The novel coronavirus pandemic has been met by a range of national and international public health responses, with varying success. The articles in this reading list examine international responses to past global health emergencies, from HIV/AIDS and SARS to the more recent Zika and Ebola outbreaks. They also offer contributions to wider debates on the securitization of global health, how states can improve their public health preparedness, and the efficacy of local and global responses.
Suggested seminar topics:
a) How has COVID–19 management threaten authoritarian governments?
b) Does the international community have an overriding duty to intervene in domestic health care emergencies?
Suggested seminar topics:
a) How has the role of gender in global health responses changed in recent pandemics?
b) Should we understand gender as a solution or threat to global health security?
Suggested seminar topics:
a) How have current existing international intellectual property rules affected state responses to the pandemic?
b) What changes to the current intellectual property regime does the author suggest? Would they work?
Suggested seminar topics:
a) What are the main limitations in governments' and organizations' responses to the pandemic?
b) How can IR as a discipline contribute to responding to COVID-19?
Suggested seminar topics:
a) Has global health become oversecuritized?
b) What should be the future direction of global health thinking?
Suggested seminar topics:
a) Does state sovereignty undermine responses to global health challenges?
b) Does the WHO perpetuate western and colonial values?
Suggested seminar topics:
a) Should we emphasize risk over security in our approach to global health threats?
b) How has the relationship changed between politics and global health?
Suggested seminar topics:
a) To what extent does donor politics dominate global health decisions?
b) To what extent do global health actors ignore cultural dynamics?
Suggested seminar topics:
a) What role can human rights law play in times of health emergencies?
b) What role does gender play in global heath emergencies?
Suggested seminar topics:
a) Who should manage pandemics?
b) Does the international community have a responsibility to intervene in global health issues?
Suggested seminar topics:
a) How has the relationship between global health and security evolved since the end of the Cold War?
b) What can superpowers do to manage biological threats?
Suggested seminar topics:
a) What are the specific global health challenges faced by African states?
b) What is the relationship between global and local health actors?
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