Geopolitics in Health: Confronting Obesity, AIDS, and Tuberculosis in the Emerging BRICS Economies

by Eduardo J. Gómez

Overview

An in-depth analysis of why leaders from the BRICS respond to public health emergencies the way they do.

In recent years, political leaders in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, collectively known as the BRICS, have worked to reformulate international discussions and policies on issues ranging from fair and free trade to human rights. When it comes to health epidemics, however, the BRICS have differed greatly in terms of how—and when—they respond, highlighting important differences in their political commitment to meeting healthcare needs.

In Geopolitics in Health, Eduardo J. Gómez takes a critical look at how the emerging BRICS economies dealt with the obesity, AIDS, and tuberculosis epidemics. Despite the countries having similar international political and economic ambitions, Gómez finds that domestic policy responses were driven mainly by international, as opposed to domestic, pressures and interests. Using a theoretical framework called geopolitical positioning, Gómez explores how nations respond to international pressures and policy criticisms, as well as offers of financial and technical assistance; countries then utilize domestic policy innovations and ultimately engage in global health diplomacy in order to bolster their international reputation.

Gómez draws on extensive data and case studies and argues that leaders aspiring to build their reputations among elite nations have a ready way to demonstrate their status through quick and effective public health responses; those who scorn the international community tend to react slowly and ineffectively to the same type of crises. The first book of its kind to conduct an in-depth comparative historical analysis of how the BRICS deal with public health threats, this pathbreaking text demonstrates the value of positive geopolitical positioning and strong partnerships with other governments, nongovernmental organizations, and social health movements.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421423623
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	12/01/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Eduardo J. Gómez is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Development at King’s College London and a former term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Eduardo J. Gómez is an associate professor and the director of the Institute of Health Policy and Politics in the College of Health at Lehigh University. He is the author of Geopolitics in Health: Confronting Obesity, AIDS, and Tuberculosis in the Emerging BRICS Economies.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. Brazil's Response to HIV/AIDS and Obesity
3. India's Response to HIV/AIDS and Obesity
4. China's Response to HIV/AIDS and Obesity
5. Responding to HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis in Russia
6. Responding to HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis in South Africa
7. Conclusion
References
Index

What People are Saying About This

Amy S. Patterson

This well-researched volume, which illustrates how the BRICS' geopolitical ambition shapes their responses to health crises, provides a novel approach to international health governance.

From the Publisher

This well-researched volume, which illustrates how the BRICS' geopolitical ambition shapes their responses to health crises, provides a novel approach to international health governance.
—Amy S. Patterson, University of the South, author of The Politics of AIDS in Africa

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Laurie Sabol, BA, MSN (Rush University College of Nursing)
Description: This book offers a needed perspective on how emerging countries respond to public health threats. The lens through which people from Western countries view public health policy is naturally shaped by the culture and experience of living in the developed world. The author looks at the responses of BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to obesity, AIDS, and tuberculosis. He argues that geopolitical positioning (how a country views itself in the global context) is key to explaining the difference in responses to public health crises.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide a historical analysis of response to public health threats in developing economies. It explores cultural differences (such as viewing AIDS as a disease of amoral people) and differences among individual leadership philosophies (leader as beneficent protector or authority figure). The author analyzes why politicians sometimes don't take public health threats seriously, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, and when failure to do so undermines their ability to achieve global economic and political aspirations.
Audience: Anyone who is a stakeholder in public health and foreign policy matters in the BRICS countries may gain insight from this analysis. Although the author doesn't expressly state the intended audience, government and nongovernment organizations, from policymakers to scholars to front-line staff will find a comprehensive review of how their efforts may be received in each country. The author is a senior lecturer in the Department of International Development at King's College in London.
Features: The author explains that whether a country perceives itself as a global power or as a still-emerging country in need of assistance and influence is key to understanding its response to public health needs. He argues that this "geopolitical positioning" is what matters most in accounting for differences in response to public health crises. Russia and China, for example, have resisted foreign assistance, believing that Western values would disrupt their own value systems. In China, AIDS was often called "Aizibing," or the "loving capitalist disease" — those afflicted were viewed as traitors to the values of Communist China in the early days of the epidemic. Even as the number of tuberculosis cases surged in Russia, the government decided to provide foreign aid to fight tuberculosis, rather than receive aid. Today, Russia continues to have some of the highest rates of multidrug resistant tuberculosis. The author points out that technical limitations such as expertise and resources are not necessarily the cause of public health failings. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 look at Brazil's, India's, and China's responses to HIV/AIDS and obesity. Chapter 5 analyzes Russia response to HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis and chapter 6 considers the HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis response in South Africa. These in-depth chapters fill a void in the international public health policy discussion.
Assessment: This book encourages readers to develop a more global, richer perspective when considering how to approach future public health crises in emerging economies. Understanding how a country views itself on the world stage will be a key factor to consider in formulating global public health policies that work not only in theory, but also in bringing real improvement to the lives of vulnerable populations.

Doody's Review Service