The Politics of Researching Global Health Politics; Comment on “Knowledge, Moral Claims and the Exercise of Power in Global Health”

Document Type : Commentary

Author

Department of Politics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

Abstract

In this comment, I build on Shiffman’s call for the global health community to more deeply investigate structural and productive power. I highlight two challenges we must grapple with as social scientists carrying out the types of investigation that Shiffman proposes: the politics of  challenging the powerful; and the need to investigate types of expertise that have traditionally been thought of as ‘outside’ global health. In doing so, I argue that moving forward with the agenda Shiffman sets out requires social scientists interested in the global politics of health to be reflexive about our own exercise of structural and productive power and the fact that researching global health politics is itself a political undertaking.

Keywords

Main Subjects


  1. Shiffman J. Knowledge, moral claims and the exercise of power in global health. Int J Health Policy Manag 2014; 3: 297-9.  doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2014.120
  2. Shiffman J. A social explanation for the rise and fall of global health issues. Bull World Health Organ 2009; 87: 608-13. doi: 10.2471/blt.08.060749
  3. 3.     Shiffman J, Smith S. Generation of political priority for global health initiatives: a framework and case study of maternal mortality. Lancet 2007; 370: 1370–9.doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(07)61579-7
  4. New Statesman. Tony Benn (1925-2014): ten of his greatest quotes. 14 March 2014 [cited 29 January 2015]. Available from: http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/03/tony-benn-1925-2014-ten-his-greatest-quotes
  5. Finlay L, Gough B. Reflexivity: A Practical Guide for Researchers in Health and Social Sciences. Oxford: Blackwell; 2003.
  6. Nagel T. The View from Nowhere. Oxford: OUP; 1989.
  7. Youde J. The Rockefeller and Gates Foundations in Global Health Governance. Global Society 2013; 27: 139-58. doi: 10.1080/13600826.2012.762341
  8. McCoy D, McGoey L. Global Health and the Gates Foundation – In Perspective. In: Rushton S, Williams OD, editors. Partnerships and Foundations in Global Health Governance. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan; 2011.
  9. Global Health Watch 2: An Alternative World Health Report. London: Zed Books; 2008.
  10. $3.6 billion in 2013 [internet]. Available from: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/who-we-are/general-information/foundation-factsheet
  11. Gates B. Innovation with Impact: Financing 21st Century Development [internet]. November 3, 2011 [cited 3 March 2015]. Available from: http://www.gatesnotes.com/Development/G20-Report-Innovation-with-Impact
  12. Rushton S, Williams OD. Frames, Paradigms and Power: Global Health Policy-Making under Neoliberalism. Global Society 2012; 26: 147-67. doi: 10.1080/13600826.2012.656266
  13. Buse K, Lee K. Business and Global Health Governance. LSHTM/WHO Discussion Paper 5. December 2005 [cited 29 January 2015]. Available from:  http://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/1997.pdf 
  14. McCoy D, Kembhavi G, Patel J, Luinte A. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s grant-making programme for global health. Lancet 2009; 373: 1645-53. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(09)60571-7
  15. Ramsa S. Global Fund makes historic first round of payments. Lancet 2002; 359: 1581-2. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(02)08531-8
  16. Full Bio about Jeffrey D. Sachs [internet]. [cited 29 January 2015]. Available from: http://jeffsachs.org/about/