Research group: Global Health, Politics and Culture

11.3.1 Introduction

This is an interdisciplinary research programme, which has significant impact despite being small. The research group Global Health, Politcs and Culture seems to be very dependent on external grants.

11.3.2 Establishment and development

The research programme Global Health Politics and Culture, is a newly established group in the Centre for Development and Environment, though it has functioned and been active under LEVE (Livelihood in development countries), an interdisciplinary research programme at the University of Oslo led by a senior anthropologist in the group since 2008.

11.3.3 Task and organisation

The group identifies itself as a multidisciplinary group within the social sciences, linking in particular Medical Anthropology with political science. Its aim is to advance critical social science research on the social, cultural and political factors that shape people’s health, health systems, health policy and governance, with the focus on low- and middle-income countries.

11.3.4 Organisation, leadership and strategies

The research group is relatively small but very cohesive, facilitated by regular meetings to discuss each other’s work and make plans for the future. The group’s overall strategy is to advance social science research by publishing in leading journals and through policy output. The leadership of the programme has consisted of two senior researchers, with one new recruit, a recipient of a Young Scientist Grant, playing an increasingly important role.

11.3.5 Research personnel

The research group is relatively small, consisting of 11 members. It is cross-disciplinary, including two mid-career medical anthropologists, and one senior economist working on governance issues, one postdoc and five PhDs. Eight of the 11 members are women.

92

Training and career development take place through collaboration and mentoring in joint projects.

11.3.6 Research production and scientific quality

Given the small size of the unit, and only one tenured researcher and one fixed-term researcher, this is a productive research group. Researchers collaborate internationally and publish in both specialised journals and high-impact journals in the field.

Its main research strength is in the domain of Global Health Governance, a field in which the group has contributed to an important Lancet Commission. It has published a range of scientific output, including edited volumes, peer-reviewed articles, a special issue (with PhD students contributing) and popular articles. The group has also carried out good research on the role of NGOs in global health and immunization policies in the South, resulting from a study of focusing on immunization coverage in India and Malawi. In addition, the group has made original ethnographic contributions to the study of global health networks and institutions, as well as research on maternal health care in Burkina Faso and India.

The group includes two highly productive mid-career anthropologists (one of whom is on a fixed-term contract and one affiliated economist who combines research with institutional responsibilities).

The current research portfolio will lead to more academic output in future. More mid-career positions could improve the academic impact of the group, which now depends heavily on research done by temporary staff in PhD and postdoc positions.

11.3.7 Networking

The research group has been successful in its networking in Europe, including establishing strong ties with the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and with researchers in India and Burkina Faso. The recipient of a Young Scientist Grant has been a visiting scholar at Columbia University in the USA. The collaboration with The Lancet on the Commission on Global Governance for Health, which continued through the establishment of the Independent Panel on Global Governance for Health hosted at SUM, is a major networking success.

In Norway, the group plays a key role in bringing together social scientists interested in Global Health Research, and it has close ties with NORAD, which, through the GLOBVAC programme in the RCN, has played a significant part in enabling the establishment of the research group.

11.3.8 Interplay between research and education

The group plays a key role in the interdisciplinary master’s degree in Development, Environment and Cultural Change, and it has developed international PhD courses on themes close to its research mission. Members of the group do not play a role in BA programmes, but, given the small size of the group and its specialised nature, this is not to be expected.

11.3.9 Societal relevance and impact

The research conducted by the group is highly relevant to health policies. Much of the impact of the programmes lies in its collaboration with institutions in low and middle-income countries, who, through the studies, gain critical perspectives on global health governance. For example, the collaboration with Save the Children Norway will impact on the organisation’s policies in Norway and in the low and middle-income countries where the NGO operates. Moreover, the Lancet Commission has an impact on policymakers, and the team engages with politicians and donors in Norway. Overall, the impact is remarkable for a small research group.

93

11.3.10 Overall assessment

This relatively small research group has an impressive track record in highly relevant research. It is engaged in important international networks and has had significant societal impact. However, the panel is concerned about the viability of the group when key researchers retire or leave.

The group needs to reconsider collaboration with researchers in Norway, including with relevant departments at the University of Oslo and University of Bergen, to strengthen its programme and maximise potential synergies.

Assessment of research group: 4 – very good

11.3.11 Feedback

• The panel suggests that closer collaboration with the following relevant groups at the University of Oslo and University of Bergen could help to strengthen the programme:

o the interdisciplinary programme in Medical Anthropology, History and International Health at the Institute of Health and Society, and

o the Anthropology departments at the Universities of Bergen and Oslo.

• The panel recommends the research group develops a strategy to enhance its social impact, including communication with the general public, and the use of multimedia for knowledge transfer and dissemination.

• The University of Oslo should consider strengthening the programme with tenured mid-career positions in Medical Anthropology. This would also allow for a strengthening of the group’s academic profile, given that the group currently relies on a small group of only three mid-career/senior researchers who perform the multiple tasks assigned to this ambitious interdisciplinary programme.

94