Wednesday, 9 November 2011

KCL Lectures | Brazil, China, and India: Comparative Perspectives on Domestic and International Governance



Distinguished Lecture Series | Brazil, China, and India: Comparative Perspectives on Domestic and International Governance

The King's Brazil Institute, jointly with the China and India Institutes, is pleased to announce the first of three events in the Distinguished Lecture Series. The series seeks to cultivate debate and investigate questions of political economy and sustainable development in Brazil, China, and India.
The first panel, Re-evaluating the global periphery: Contemporary growth and domestic development in Brazil, China, and India, will feature: 

Alfredo Saad Filho
 (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London) on Brazil;
John B. Knight (Department of Economics, University of Oxford) on China; 
Stuart Corbridge (International Development, London School of Economics) on India.

The panel discussion will be followed by drinks and snacks.

WHEN: 29 November 2011 from 18:30.

WHERE: Old Anatomy Theatre (K6.29), King’s Building, Strand Campus, WC2R 2LS 

COST: Free to attend, all welcome, no need to book

Throughout much of the twentieth century, economic growth and political power was unquestionably centred within Western Europe and North America. Today, however, old lines that once separated the global 'core' from the 'periphery' have grown increasingly blurred. While the United Kingdom, European Union, and the United States confront economic hardships and an increasing number of political hurdles, countries formally relegated to the 'developing world' are now home to skyrocketing levels of economic growth and development. At the forefront of these emergent economies are Brazil, China, and India, with a combined population of nearly 2.7 billion people and a collective landmass occupying almost twenty per cent of the earth’s total ground surface. These three countries boast thriving economies and immense resource bases, and today, increasingly, they play an expanding role in international decision-making processes.

In the first panel session, we turn our attention to contemporary development, globalisation, and domestic policy. As trade markets expand globally – and capital seeks new spaces to harness labour – material questions related to production (e.g., land, water, energy, agriculture) and sustainability become increasingly urgent. What measures will be taken by Brazil, China, and India to prolong their recent surges in economic growth, what will their priorities be, and how will domestic development programs proceed in a climate of both local and global neoliberal governance? These are some of the questions to be explored in this panel session, an encounter that brings together leading scholars with extensive research backgrounds in political economy, domestic and international policy, and regional and area expertise.

Monday, 7 November 2011

Joint Statement on sharing research data to improve (global) public health


Sharing research data to improve public health: full joint statement by funders of health research

Introduction
Recent advances in information technology have revolutionised science - providing new opportunities for researchers to share data and build on one another's work. Informatics and the ability to mine large datasets and combine them with information from many other sources present a huge potential to advance developments in public health. The importance of data sharing in advancing health is becoming increasingly widely recognised, and has been strongly endorsed by the H8 group of global health organisations.
In some research fields - such as genetics and physics - data sharing is well-established and has accelerated the progress of research and its application for the public good. In public health research, however, while research collaborations are growing more common, the sharing of data is not yet the norm, even within the scientific community.
Much of the data collection that could improve public health research is expensive and time-consuming. As public and charitable funders of this research, we believe that making research data sets available to investigators beyond the original research team in a timely and responsible manner, subject to appropriate safeguards, will generate three key benefits:
  • faster progress in improving health
  • better value for money
  • higher quality science.
Each funding institution will work within its own legal and operational framework, and we are committed to working towards these goals together. We intend to establish joint working groups where appropriate. We call on governments and other actors that generate routine health service statistics and other types of public health data to adopt a similar approach.
This Statement establishes guiding principles and desired goals. It recognises that flexibility and a variety of approaches will be needed in order to balance the rights of the individuals and communities that contribute data, the investigators that design research and collect and analyse data, and the wider scientific community that might productively use data for further research.

