brugha and bruen (2014) raise a number of compelling issues related to the interaction between politics and policy in the global health context. the first question that their views invite is whether this is, at heart, best characterized as a benign or malign influence. many commentators have suggested that this overlap should be discouraged (see, for example, marseille et al 2002; thomas & webe...

background despite the significant role “values” play in decision-making no definition or attributes regarding the concept have been provided in health policy-making. this study aimed to clarify the defining attributes of a concept of value and its irrelevant structures in health policy-making. we anticipate our findings will help reduce the semantic ambiguities associated with the use of “valu...

Shiffman recently summarized lessons for network effectiveness from an impressive collection of case-studies. However, in common with most global health governance analysis in recent years, Shiffman underplays the important role of states in these global networks. As the body which decides and signs international agreements, often provides the resourcing, and is responsible for implementing ini...

It is remarkable that only a few years ago, discussions about women's health research often had to be prefaced with the expanded vision of what that concept should actually be in totality as the traditional approach to the health of women had focused on the reproductive system or "bikini medicine," as Dr Marianne Legato, an internationally recognized specialist in women's health, and others hav...

background following the tenets of world polity and innovation diffusion theories, i focus on the coercive and mimetic forces that influence the diffusion of mental health policy across nations. international organizations’ mandates influence government behavior. dependency on external resources, namely foreign aid, also affects governments’ formulation of national policy. and finally, mounting...

background in recent times, there has been a growing demand internationally for health policies to be based on reliable research evidence. consequently, there is a need to strengthen institutions and mechanisms that can promote interactions among researchers, policy-makers and other stakeholders who can influence the uptake of research findings. the health policy advisory committee (hpac) is on...

shiffman has argued that some actors have a great deal of power in global health, and that more reflection is needed on whether such forms of power are legitimate. global health is a new and evolving field that builds upon the historical fields of public and international health, but is more multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary in nature. this article argues that the distribution of power ...

martin powell makes the point that the death of the national health service (nhs) is constantly asserted without criteria. this article suggests that the nhs is many things, which makes criteria unstable. the alignment of interests in the structure of the nhs enables both overheated rhetoric and political strength, and that pluralization of provision might actually undermine that alignment over...