Governing Global Health: Who Runs the World and Why?

by Chelsea Clinton, Devi Sridhar

The past few decades have seen a massive increase in the number of international organizations focusing on global health. Campaigns to eradicate or stem the spread of AIDS, SARS, malaria, and Ebola attest to the increasing importance of globally-oriented health organizations. These organizations may be national, regional, international, or even non-state organizations-like Medicins Sans Frontieres. One of the more important recent trends in global health governance, though, has been the rise of public-private partnerships (PPPs) where private non-governmental organizations, for-profit enterprises, and various other social entrepreneurs work hand-in-hand with governments to combat specific maladies. A primary driver for this development is the widespread belief that by joining together, PPPs will attack health problems and fund shared efforts more effectively than other systems.

As Chelsea Clinton and Devi Sridhar show in Governing Global Health , these partnerships are not only important for combating infectious diseases; they also provide models for developing solutions to a host of other serious global health challenges and questions beyond health. But what do we actually know about the accountability and effectiveness of PPPs in relation to the traditional multilaterals? According to Clinton and Sridhar, we have known very little because scholars have not accumulated enough data or developed effective ways to assess them-until now. In their analysis, they uncovered both strength and weaknesses of the model. Using principal-agent theory in which governments are the principals directing international agents of various type, they take a closer look at two major PPPs-the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria and the GAVI Alliance-and two major more traditional international organizations-the World Health Organization and the World Bank.

An even-handed and thorough empirical analysis of one of the most pressing topics in world affairs, Governing Global Health will reshape our understanding of how organizations can more effectively prevent the spread of communicable diseases like AIDS and reduce pervasive chronic health problems like malnutrition.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Politics, Medical, Medicine, Social Justice

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2016

About the author

Chelsea Clinton has always been interested in making the world a better place. When she was a child in Little Rock, Arkansas, one of her favorite books was 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth, and as a teenager in Washington, D.C., she led her school’s service club. While at Stanford, Chelsea worked as a reading and writing tutor and volunteered at the Children’s Hospital. Today, she is Vice Chair of the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation where she helps lead the work of the Foundation across its various initiatives, with a particular focus on work related to health, women and girls, creating service opportunities, and empowering the next generation of leaders. Chelsea holds a BA from Stanford University, an MPH from Columbia University, and an MPhil and doctorate degree in international relations from Oxford University. She lives in New York City with her husband, Marc, their daughter, Charlotte, their son, Aidan, and their dog Soren.

Reviews

[Griffin Barriss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview and comparative study of the the WHO, World Bank, Global Fund, and Gavi -- the Vaccine Alliance. Gave me good insight to the basics of GH governance, but also left me with a lot of questions. Book was also published pre-Trump + pre-COVID so I imagine each org has undergone some dramatic changes since then.

[Arun Subramanian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best handbook reference for governance in the area of global health. Authors have detailed the working of the big health forces of the globe, their abilities, their deficiencies, successes and learnings from the not-so-successful projects.
The principal-agent theory has been put to use to explain the relationships and workings.
It is a must read for officials in the ministry of health, finance and social development of all nations.
Policy framers will benefit greatly by this indepth analysis, as it will help in formulating better frameworks with the learnings shared by Prof Devi and Dr Clinton
Thanks a lot for bringing this book out.

[shivareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll admit it took me a while to get through this entire book since it was assigned to me in grad school by Professor Clinton. It is jam packed with incredibly important information for those working in global health. Also interesting to learn about the landscape pre-covid and would love to get an update about lessons learned - while i do think a lot of the challenges with Ebola are unfortunately translatable for this pandemic

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice overview and academic look at world health - its successes, failures, and the pros and cons of various systems.

[Danielle - drops.everything.and.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was interesting and informative. As someone who has worked in global health policy, including files relating to the organizations profiled in the book, I found it useful information, even though it was written from an ‘outsider’s’ perspective. I say ‘outsider’ as the authors most likely have not sat in on governance meetings for the organizations and, thus, do not have that level of familiarity with the conversations that actually take place. I have recommended this book to a number of colleagues, with many saying they found it informative and useful for their own work.
I would be interested in seeing how this book could/would be updated to reflect the COVID-19 pandemic as each of the organizations are actively involved in the response, including the standing up of the ACT-Accelerator and the COVAX Facility, that leveraged existing governance structures and requires heightened collaboration of global health stakeholders. In time we shall learn if the pandemic will result in a shifting of the global health architecture and global health funding.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book delivers on the promise it makes on the cover. Recommend it for public and global health scholars particularly interested in the economics of large-scale and policy-b(i)ased global health governance.

[Elizabeth Palu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A recommended read. Chelsea Clinton and Devi Sridhar are prolific writers who have taken a fresh perspective at global health and has made a contribution to global health through this book.

[Christina Norwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a detailed and comprehensive evaluation of the big players in global health governance. I started this book knowing very little about the subject. After reading it, I can better understand how global health priorities are set, how public-private partnerships work, and the challenges with organizing many different people around a vision.

Chelsea Clinton and Devi Sridhar give the subject the serious consideration it deserves. This is book is not light pop-politics, it is an empirical endeavor. Worth taking the time to read carefully.