Understanding India, globalisation and health care systems: a mapping of research in the social sciences

Abstract

National and transnational health care systems are rapidly evolving with current processes of globalisation. What is the contribution of the social sciences to an understanding of this field? A structured scoping exercise was conducted to identify relevant literature using the lens of India – a ‘rising power’ with a rapidly expanding healthcare economy. A five step search and analysis method was employed in order to capture as wide a range of material as possible. Documents published in English that met criteria for a social science contribution were included for review. Via electronic bibliographic databases, websites and hand searches conducted in India, 113 relevant articles, books and reports were identified. These were classified according to topic area, publication date, disciplinary perspective, genre, and theoretical and methodological approaches. Topic areas were identified initially through an inductive approach, then rationalised into seven broad themes. Transnational consumption of health services; the transnational healthcare workforce; the production, consumption and trade in specific health-related commodities, and transnational diffusion of ideas and knowledge have all received attention from social scientists in work related to India. Other themes with smaller volumes of work include new global health governance issues and structures; transnational delivery of health services and the transnational movement of capital. Thirteen disciplines were found represented in our review, with social policy being a clear leader, followed by economics and management studies. Overall this survey of India-related work suggests a young and expanding literature, although hampered by inadequacies in global comparative data, and by difficulties in accessing commercially sensitive information. The field would benefit from further cross-fertilisation between disciplines and greater application of explanatory theory. Literatures around stem cell research and health related commodities provide some excellent examples of illuminating social science. Future research agendas on health systems issues need to include innovative empirical work that captures the dynamics of transnational processes and that links macro-level change to fine-grained observations of social life.

Understanding health systems, health economies and globalization: the need for social science perspectives

“…The special issue draws together empirical and non-empirical studies from different disciplines with first authors from economics [15-18], political science [19], psychology [1], sociology [20], business studies [21], social policy [22]. It also includes a perspective from public health that takes up the case for greater funding of social science research [23].…”

“…The peer-reviewed, online open-access journal Globalization and Health was established in [2005] with the aim of providing an international forum for high quality original research, knowledge sharing and debate on the topic of globalization and its effects on health, both positive and negative. Within its stated scope the journal recognises the complexity and breadth of topics and the range of disciplinary perspectives required to understand the relationship between globalization and health.…”

“…In this editorial and special issue we pay attention to the particular contribution of social science. Social scientists, including economists, political scientists and sociologists, have undoubtedly been key contributors to the discussions and theorising about globalization processes since they began to use the term in the [1960]s, long its current widespread use. That theoretical armoury is combined with research approaches that lend themselves well to exploration of the micro, meso and macro forces that confront health systems in the globalizing world, and one would expect to see prominent participation of these disciplines in current published research in this field.…”

“…That theoretical armoury is combined with research approaches that lend themselves well to exploration of the micro, meso and macro forces that confront health systems in the globalizing world, and one would expect to see prominent participation of these disciplines in current published research in this field. The review paper by Bisht et al [1] published in this special issue examines the broader ‘state of the art’ in this regard using the case of research on India, and gives suggestions for future ways forward. [1] We also undertook a mapping of this journal’s own content in order to track trends, emphases, commonalities and differences in the work published over the first six full years of its operation ( [2005,2010]) and to locate the place of social science within its content so far.…”

“…The review paper by Bisht et al [1] published in this special issue examines the broader ‘state of the art’ in this regard using the case of research on India, and gives suggestions for future ways forward. [1] We also undertook a mapping of this journal’s own content in order to track trends, emphases, commonalities and differences in the work published over the first six full years of its operation ( [2005,2010]) and to locate the place of social science within its content so far. Ninety four papers were reviewed for topic, author’s institution, disciplinary perspective, geographical focus, methodology and funding.…”