The joint statement of purpose

Vision
We, as funders of health research, intend to work together to increase the availability to the scientific community of the research data we fund that is collected from populations for the purpose of health research (1), and to promote the efficient use of those data to accelerate improvements in public health.
Principles
Funders agree to promote greater access to and use of data in ways that are:
  • Equitable: Any approach to the sharing of data should recognise and balance the needs of researchers who generate and use data, other analysts who might want to reuse those data, and communities and funders who expect health benefits to arise from research.
  • Ethical: All data sharing should protect the privacy of individuals and the dignity of communities, while simultaneously respecting the imperative to improve public health through the most productive use of data.
  • Efficient: Any approach to data sharing should improve the quality and value of research and increase its contribution to improving public health. Approaches should be proportionate and build on existing practice and reduce unnecessary duplication and competition.
Goals
While we recognise that progress may be gradual as we develop mechanisms and resources consistent with these principles, we aim to work in concert to achieve the following.
Immediate goals
  • Data management standards support data sharing
    Standards of data management are developed, promoted and entrenched so that research data can be shared routinely, and re-used effectively.
  • Data sharing is recognized as a professional achievement
    Funders and employers of researchers recognize data management and sharing of well-managed datasets as an important professional indicator of success in research.
  • Secondary data users respect the rights of producers and add value to the data they use
    Researchers creating data sets for secondary analysis from shared primary data are expected to share those data sets and act with integrity and in line with good practice - giving due acknowledgement to the generators of the original data.
Longer-term aspirations
  • Well documented data sets are available for secondary analysis
    Data collected for health research are made available to the scientific community for analysis which adds value to existing knowledge and which leads to improvements in health.
  • Capacity to manage and analyse data is strengthened
    The research community, particularly those collecting data in developing countries, develop the capacity to manage and analyse those data locally, as well as contributing to international analysis efforts.
  • Published work and data are linked and archived
    To the extent possible, datasets underpinning research papers in peer-reviewed journals are archived and made available to other researchers in a clear and transparent manner.
  • Data sharing is sustainably resourced for the long term
    The human and technical resources and infrastructures needed to support data management, archiving and access are developed and supported for long-term sustainability.
Notes
1. The statement does not currently cover routinely collected clinical data, or public health data to which the signatories of this statement contribute no funding.

Signatories to the joint statement

The signatories have committed to further the principles and goals set out in the statement, within the context of their legal and operating frameworks.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (USA)Carolyn M Clancy, Director
Bill and Melinda Gates FoundationTachi Yamada, President - Global Health Program
Canadian Institutes of Health ResearchAlain Beaudet, President
Centres for Disease Control and PreventionThomas R Frieden, Director
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)Matthias Kleiner, President
Doris Duke Charitable FoundationEd Henry, President
Economic and Social Research Council (UK)Paul Boyle, Chief Executive
Health Research Council of New ZealandRobin Olds, Chief Executive
Health Resources and Services Administration (USA)Mary K Wakefield, Administrator
Hewlett FoundationPaul Brest, President
INSERMAndré Syrota, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman
Medical Research Council (UK)John Savill , Chief Executive
National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia)Warwick Anderson, Chief Executive Officer
National Institutes of Health (USA)Francis S Collins, Director
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (USA)Pamela S Hyde, Administrator
Wellcome TrustMark Walport, Director
The World BankTamar Manuelyan Atinc, Vice President - Human Development Network

Supporting organisations

The following organisations are supportive of the vision in the joint statement and have joined as partners in this initiative.
UNICEF
World Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is supportive of the joint statement of purpose on sharing research data to improve public health. The vision, principles and goals are aligned with our own statements on data sharing as set out in the WHO strategy on research for health [PDF], the Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health Innovation and Intellectual Property [PDF] and the Call for Action on Health Data made by WHO and seven other Global Health Agencies. WHO will work with this group of research funders to promote greater access to and use of data in ways that are equitable, ethical and efficient.
Chief Scientist Office (Scotland)

Creative Commons

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

WHO Europe: Inequalities in health system performance and their social determinants in Europe


Interactive Atlases and other resources!   Jump here

Inequalities in health system performance and their social determinants in Europe

Inequalities in health are increasing in Europe. They exist between population groups within the same country and between countries across the European region. These inequalities lead to increased vulnerabilities in populations as well as increased differences in health behaviours and outcomes between population groups (whether measured by education, income, or employment). At the same time, there is a trend in a number of countries to devolve more responsibility for health systems to the regional levels. 
As a result there is increased demand by policy makers for health information at regional level and for knowledge on the options for addressing socially determined health inequalities.  In particular how health system policies and their outcomes in various settings impact on inequalities and what actions can be taken to improve health equity.  
As a response, the WHO/Europe undertook the “Inequalities in health system performance and social determinants in Europe – tools for assessment and information sharing” project as a joint action with the European Commission. The focus of this action was on providing policy makers with practical tools and resources for building know-how and capacity for effective action on socially determined health inequalities (SDHI) with a particular focus on health systems actions.
There were two components: the first one was concerned with developing a set of interactive atlases as a tool to improve the evidence base for identifying and analysing social inequalities in health, in particular by recognizing regional patterns suggesting common determinants and focus for cost-effective interventions. The second component was concerned with the development of a range of resources to enable countries to take action to address socially determined health inequalities including: a web-based resource with examples of actions to address socially determined health inequalities.
Here you will find information and access about the project, its process and outcomes, which combine into a unique resource of information and evidence on health inequalities in Europe.

