A critical analysis of the Finnish Baby Box’s journey into the liberal welfare state: Implications for progressive public policymaking

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https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1gpxqhNfKzQb%7E

Cargo Cult Thinking
       Cargo Cult Thinking is attributing an effect to a factor that, while associated with the true cause, in reality, has nothing to do with the effect (Jennings, 2019).  The term originated with the observation that Melanesian natives that observed cargo-laden planes landing in the South Pacific during WWII mistakenly attributed these landings to the presence of the runways (Worsley, 1959). As a result, they constructed replicas of airport runways and control towers, yet never managed to divert these cargo-laden planes to these replicas. 
       The idea of mistakenly attributing causes to irrelevant features has been extended to a wide range of mistaken beliefs (Feyman, 1974). A similar point about Cargo Cult thinking was made in relation to the widespread belief that health-related behaviours are the primary determinants of health rather than the living and working conditions which are associated with them (Scott-Samuel and Smith, 2015). 
       We see similarities in government authorities – and the news media – seizing upon the cardboard baby box – a real cargo box – as being the cause of low infant mortality rates in Finland despite evidence it is the content of the box and the broader Finish welfare state which is actually responsible. It has been noted that the original instances of cargo cults arose in response to the oppression of island residents by colonizing authorities (Lattas, 1992). Such explanations cannot be applied to understanding governmental and media instances of such thinking. Instead, undue commercial influence and media logic are implicated.

Highlights
• The Finnish Baby Box provides parents of newborns with a wide range of infant clothing and other basics.
• The cardboard box in which the infant can sleep was emphasized by the media and commercial companies outside Finland.
• The box preventing SIDS was advanced by private companies and the media.
• This was less the case in Wales and Scotland, a result of their being governed by authorities with a “left” orientation.

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