Four Challenges That Global Health Networks Face

Abstract

Global health networks, webs of individuals and organizations with a shared concern for a particular condition, have proliferated over the past quarter century. They differ in their effectiveness, a factor that may help explain why resource allocations vary across health conditions and do not correspond closely with disease burden. Drawing on findings from recently concluded studies of eight global health networks—addressing alcohol harm, early childhood development (ECD), maternal mortality, neonatal mortality, pneumonia, surgically-treatable conditions, tobacco use, and tuberculosis—I identify four challenges that networks face in generating attention and resources for the conditions that concern them. The first is problem definition: generating consensus on what the problem is and how it should be addressed. The second is positioning: portraying the issue in ways that inspire external audiences to act. The third is coalition-building: forging alliances with these external actors, particularly ones outside the health sector. The fourth is governance: establishing institutions to facilitate collective action. Research indicates that global health networks that effectively tackle these challenges are more likely to garner support to address the conditions that concern them. In addition to the effectiveness of networks, I also consider their legitimacy, identifying reasons both to affirm and to question their right to exert power.

Political challenges to prioritizing gender in global health organisations

“…An additional consideration is the capacity of proponents concerned with the issue to pursue collective action [24][25][26][27][28]. Networks of proponents commonly face several challenges in this regard [29][30][31][32][33][34]. Among these are cohesion -generating coalescence among the network of individuals and organisations that are centrally involved with the issue; problem definition -forging consensus on what the problem is and how it should be addressed; positioning -portraying the issue in ways that inspire external audiences to act; and governance -building effective institutions to achieve collective goals.…”

DOHaD – the challenge of translating the science to policy

“…In an analysis of the achievements of global health networks, Schiffman 27 notes that the most effective have a simple, moral or ethical platform which is hard to ignore or countermand. DOHaD has not developed such a platform or framing device.…”

Global Alcohol Harm Network: Struggling or Emerging? A Response to Shiffman

“…Shiffman’s 1 editorial on global health networks is a useful addition to a relatively neglected area. The nature of global health networks is an important contributor to influence in the global health arena.…”

“…One of the more influential has been the role of the industry. Since the widespread commercialisation of the production of both commodities the transnational alcohol corporations, learning from the adverse experience of tobacco, have done an excellent job of framing the problem definition to suit their ends (the contested framing mentioned by Shiffman 1 is more between industry and public health networks rather than within or between them). They have succeeded in influencing sympathetic governments and this despite longstanding evidence of the industry’s subversion of alcohol research 2 , 3 and effective alcohol policy (eg, Bakke and Endal 4 ).…”