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The Romanian Constitution guarantees Romanian citizens the right to the protection of health. But has the Romanian political sphere been fulfilling these constitutional obligations or endangering them? Romania’s beleaguered healthcare system has been a topic of both national and international news, as well as academic writers. After the fire at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest in 2015, global attention was taken to Romania, and its healthcare. Goodbye to Gravity had been performing whilst the fire broke out, killing 27 fans and band members in the nightclub itself. However, this was not to be the end of the tragedy, with another 37 dying later - including a minimum of 13 as a result of bacterial infections. Just five years later, the COVID-19 pandemic plagued Romania, wreaking havoc on the population and the hospitals they relied upon.

In light of this, did politicians embrace technocracy, or did they turn to populist stances? If so, why and how? These are the questions Jack Dean aims to answer through his research into the Romanian experiences of Medical Populism. Through this talk, he will identify the themes of his research, and outline the proposal that he has put forward to target this research question.

If you are interested in attending the event online, please send an email to david.rypel.20@ucl.ac.uk. You will be sent a Zoom link closer to the date.

Bio: Jack Daniel Dean is a postgraduate research student at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº's School of Slavonic & East European Studies. He obtained his MA in Central and South East European Studies from ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº SSEES (2021-2022) and his BA in European Politics (2018-2021) from King's College London. With over half a decade experience of working in healthcare administration, Jack's primary area of focus relates to the politics and sociology of healthcare across Europe.

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