Conceptual Models for Global Health Governance

Abstract

Globalization has led to an appreciation of a global politics beyond the control of nation states and the traditional system of international relations. Global politics is characterized by a pluralization of governance mediated by a constant effort to establish shared norms of global public goods and bads to constrain the exercise of power or, expressed in another way, to attain a more equitable access to power resources. Traditional state institutions of national and international governance have became more diversified as a reaction to their inherent limitations and the increasing power of new forms of governance built by private actors. Though the state remains a powerful, often dominant, actor in governance, it competes with and sometimes is itself governed by a diverse set of non-state actors, including corporations, foundations, religious groups, social advocacy organizations and “dark networks” like al-Quaida or narcotics cartels. States and traditional institutions of international governance are increasingly seen as complex assemblages in and of themselves, comprised of more or less well-networked nodes operating somewhere on the spectrum between cooperation and competition. States have actively embraced this pluralization, seeking to increase or protect their power by vigorous use of governance devices like privatization and partnerships.