Characterizing Global Health Governance by International Organizations: Is There an Ante- and Post-COVID-19 Architecture?

Abstract

The focus of this chapter is on global social policy actors and their ideas on health care systems. The specific position and constellation of key IOs are illustrated by a mapping and characterization of four central IOs (WHO, World Bank, ILO, OECD). The main ideas on health care systems of these four IOs are presented in relation to each other, taking into account discourses between them. That is then taken further to characterize the global health governance architecture based on contestational and collaborative relationships between IOs. Based on that, the chapter discusses the (preliminary) implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for altering that architecture.

Universal Health Coverage Development in Thailand: How Global Ideas and a National Medical Professional Movement Made a Difference

“…This paper exposes the transnational policy transfer in ideas and practices across actors such as policy transfer from IOs to developing countries or reverse, and from developing countries to developing countries themselves. These global ideas related to the national context of health system reform and policy agenda-setting that are; architecture of arguments in global health ideas (37) and its glocalisation (31), global health ideas on universal health coverage and its debates, primary healthcare and health ideas transfer, including roles of the medical profession and associations as mediators for health ideas transfer. The global and national linkage exists in one way or another in different forms, such as the international forum and nancial aid for health infrastructures and project development.…”

“…In line with Kaasch's work (36), which discusses the conceptualisation of global social policy in its dimension of prescriptions on national social policy on pensions and health systems reveal contesting contestation concerning notions of the 'war of positions'. In addition, Kaasch's latest work (37) proposes mapping the four main IOs in global health governance focus on the IOs matter of health care system: WHO, World Bank, the ILO, and the OECD and characterising the global health architecture based on contestation and collaborative manner between them. Similarly, this article discusses the conceptualisation of global health actors as health policy prescriptions and the attempt of global health ideas transfer to a national level.…”

Diffusion of global health norms through a national medical professional movement in the universal healthcare of Thailand

“…Understanding the transfer of global health concepts from above can also be viewed as Global Social Prescriptions by IOs [see Deacon (22,23) and Kaasch (24)] and its transfer of ideas from the Global North, as donor countries, to the Global South. Therefore, in the field of healthcare, it is necessary to illustrate the global health concept structure in IO debates.…”

“…Therefore, in the field of healthcare, it is necessary to illustrate the global health concept structure in IO debates. This topic is addressed in Deacon's work (22), and global social policy consists of social policy prescriptions for national and supranational social policies concerning redistribution, regulation, and rights. In accordance with Kaasch's work (24), she discusses the conceptualization of global social policy in the context of national social policy prescriptions regarding pensions and health systems.…”

“…It reveals contention regarding concepts of the “positions war”. Moreover, Kaasch’s most recent work ( 25 ) proposes mapping the four major IOs in global health governance, focusing on the IO issue of the healthcare system: WHO, World Bank, ILO, and OECD, and conceptualizing the global health architecture based on competition and collaboration between them, as well as other social policies. Similarly, this article explores the conceptualization of global health actors as health policy prescriptions and attempts to transfer global health concepts to the national level.…”