International Journal of Health Policy and Management

International Journal of Health Policy and Management

Political Considerations When Monitoring the Commercial Determinants of Health; Comment on “National Public Health Surveillance of Corporations in Key Unhealthy Commodity Industries – A Scoping Review and Framework Synthesis”

Document Type : Commentary

Authors
Jennifer Lacy-Nichols 1
Alexandra Jones 2, 3
Katherine Cullerton 4
1 Centre for Health Policy, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
2 Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
3 The George Institute for Global Health, Barangaroo, NSW, Australia
4 School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
10.34172/ijhpm.8777
Abstract
Better intelligence about how commercial actors influence health and equity is crucial to advance public health policies that prioritise people over profits. The “template surveillance system” proposed by Bennett and colleagues presents a useful step towards increasing our knowledge about the practices of commercial actors and monitoring potentially harmful activities. Yet practical considerations around what sectors or commercial practices are prioritised, how we gather this intelligence, and who “owns” or funds surveillance initiatives bring to the fore political challenges with this work. Here, we reflect on our own experience researching corporate political activities (such as lobbying) to present recommendations for advancing the “template surveillance system” proposed by Bennett and colleagues.
Keywords
Corporate Political Activity
Monitoring
Transparency
Commercial Determinants
Political Feasibility
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International Journal of Health Policy and Management
Volume 13, Issue 1
2024
Pages 1-4

  • Received Date 27 August 2024
  • Revised Date 26 November 2024
  • Accepted Date 04 December 2024
  • First Published Date 04 December 2024
  • Published Date 01 December 2024