Who Governs the Microbe? Exploring the Emergence of Authority as Response to the Risk of Infectious Disease.
Within any inhabited territory, people are vulnerable to various types of infections and the onset of disease and death. Any number of governing authorities -- ranging from local governments to international NGOs to traditional healers -- might allocate resources and energies to curb the spread of infectious disease, but across time, space, and infection type, these efforts vary widely. What explains who attempts to govern such problems? To what extent do different infections receive different responses, and why? What are the positive pressures that drive and what are the countervailing pressures that impede aggressive action?
This collaborative training and research project will attempt to answer such questions by gathering information about governance activities within particular well-defined localities. It aims to shed light on theories of governance and government responsiveness, and on the politics of global public health as experienced at the local level; it also aims to identify the links and gaps between scientific knowledge and the implementation of such knowledge at the local level. The project may uncover creative social and political strategies that have been used to induce the implementation of proven public health strategies. Initially, the research will be based in localities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, but eventually will extend to other regions and countries.
PI
