The bureaucratic context of international health: A social scientist's view

Justice, Judith

doi:10.1016/0277-9536(87)90128-6

Cited by 37 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…If northern NGOs, as suggested by Dubash and Oppenheimers (1992) and Ahmad (2006), are primarily concerned with framing the problem and advancing policy solutions, then southern NGOs failure to contribute to a public good with these NGOs is troublesome. As Justice (1987) showed, policymaking by donor agencies and international health coalitions that does not have substantial input from recipients can lead to poor implementation outcomes. So, this leads us to consider the question, why are there more likely to be ties from NGOs in the global north to the global south than by chance alone but not visa versa?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The North/South Divide in NGO Hyperlink Networks

Shumate

DeWitt²

2008

J Comp Mediated Comm

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Globalization and communication scholars have argued that technology is transforming the ''third sector'', the set of organizations that are not-for-profit and non-governmental (NGOs). This research examines the local and global linkages among a hyperlink network of 248 HIV/AIDS NGOs. This research examines the north/south NGO divide in the context of these new technology-based associations. Results suggest that the north/ south divide is as great a concern in the virtual world as it is in the physical one. This research implies that globalization theorists' argument that communication technologies break down economic and geographic barriers may be overstating the empirical reality.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The North/South Divide in NGO Hyperlink Networks

Shumate

DeWitt²

2008

J Comp Mediated Comm

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“…This form of incentive is indeed designed to have operational staff perform those tasks and activities that are on the priority list of international organizations, bilateral cooperation agencies and NGOs. These priorities not only change too fast and too frequently to be absorbed by the countries (Justice 1987), they also reflect the values, interests and philosophies of the West, instead of being tuned to local interests and grass-roots priorities (Stone 1992). Besides being ethically questionable (Olweny 1994), this potentially has counter-productive effects: from total failure of programmes due to lack of adjustment to local situations (Banerji 1990;Foster 1987;Justice 1987;Zaidi 1994), to disruption of basic health services as health personnel spend their time attending various seminars and workshops.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How African doctors make ends meet: an exploration

Roenen

Ferrinho

Dormael

et al. 1997

Tropical Med Int Health

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This paper is an attempt to identify individual coping strategies of doctors in sub‐Saharan Africa. It also provides some indication of the ‘effectiveness’ of these strategies in terms of income generation, and analyses their potential impact on the functioning of the health care system. It is based on semi‐structured interviews of 21 doctors working in the public health sector in sub‐Saharan Africa and attending in 1995 an international Master's course in Public Health in Belgium or in Portugal. This small sample of physicians yielded reports about 28 different types of individual strategies. Most of these potentially affect health service delivery more through reduced availability of staff than through the more blatant misappropriations. Activities related to the health field are mentioned most often. Allowances and per diems seem to be top regarding frequency and effectiveness, followed by secondary jobs, private practice or gifts from patients. None of the interviewees, however, admits using public resources for private purposes. Side activities may bring in very considerable amounts of income, out of proportion to the official salary, and can also be very time consuming. Nevertheless, all interviewees identify themselves in the first place as civil servants. Individual coping strategies may lead to undesirable side‐effects for health care delivery, through a net transfer of resources (qualified personnel‐time and material resources) from the public to the private‐for‐profit sector. There may also be positive effects though, be it in terms of mobilization of additional resources, of stabilization of qualified personnel or of realization of professional goals. However, these emerging strategies call for innovative mechanisms, likely to shape coping strategies in such a way that they remain compatible with equity and quality of care to the population.

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“…As rituals they also serve to validate and legitimize institutions, individuals, values and ideas (cf. Fortes, 1962;Justice, 1987;Moore & Myerhoff, 1977;Turner, 1974). The WHA is a site where a durable social reality is created and woven into resolutions and policies which are made 'official' through their adoption by the WHA.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rituals of global health: Negotiating the World Health Assembly

Irwin

Smith

2018

Global Public Health

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The World Health Assembly is the WHO's supreme decision-making body and consists of representatives from the 194 WHO Member States who take formal decisions on the WHO's policies, workplan and budget. The event is also attended by representatives of non-governmental organisations, the private sector, the press and even members of the public. Based on participant observation at six World Health Assemblies, in-depth interviews with 53 delegates to the WHA, and an analysis of WHA Official Records, this article examines the ritualistic aspects of WHA negotiations. We argue that analysing the WHA as a ritual provides an insight into power and legitimacy within global health. Not only are certain understandings of health issues and courses of actions decided by the Assembly, but also the very boundaries of global health community are set. The rules of the ritual place limits on different categories of actors, while both formal and informal rules of behaviour further serve to include or exclude actors from the rituals. Success in negotiation is measured by through the inclusion of certain ideas, norms and values in the wording of resolutions and is achieved through the repetition of language in speeches and by adhering to the rules of behaviour.

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The bureaucratic context of international health: A social scientist's view

Cited by 37 publications

References 2 publications

The North/South Divide in NGO Hyperlink Networks

The North/South Divide in NGO Hyperlink Networks

How African doctors make ends meet: an exploration

Rituals of global health: Negotiating the World Health Assembly

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