By
Aunul Islam
Aunul Islam, read for his PhD at Imperial College, London. He graduated from The University of Manchester. He is a Quality Assurance Specialist in Higher Education and a Technology Consultant. He is an ex-civil servant of the UK government. A keen gardener, he finds solace through nature in this dysfunctional world order.
The “Sick Role” theory was developed in 1951 by Talcott Parsons. This is a concept in medical sociology. The theory states that anyone suffering from severe illness has a distinct set of rights and roles than someone who is well.
Let us review this in relation to human capital. Loss of human capital can be due to diverse reasons, such as sickness, injury, mental decline, unemployment, or the inability to keep up with innovation. We can easily see how sick role and loss of human capital may be viewed as closely interrelated.
Let us try to understand the underlying dilema of a society from an individual’s perspective which could be capitalist or socialist in orientation. Imagine you are now fit and well and are serving as an engineer, academic etc. Your role would have been what your profession dictates. The moment you are unwell for distinct reasons, your new role is a “sick role.” Employers would view this as acceptable, as long it is not for a long term, and it is not affecting their “capital.” If the sickness is a long-term condition, then the relationship between employer and employee, and between an individual and society becomes problematic.
The scenario that is painted here is not hypothetical. Think of the recent global pandemic (Covid-19). A vast number of people are suffering from “long COVID.” If one reviews how differently various governments and enterprises have viewed long COVID and have tried to tackle it, the notion of “sick role” in a contemporary context becomes interesting, intriguing, and worrisome. The human capital dimension of sick role becomes predominant and sick people then transforms into mere commodities that are no longer worthy of use. The worst scenario is when even family members are no longer supportive of your long-term sick role. In this world of modernity and capitalism, your new role as a long-term sick person is not tenable.
Reflections on development and governance 