• Lead Researchers: Marcel Tanner, Don de Savigny, Ilona Kickbusch, Raymond Saner, Stephen Browne, Lichia Yiu, Roberto Cordon
• Co-researchers: Thomas Weiss, Shufang Zhang, Ashley Warren
• Project owner: Funded by SNIS, principal contract holders: Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel in collaboration with the Graduate Institute’s Global Health Centre, Centre for Socio-Economic Development, Directorate of the Franklin College Switzerland, Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies at the City University New York
• Project status: Ongoing project until June 2015
• Key Words: global burden of diseases, resource-constrained countries, new models of collaboration and partnerships, public-private partnerships
• Project Website

Over the last 20 years, the persistence of the global burden of diseases particularly in resource-constrained countries and the emergence of diseases raises concern about how global health goals can be met with the current governance of global health initiatives. New models of collaboration and partnerships have emerged. At the national and also international level, a move towards private-public partnerships has gained prominence as a means to meet the health needs of the citizens especially in poor countries. The project aims at reviewing the impact of private finance on the governance and management of individual global funds, public-private partnerships (PPPs) and organizations. The main research question focuses on whether the current global health architecture and the variants of PPPs generate effective and efficient vehicles for implementing health policies and delivering desired health outcomes.

The project represents the first comprehensive review and offers a comparative scientific analysis of the new approaches in terms of management and financing of global health initiatives and PPPs. It will thus further contribute to the understanding of the consequences of the growing trend of private philanthropy in developing countries, particularly its impact on existing development assistance approaches and effectiveness of health policy arrangements within resources constrained countries. Results of this study will allow a better understanding of the global health architecture and the challenges it faces in the near future. It will also contribute to the reflection on effective operational choices in achieving better health outcomes by providing clearer scenarios in terms of how to envisage more effective roles, functions and partnership arrangements of global development agencies and PPPs in mediating between the private capital and the public health needs.