses on the United Kingdom (UK) and examines the contrasting approaches to MPA designation applied in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We argue that MPAs are able to influence ecosystem services and this is dependent on design concepts such as the scale of the site, the listed features, and management measures. Understanding the portfolio of services derived from features within MPAs will improve planning and management, particularly in the context of making site specific or regional trade-offs over designation, or in understanding the benefits and impacts of setting conservation objectives and introducing measures to achieve them

Factors influencing success of clinical genome sequencing across a broad spectrum of disorders

To assess factors influencing the success of whole-genome sequencing for mainstream clinical diagnosis, we sequenced 217 individuals from 156 independent cases or families across a broad spectrum of disorders in whom previous screening had identified no pathogenic variants. We quantified the number of candidate variants identified using different strategies for variant calling, filtering, annotation and prioritization. We found that jointly calling variants across samples, filtering against both local and external databases, deploying multiple annotation tools and using familial transmission above biological plausibility contributed to accuracy. Overall, we identified disease-causing variants in 21% of cases, with the proportion increasing to 34% (23/68) for mendelian disorders and 57% (8/14) in family trios. We also discovered 32 potentially clinically actionable variants in 18 genes unrelated to the referral disorder, although only 4 were ultimately considered reportable. Our results demonstrate the value of genome sequencing for routine clinical diagnosis but also highlight many outstanding challenges