World Conference: Case studies on social determinants of health

World Conference on Social Determinants of Health, Rio Oct 19 -21, 2011

http://www.who.int/sdhconference/en/




Case studies on social determinants of health   

The following case studies were commissioned by WHO Regional Offices for the World Conference on Social Determinants of Health. The case studies present successful examples of policy action aiming to reduce health inequities, covering a wide range of issues, including conditional cash transfers, gender-based violence, tuberculosis programmes and maternal and child health.
The case studies were written by individual experts and are being circulated as draft background papers to inform discussions at the conference. They represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views, policies, or decisions of WHO or the governments of the countries where the case studies are set.
  • Brazil
    pdf, 978kb

    The Brazilian experience with conditional cash transfers: a successful way to reduce inequity and to improve health
  • United States of America
    pdf, 1.05Mb

    How can we get the 'social determinants of health' message on the public policy and public health agenda?
  • Solomon Islands
    pdf, 836kb

    Gender-based violence in Solomon Islands: Translating research into action on the social determinants of health
  • Republic of Kiribati
    pdf, 831kb

    Measuring and responding to gender-based violence in the Pacific: Action on gender inequality as a social determinant of health
  • Viet Nam
    pdf, 937kb

    Gender-based violence in Viet Nam: Strengthening the response by measuring and acting on social determinants of health
  • Australia
    pdf, 1.23Mb

    Health in All Policies: South Australia's country case study on action on the social determinants of health
  • WHO Western Pacific region
    pdf, 891kb

    Addressing social determinants of health through tuberculosis control programmes in Western Pacific Region
  • Malaysia
    pdf, 1.47Mb

    Health in All Policies: The Primary Health Care Approach in Malaysia. 50 years experience in addressing social determinants of health through Intersectoral Action for Health
  • India
    pdf, 888kb

    India's country experience in addressing social exclusion in maternal and child health
  • India
    pdf, 771kb

    Effective social determinants of health approach in India through community mobilization
  • Thailand
    pdf, 915kb

    Health systems, public health programmes and social determinants of health
  • Egypt
    pdf, 819kb

    Social participation in Egypt: Civil society's former experience and new opportunities
  • Morocco
    pdf, 761kb

    Social determinants and health equity in Morocco
  • United States of America
    pdf, 764kb

    A national partnership for action to end health disparities in the United States of America
  • Australia
    pdf, 732kb

    Supporting public policy and action on the social determinants of health by providing evidence through the Social Health Atlases of Australia
  • Cambodia
    pdf, 776kb

    Gender as a social determinant of health: Gender analysis of the health sector in Cambodia
  • WHO Western Pacific region
    pdf, 1.11Mb

    Gender mainstreaming in emerging disease surveillance and response
  • Iran
    pdf, 845kb

    School Pupil Policy Officer (Hamyare Police) - A national initiative based on social participation to improve road safety
  • Jordan
    pdf, 666kb

    National commitment to action on social determinants of health in Jordan: Addressing obesity
  • Namibia
    pdf, 2.46Mb

    Report on country experience: A multi-sectoral response to combat the polio outbreak in Namibia
  • Rwanda
    pdf, 1.75Mb

    Community performance-based financing in health: Incentivizing mothers and community health workers to improve maternal health outcomes in Rwanda
  • Uganda
    pdf, 718kb

    Social determinants of health: Food fortification to reduce micronutrient deficiency in Uganda - Strengthening the National Food Fortification Programm
  • Kenya
    pdf, 2.01Mb

    The national deworming programme: Kenya's experience
  • Zimbabwe
    pdf, 857kb

    Intersectoral actions in response to cholera in Zimbabwe: From emergency response to institution building
  • Brazil
    pdf, 2.01Mb

    The Green Area of Morro da Policia: Health practitioners working with communities to tackle the social determinants of health
  • Chile
    pdf, 1.74Mb

    Steps towards the health equity agenda in Chile
  • Pakistan
    pdf, 1.03Mb

    Heartfile Health Financing: Striving to achieve health equity in Pakistan
  • Costa Rica
    pdf, 766kb

    Impact of long term policies based on social determinants of health: The Costa Rican experience