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Governance within the World Health Assembly: A 13-year analysis of WHO Member States’ contribution to global health governance

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  • van der Rijt, Tess
  • Pang (Pangestu), Tikki

Abstract

There is a widespread perception that developed countries in the Western world dictate the shaping and governance of global health. While there are many bodies that engage in global health governance, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is the only entity whereby 194 countries are invited to congregate together and engage in global health governance on an equal playing field. This paper examines the diversity of governance within the World Health Assembly (WHA), the supreme decision-making body of the WHO. It explores the degree and balance of policy influence between high, middle and low-income countries and the relevance of the WHO as a platform to exercise global governance. It finds that governance within the WHA is indeed diverse: relative to the number of Member States within the regions, all regions are well represented. While developed countries still dominate WHA governance, Western world countries do not overshadow decision-making, but rather there is evidence of strong engagement from the emerging economies. It is apparent that the WHO is still a relevant platform whereby all Member States can and do participate in the shaping of global health governance.

Suggested Citation

  • van der Rijt, Tess & Pang (Pangestu), Tikki, 2015. "Governance within the World Health Assembly: A 13-year analysis of WHO Member States’ contribution to global health governance," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(3), pages 395-404.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:119:y:2015:i:3:p:395-404
    DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2014.12.008
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    1. Kitamura, Tomomi & Obara, Hiromi & Takashima, Yoshihiro & Takahashi, Kenzo & Inaoka, Kimiko & Nagai, Mari & Endo, Hiroyoshi & Jimba, Masamine & Sugiura, Yasuo, 2013. "World Health Assembly Agendas and trends of international health issues for the last 43 years: Analysis of World Health Assembly Agendas between 1970 and 2012," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(2), pages 198-206.
    2. Robert H. Wade, 2011. "Emerging World Order? From Multipolarity to Multilateralism in the G20, the World Bank, and the IMF," Politics & Society, , vol. 39(3), pages 347-378, September.
    3. Wade, Robert H., 2011. "Emerging world order? From multipolarity to multilateralism in the G20, the World Bank, and the IMF," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 38603, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
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    Cited by:

    1. Catherine M. Jones & Carole Clavier & Louise Potvin, 2020. "Policy processes sans frontières: interactions in transnational governance of global health," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 53(1), pages 161-180, March.
    2. Lange, Thomas & Villarreal, Pedro A. & Bärnighausen, Till, 2023. "The contested authority of international institutions in global health," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).

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