The political economy of pandemic prevention and preparedness in Africa - Policy Brief 13
The huge costs of the COVID-19 crisis have revealed a global failure to learn lessons from previous health crises, and to invest sufficiently and consistently in the public goods of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. This health security agenda has been seriously neglected in sub-Saharan Africa, which is in a weak position to respond to the present crisis and future pandemics.
Based on research conducted for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)-funded Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Programme (TDDAP), this Policy Brief suggests that the neglect of the health security agenda in sub-Saharan Africa is above all a political economy problem best understood in terms of the political incentives facing leaders, institutionalised power relations and the collective action problems shaping health security systems and international funding. The Policy Brief explores five political economy problems that are found to be particularly undermining of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, and develops recommendations for addressing each of these.
TPP welcomes two new Associate
TPP are pleased to welcome Steve Fraser and Theodore Trefon as our two new Associates.
Steve Fraser has over 30 years experience living, studying and working in Nigeria as a development practitioner, including as Technical Director for the Engaged Citizens pillar of the FCDOs flagship governance programme in Nigeria.
Theodore Trefon is senior researcher at the Belgian Royal Museum for Central Africa and lecturer at ERAIFT/Kinshasa. He has devoted his career to studying environmental governance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and elsewhere in Central Africa.
Political economy analysis from a community level perspective
Based on his experiences in Kenya and Nepal, TPP Associate Richard Holloway argues that community level political economy analyses need to be carried out by local actors who have some “skin in the game” to solve local issues.
Artificial intelligence will turbocharge the spread of disinformation – and development organisations need to respond
The development sector has been too slow to invest in the healthy news media and “information ecosystems” on which healthy societies depend. Nick Benequista (Center for International Media Assistance), Laure-Hélène Piron (The Policy Practice), and Cristina Ordóñez (Trust, Accountability and Inclusion Collaborative) say new OECD principles on supporting media integrity should be a prompt to act in the face of growing manipulation and suppression.
An event was held to discuss the report on 11th June - the full recording can be seen here.