The role of the Gates Foundation in health financing in Latin America

• Grant number: 15/21789-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2016
• End date: April 30, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Deisy de Freitas Lima Ventura
• Grantee: Juliana Gonçalves de Caires
• Supervisor: Olivier Dabene
• Host Institution: Instituto de Relações Internacionais (IRI). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques (Sciences Po), France
• Associated to the scholarship: 14/24792-6 - The new actors in the financing of global health: a critical analysis of the role of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, BP.IC

Abstract

The Economic globalization, the increase in the international migration and the recent international sanitary crises, especially the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic and Ebola, are some of the factors behind the increase in number and importance, of studies about global health. It has also been growing the demand of States, especially the least developed ones, in the field of promotion of public health programs. According to international law, global sanitary action should be coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO). In terms of financing, however, the WHO began, in recent decades, to suffer competition from other organizations, both public and private. This research aims to study the emergence of these new actors in global health, critically analyzing the specific case of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, considered today, by many authors, as one of the major donors of global health programs. The methodology of the research will consist in documentary research (particularly reports, account services and other accountability mechanisms) on the participation of the Gates Foundation in health financing in Latin America, as well as interviews as well as interviews with representatives of the Foundation. At the end of the study, the objective is to assess the consequences of this current leadership on the choice of priorities, the agenda of regional cooperation and the effective allocation of these resources, also verifying the effectiveness of the results as well as transparency and existence of quality accountability mechanisms. (AU)