T he collection of articles in this special issue provides a broad overview on various facets of global health, and it attempts to establish the link between globalisation and its manifestation and impact on the regional and local levels. The idea for this collection was first conceived during the 13th World Congress on Public Health, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 23Á27 April 2012, and evolved...

BACKGROUND The term global health governance (GHG) is now widely used, with over one thousand works published in the scholarly literature, almost all since 2002. Amid this rapid growth there is considerable variation in how the term is defined and applied, generating confusion as to the boundaries of the subject, the perceived problems in practice, and the goals to be achieved through instituti...

There are numerous and significant challenges associated with leveraging electronic clinical data (ECD) for purposes beyond treating an individual patient and getting paid for that care. Optimizing this secondary use of clinical data is a key underpinning of many health reform goals and triggers numerous issues related to data stewardship and, more broadly, data governance. These challenges oft...

This paper discusses the contribution of the concept of governance, combined with traditional approaches to primary health care (PHC) analysis, in a multicentre study covering Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Considering health systems’ variety of configurations and their segmented context, it aims to compare PHC implementation and performance characteristics in each country so as to ex...

Research governance takes a broad approach to the regulation of human research encompassing: (a) frameworks and systems over ad hoc policy making; (b) quality standards as well as regulatory requirements; and (c) definition of roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in research. The effective and consistent implementation of research governance plays a role in the promotion of qualit...

Technological advances in the quality, availability and linkage potential of health data for research make the need to develop robust and effective information governance mechanisms more pressing than ever before; they also lead us to question the utility of governance devices used hitherto such as consent and anonymisation. This article assesses and advocates a principles-based approach, contr...

BACKGROUND Decision-making on postings and transfers - that is, the geographic deployment of the health workforce - is a key element of health workforce governance. When poorly managed, postings and transfers result in maldistribution, absenteeism, and low morale. At stake is managing the balance between organisational (i.e., health system) and individual (i.e., staff preference) needs. The neg...

Accountability is at the heart of the concept of clinical governance. Not only must health professionals strive to improve the quality of care, they must also be able to show that they are doing so. The notion of accountability is not new—clinicians have long been accountable to their professional regulatory bodies. However, recent scandals about dangerous practice by doctors have damaged confi...

The international community has joined together to form a world trade system based on the rule of law. Although imperfect, the world trade system contains enforceable norms designed to facilitate international economic activity. Infectious diseases pose as great a threat to the well being of nations. Yet, global health governance remains weak or nonexistent. As The Lancet Infectious Diseases ha...

Women in governance: A savvy strategy for advancing community health.