Behind the scenes: International NGOs’ influence on reproductive health policy in Malawi and South Sudan

Storeng, Katerini Tagmatarchi; Palmer, Jennifer; Daire, Judith; Kloster, Maren Olene

doi:10.1080/17441692.2018.1446545

Cited by 38 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…International ideas have been transferred into Zambian national policy largely by a coalition of international stakeholders active in the national nutrition policy sub-system. This ‘behind-the-scenes’ influence on national policy is increasingly being documented in various health fields (Storeng et al ., 2019), with implications for national sovereignty and legitimacy, and the balance of power among policy actors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Advocacy coalitions and the transfer of nutrition policy to Zambia

Harris

2019

Health Policy and Planning

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Stunted growth in children and multisectoral action to address it are dominant ideas in the international nutrition community today, and this study finds that these ideas are increasingly evident over time in nutrition policy in Zambia, with stunting largely displacing other framings of nutrition. This study is based on key informant interviews (70 interviews with 61 interviewees), policy document review, and social network mapping, with iterative data collection and analysis taking place over 6 years (2011–2016). Analysis was based on two established political science theories: policy transfer theory and the Advocacy Coalition Framework. Policy changes in Zambia are shown to result from the international community’s nutrition agenda, transferred to national policy through the normative promotion of certain ways of understanding the issue of malnutrition, largely propagated through advocacy, technical assistance and funding. With its focus on multisectoral action to reduce stunting, the recent nutrition policy narrative impinges directly on an existing food security narrative as it attempts to alter agriculture policy away from maize reliance. The nutrition policy sub-system in Zambia is therefore split between an international coalition promoting action on child stunting, and a national coalition focused on food security and hunger, with implications for both sides on progressing a coherent policy agenda. This study finds that it is possible to understand policy processes for nutrition more fully than has so far been achieved in much nutrition literature through the application of multiple political science theories. These theories allow the generalization of findings from this case study to assess their relevance in other contexts: the study ultimately is about the transfer of policy being explained by the presence of advocacy coalitions and their different beliefs, resources and power, and these concepts can be investigated wherever the nutrition system reaches down from international to national level.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Advocacy coalitions and the transfer of nutrition policy to Zambia

Harris

2019

Health Policy and Planning

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“…International influence, however, prevails once financial support from donors is waning [10,11]. Apart from financial resources, technical expertise and inter-sectoral leverage are additional channels through which the various stages of the policy process have been influenced [3,12]. Technical expertise, which encapsulates control over and coordination of knowledge and information generation and use, gives rise to epistemic power [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of external actors in shaping migrant health insurance in Thailand

Herberholz

2020

PLoS ONE

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The role of external actors in national health policy in aid-independent countries has received relatively little attention in the literature, despite the fact that influence continues to be exerted once financial support is curtailed as countries graduate from lower income status. Focusing on a specific health policy in an aid-independent country, this qualitative study explores the role of external actors in shaping Thailand's migrant health insurance. Primary data were collected through in-depth interviews with eighteen key informants from September 2018 to January 2019. The data were analysed using thematic analysis, focusing on three channels of influence, financial resources, technical expertise and inter-sectoral leverage, and their effect on the different stages of the policy process. Given Thailand's export orientation and the importance of reputational effects, inter-sectoral leverage, mainly through the US TIP Reports and the EU carding decision, emerged as a very powerful channel of influence on priority setting, as it indirectly affected the migrant health insurance through efforts aimed at dealing with problems of human trafficking in the context of labour migration, especially after the 2014 coup d'é tat. This study helps understand the changed role external actors can play in filling health system gaps in aid-independent countries.

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“…The Eva‐PMDUP project conducted an in‐depth policy analysis in multiple countries, three of which have been published so far . There are a number of questions remaining about how national and global policy contexts determine availability, use and experiences of abortion services.…”

Section: What Do We Need To Know To Improve Access To and The Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data showed that the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy by the administration of George W Bush in 2004 led to an increase in induced abortion rates in Sub‐Saharan Africa . The policy's reinstatement and even stricter interpretation by the administration of Donald Trump in 2017 has already had marked effects on the willingness of policymakers and stakeholders to enact globally agreed reproductive health strategies in some African settings . Its further effects on induced abortion and family planning access remain to be studied.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Setting the research agenda for induced abortion in Africa and Asia

Scott

Filippi

Moore

et al. 2018

Intl J Gynecology & Obste

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Provision of safe abortion is widely recognized as vital to addressing the health and wellbeing of populations. Research on abortion is essential to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Researchers in population health from university, policy, and practitioner contexts working on two multidisciplinary projects on family planning and safe abortion in Africa and Asia were brought together for a workshop to discuss the future research agenda on induced abortion. Research on care-seeking behavior, supply of abortion care services, and the global and national policy context will help improve access to and experiences of safe abortion services. A number of areas have potential in designing intervention strategies, including clinical innovations, quality improvement mechanisms, community involvement, and task sharing. Research on specific groups, including adolescents and young people, men, populations affected by conflict, marginalized groups, and providers could increase understanding of provision, access to and experiences of induced abortion. Methodological and conceptual advances, for example in the measurement of induced abortion incidence, complications, and client satisfaction, conceptualizations of induced abortion access and care, and methods for follow-up of patients who have induced abortions, will improve the accuracy of measurements of induced abortion, and add to understanding of women's experiences of induced abortions and abortion care.

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Behind the scenes: International NGOs’ influence on reproductive health policy in Malawi and South Sudan

Cited by 38 publications

References 39 publications

Advocacy coalitions and the transfer of nutrition policy to Zambia

Advocacy coalitions and the transfer of nutrition policy to Zambia

The role of external actors in shaping migrant health insurance in Thailand

Setting the research agenda for induced abortion in Africa and Asia

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