|
Welcome to the website of the research project "Global Health
Governance"!
We would like to provide some information on our research project and
on our research group on globalisation and social development, which designed
and conducts the project.
Research Group "Globalisation and Social Development"
The research group "Globalisation and Social Development" at
the German Overseas Institute concentrates on health in the context of
globalisation and the institutional change in global and national health
politics.
Global Health Governance
The globalisation process has led to a growing importance of international
and transnational politics and of transactions and institutions beyond
the control of nation states (global governance) in a broader sense as
well as in the specific policy area of social and health policy. Health
is seen as an important global field of action as a) it is part of the
conditions of competitive capacity, economic growth, social development
and reducing poverty. At the same time b) globalisation and the evolving
global governance structure change the conditions for health politics
in the local, national and international context. Especially the WTO-agreements
TRIPS and GATS have an impact on international and national health politics.
Furthermore, we witness an increasing importance of non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) and the development of new types of organisations like global public
private partnerships (GPPPs). A phenomenon which has become known under
the name of global health governance (GHG) is emerging from this multiple
dynamic interactions in the health sector. The characteristics, importance
and changing nature of this global health governance are in the centre
of the research group’s work.
Interfaces in Global Health Governance
One of the main focuses of the groups research concerns the interfaces
of global and national/local politics. As this research group consists
of scholars specialised in certain countries (Brazil, South-Africa, India,
Egypt, China, Ghana) as well as scholars dealing with more general aspects
of globalisation and global health, it is based on expertise and competence
in this field.
Research Project "Global Health Governance: Institutional Change
and the Interfaces Between Global and Local Politics in the Poverty-Oriented
Fight of Diseases"
This research project started in January 2004 (financed by the Volkswagen-Foundation)
and was completed in February 2006. It is based on the research groups
concepts outlined above and explores the interaction of global and national/local
actions in global health governance. Its focal point is on the multiple
interactions concerning the battle against three major infectious diseases:
AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (ATM) with a main focus on HIV/AIDS. As
the connection between health and poverty has become one of the central
aspects of global health governance, special consideration will be given
to those issues relating to health and equitable development.
Major Research Questions
The following general questions are addressed in the overall research
project:
(1) In which way have developing countries tried to establish just
and efficient health systems? What have been and what are the patterns
of in- and exclusion?
(2) How have developing countries’ interactions with international
actors of the private and public sector in pursuing health politics
changed over the last three decades? Where and how do national policy
makers and authorities in these countries interact with their counterparts
on the provincial and local level?
(3) What are the types and forms of those interactions as well as conflicts
and co-operations in the case of the infectious diseases ATM?
(4) What are the major features of an emerging global health governance
in that process and what is the possible role GHG can play in furthering
the co-operation process or resolving conflicts?
(5) What are the different parts played by various actors in the field
of GHG, what are the interactions and power relationships between these
actors?
(6) To which extent can the emerging patterns of GHG be used for the
analysis of interface and interactions in other policy areas?
Case Studies
To attain these general objectives of research the project includes several
case studies on international organisations and private actors in global
health governance as well as on two important developing countries:
- World Trade Organisation, NGOs (Wolfgang Hein)
- GPPPs with focus on the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and
Malaria , NGOs (Sonja Bartsch)
- World Health Organisation and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS) and World Bank , NGOs (Lars Kohlmorgen)
- Pharmaceutical industry; World Bank (Jan-Peter Wogart)
- Brazil (Gilberto Calcagnotto)
- South Africa (Gero Erdmann. Christian von Soest, Martin Weinel)
|