Fully updated for the second edition, this text provides a concise and informative introduction to how global health is governed, exploring the ways in which we understand global health governance, exposing its complex nature, and asking who or what really governs global health, to what outcome, and for whom.
Governing outbreaks, emergencies, pandemics, access to medicines, non-communicable diseases, and the financing of fully functioning health systems remain among the biggest challenges national and international policymakers and practitioners face. While COVID-19 made apparent the tensions, contestations, and complexity of governing health threats, to understand what could and should have worked during the pandemic requires a comprehensive understanding of the actors, approaches, and issues that make up global health.
Divided into three parts, the book examines the different actors that participate in global health governance, their powers, interests, ways of working, relationships, and how their roles have changed over time. It explores different approaches to global health governance, focusing on the ways global health issues have been conceptualised and understood, and how this has shaped global health politics and the ways the key actors work. Finally, it examines different issues, and how the actors and their approaches have addressed health emergencies and everyday health inequities.
Global Health Governance provides a comprehensive introduction to researchers and students new to the field of global health governance, and a vital resource and reference point for established scholars and practitioners working in the field of global health.
Introduction
1: Approaches to Global Health
2: Institutions of Global Health Governance
3: From the MDGs to the SDGs
4: The tragedy of Ebola and the politics of constant crisis
5: Neglected health
Conclusion
Biography
Sophie Harman is Professor of International Politics at Queen Mary, University of London, UK.
Andres Papamichail is a Lecturer in Global Health & International Relations at Queen Mary, University of London, UK.
A masterful blend of insight, coverage and accessibility. Essential reading for anyone learning about, or working in, the rapidly evolving field of global health governance in the 21st century.
Stefan Elbe, University of Sussex, UK
This remains the clearest and most wide-ranging introduction to the field. The sections on the recent pandemic and the governance responses to it, local as well as global, are especially helpful.
Craig N. Murphy, Wellesley College, USAGlobal health has only become more prominent an issue over the past dozen years, and Harman and Papamichail trace what has changed—and what has stayed the same—in an approachable and engaging style. This book is a great resource for everyone from people who are just learning about global health politics to established scholars.
Jeremy Youde, University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), USA
Covid-19 is the most recent illustration of why better Global Health Governance is a must-read for students, faculty, and policy analysts.
Thomas G. Weiss, Director Emeritus, Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies
This book is a one stop shop of all the nuances and challenges that exist in the shaky system of multilateral institutions, governments, the private sector, NGOS, and beyond. It’s a vital read for all students of global health, in whatever discipline, as it considers the underlying politics behind all interactions. The updated version, particularly with updated sections on health emergencies and global health security are essential for how we reflect on the changing nature of governance post COVID. Beyond its invaluable read for students, this book is always a go-to for me as an academic to double check points – it’s accessible style and readability makes it easy to find information quickly and in doing so I’m always left with further areas of thought that I hadn’t considered beforehand.
Clare Wenham, The London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
A very welcome update to one of the most useful introductions to Global Health Governance. The second edition fully covers recent global health emergencies – including the COVID-19 pandemic – as well as developments in the theory and practice of global health politics. As with the first edition, it skilfully combines accessibility with depth and nuance. A really valuable resource for all students and teachers of global health.
Simon Rushton, The University of Sheffield, UK
