Primary Institutions, Secondary Institutions, and Moral Obligation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Youde
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
International Society ◽  
Moral Obligation ◽  
English School ◽  
Global Health Governance ◽  
Health Governance ◽  
Formal Organizations ◽  
Primary Institutions

Institutions are foundational to the English School and to the very concept of international society, so it makes sense that scholars would pay attention to them. What’s curious, though, is how much ambiguity permeates the discussion of primary and secondary institutions within English School theorizing. There is a lack of agreement among authors about what constitutes a primary institution, and secondary institutions receive almost no attention because they are merely formal organizations with no independent power within international society. This chapter distinguishes between primary and secondary institutions, describes the emergence of moral obligation and responsibility as a primary institution, explains why secondary institutions are constitutive of international society, and makes the case for global health governance as a secondary institution.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Youde
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
International Relations ◽  
International Society ◽  
Moral Obligation ◽  
International Relations Theory ◽  
Global Politics ◽  
English School ◽  
Global Health Governance ◽  
Health Governance ◽  
Empirical Reality

The introduction lays out the basic questions at the heart of the book: why has the international community moved from seeing health as a marginal issue to understanding it as something vital and deserving of attention? It presents the notion that this shift can be understood by interpreting global health governance as a secondary institution within international society and as part of a larger notion of moral obligation and responsibility. In this way, it draws on the English School of international relations theory to explain an empirical reality in global politics. Finally, the introduction outlines the rest of the chapters in the book and how they will help build the argument.

The English School and the Emergence of International Society

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Youde
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Global Health ◽  
International Society ◽  
English School ◽  
Global Health Governance ◽  
Health Governance ◽  
International Environment ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Rich History

English School theorizing is particularly relevant for understanding why and under what circumstances actors choose to contribute to coordinated international actions. English School theory has both a rich history and a nuanced understanding of the international environment that allows it to comprehend the emergence of complex systems like global health governance as an institution within international society. This chapter describes the foundations of the English School and highlights its usefulness for understanding the expansion and resilience of global health governance. At the same time, this chapter expands upon the English School, pushing it to address the role of non-state actors within international society and incorporate political economy into its theorizing. While this institution has emerged, it does not always operate in an optimal fashion, nor does it obviate the fact that states may sometimes act in selfish ways.

Global Health Governance in International Society

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Youde
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
International Society ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
English School ◽  
Global Health Governance ◽  
Health Governance ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Donor States

In the 1980s, health was a marginal issue on the international political agenda, and it barely figured into donor states’ foreign aid allocation. Within a generation, health had developed a robust set of governance structures that drove significant global political action, incorporated a wide range of actors, and received increasing levels of funding. What explains this dramatic change over such a short period of time? Drawing on the English School of international relations theory, this book argues that global health has emerged as a secondary institution within international society. Rather than being a side issue, global health now occupies an important role. Addressing global health issues—financially, organizationally, and politically—is part of how actors demonstrate their willingness and ability to help realize their moral responsibility and obligation to others. In this way, it demonstrates how global health governance has emerged, grown, and persisted—even in the face of global economic challenges and inadequate responses to particular health crises. The argument also shows how English School conceptions of international society would benefit from expanding their analytical gaze to address international economic issues and incorporate non-state actors. The book begins by building a case for using the English School to understand the role of global health governance before looking at global health governance’s place in international society through case studies about the growth of development assistance for health, the international response to the Ebola outbreak, and China’s role within the global health governance framework.

China, International Society, and Global Health Governance

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Youde
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Global Health ◽  
International Society ◽  
Global Health Governance ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Health Governance ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
Governance Institutions ◽  
Ambivalent Relationship

China possesses the world’s largest economy, but that economic clout has not necessarily translated into taking leading roles within existing global health governance institutions and processes. It is a country that both contributes to and receives financial assistance from global health institutions. It has incorporated health into some of its foreign policy activities, but it has largely avoided proactively engaging with the values and norms embodied within the global health governance system. This ambivalent relationship reflects larger questions about how and whether China fits within international society and what its engagement or lack thereof might portend for international society’s future. This chapter examines China’s place within global health governance by examining its interactions with international society on global health issues, its use of health as a foreign policy tool, and its relationships with global health governance organizations.

Conclusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy Youde
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
International Relations ◽  
International Political Economy ◽  
International Relations Theory ◽  
English School ◽  
Global Health Governance ◽  
Health Governance ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Past Generation

The conclusion ties together the various arguments made throughout the book to reinforce the overarching theoretical and narrative themes. First, it emphasizes how global health governance has emerged over the past generation to take its place as a secondary institution within international society. Second, it acknowledges the value in drawing on the English School of international relations theory for understanding the emergence, growth, and resilience of this institution. Third, it pushes English School theory to better incorporate international political economy and non-state actors into its theoretical framework. Finally, it uses these insights to forecast future directions in global health governance.

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