Administrative Sciences

375 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Global Health Governance: Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the Doha Declaration, and Democratisation

by Belinda Townsend, Erik Martin, Hans Löfgren and Evelyne De Leeuw

Adm. Sci. 2012, 2(2), 186-202; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci2020186 - 29 May 2012

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 8775

Global public health agreements are heralded as a success for the affirmation of the right to health within a complex and contested political landscape. However, the practical implementation of such agreements at the national level is often overlooked. This article outlines two radically [...] Read more.

Global public health agreements are heralded as a success for the affirmation of the right to health within a complex and contested political landscape. However, the practical implementation of such agreements at the national level is often overlooked. This article outlines two radically different global health agreements: The Doha Declaration on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement and Public Health; and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). We identify significant challenges in their implementation, particularly for low and middle income countries. Shifts in the policy network constellations around these two agreements have allowed for some positive influence by civil society. Yet industry influence at the national level constrains effective implementation and those affected by these policies have largely been left on the periphery. The broader provisions of these two agreements have been watered down by vested interests and donor conditions. We advocate for both activist and academic actors to play a significant role in highlighting the consequences of these power asymmetries. Deliberative democracy may be the key to addressing these challenges in a way that empowers those presently excluded from effective participation in the policy process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health Policy: An International Perspective)

318 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Past Fame, Present Frames and Future Flagship? An Exploration of How Health is Positioned in Canadian Foreign Policy

by Ronald Labonté, Vivien Runnels and Michelle Gagnon

Adm. Sci. 2012, 2(2), 162-185; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci2020162 - 11 Apr 2012

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 7150

Abstract

Canada has been regarded as a model global citizen with firm commitments to multilateralism. It has also played important roles in several international health treaties and conventions in recent years. There are now concerns that its interests in health as a foreign policy [...] Read more.

Canada has been regarded as a model global citizen with firm commitments to multilateralism. It has also played important roles in several international health treaties and conventions in recent years. There are now concerns that its interests in health as a foreign policy goal may be diminishing. This article reports on a thematic analysis of key Canadian foreign policy statements issued over the past decade, and interviews with key informants knowledgeable of, or experienced in the interstices of Canadian health and foreign policy. It finds that health is primarily and increasingly framed in relation to national security and economic interests. Little attention has been given to human rights obligations relevant to health as a foreign policy issue, and global health is not seen as a priority of the present government. Global health is nonetheless regarded as something with which Canadian foreign policy must engage, if only because of Canada’s membership in many United Nations and other multilateral fora. Development of a single global health strategy or framework is seen as important to improve intersectoral cooperation on health issues, and foreign policy coherence. There remains a cautious optimism that health could become the base from which Canada reasserts its internationalist status. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health Policy: An International Perspective)

222 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Review of Social Media Use in E-Government

by Michael J. Magro

Adm. Sci. 2012, 2(2), 148-161; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci2020148 - 10 Apr 2012

Cited by 193 | Viewed by 37375

Abstract

In the past few years, e-government has been a topic of much interest among those excited about the advent of Web 2.0 technologies. This paper reviews the recent literature concerning Web 2.0, social media, social networking, and how it has been used in [...] Read more.

In the past few years, e-government has been a topic of much interest among those excited about the advent of Web 2.0 technologies. This paper reviews the recent literature concerning Web 2.0, social media, social networking, and how it has been used in the public sector. Key observations include literature themes such as the evolution of social media case studies in the literature, the progress of social media policies and strategies over time, and social media use in disaster management as an important role for government. Other observations include the lack of a tangible goal for e-government, and the idea that significant change is still needed in government culture, philosophy of control, and resource management before broad sustainable success can be achieved in the use of social media. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue E-Government: Design, Evaluation and Practice)

224 KiB

Open AccessCommentary

Urban Governance of Disease

by Rebecca Katz, Sangeeta Mookherji, Morgan Kaminski, Vibhuti Haté and Julie E. Fischer

Adm. Sci. 2012, 2(2), 135-147; https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci2020135 - 05 Apr 2012

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 10936

Abstract

Rapid population growth, urbanization, and the growing challenges faced by the urban poor require redefining the paradigm for public health interventions in the 21st century, creating new approaches that take urban determinants of health into consideration. The widening disparity between the urban poor [...] Read more.

Rapid population growth, urbanization, and the growing challenges faced by the urban poor require redefining the paradigm for public health interventions in the 21st century, creating new approaches that take urban determinants of health into consideration. The widening disparity between the urban poor and the urban rich further exacerbates health inequities. Existing tools for global governance of urban health risks fall short, particularly in the lack of formal mechanisms to strengthen collaboration and communication among national and municipal agencies and between their local and international non-governmental partners. There is also a clear disconnect between governance strategies crafted at the international level and implementation on the ground. The challenge is to find common ground for global goods and municipal needs, and to craft innovative and dynamic policy solutions that can benefit some of the poorest citizens of the global urban network. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Public Health Policy: An International Perspective)

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Adm. Sci., Volume 2, Issue 2 (June 2012) – 4 articles , Pages 135-202

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