Global health and the politics of governance: an introduction

Some 30 new viruses-ranging from the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to little known but equally lethal haemorraghic fevers such as Ebola-emerged during the last quarter of the twentieth century (CDC, 2001; WHO, 2000a, 200b). In many cases the source of these viruses is unknown, as is the reason for their emergence. Many of the most powerful chemotherapeutical controls have been rendered impotent at a time when too few new drugs are being developed to replace those that have either lost their effectiveness or are unsuitable for treating contemporary viruses. Crucially, these developments are taking place at a time when the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) have eclipsed the World Health Organisation (WHO) in health and social policy formulation, especially for developing countries. It is against this background that the articles in this special issue of Third World Quarterly, 'Global health and governance: HIV/AIDS,' seek to offer a critical and multidisciplinary appraisal of global health policies, structures and the politics of governance. Composed of original articles from leading academics engaged in or concerned with global health politics, the underlying objective is to help generate a timely debate and understanding of the impact of globalisation on health and the plight of vulnerable people. Lesley Doyal aptly summarises the nature of the project in the form of a question: 'how has the process of globalisation affected trends and well-being over the past few decades?'.