Elias Weiss

The 2018 Digital Health Initiative (DHI) implemented by Israel included the establishment of a national biobank. Establishing a national biobank was clouded in ample rhetoric of solidarity promising scientific and economic progress, and financial benefits. To assess the potential of these promises, we conducted 15 semi-structured interviews with experts with a management, health or political background from Israel over a one-year period. Applying a data solidarity framework to the insights gained from the interviews, we concluded that a national biobank indeed offers great potential for medical progress under the condition that data use is transparent and mechanisms for access are clear. In contrast, we estimate that claims on economic and financial benefits are less certain and depend on controversial ideas like the trickle-down effect. To strengthen the beneficial effects of a national biobank, we recommend policymakers adhere to data solidarity to avoid misappropriating solidarity.

This research note examines the concept of parasitical solidarity, a term borrowed and re-developed from Sally Scholz’s work, to address the phenomenon of misappropriated solidarity. By further developing the concept of parasitical solidarity, it aims to provide empirical researchers with a robust framework for analysing specific practices and institutions. The concept of parasitical solidarity proposed here captures instances where solidarity is misappropriated to further nefarious interests rather than genuinely supporting oppressed groups or fighting an injustice. After outlining the theoretical foundations of solidarity and discussing its ontological, normative, and empirical dimensions, this paper highlights the limitations and dangers associated with solidaristic practices. It also gives guidance as to how the concept of parasitical solidarity can be applied to real-world phenomena, using the examples of the GameStop incident of 2021 and the Brexit vote in 2016. Ultimately, this note seeks to contribute to a better understanding of solidarity’s role in society and its potential misappropriation, thereby empowering social scientists to critically reflect on solidarity across interpersonal, group, and institutional levels.