Epidemiological accountability: philanthropists, global health and the audit of saving lives. Issue 1 (2nd January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Reubi, David
• Is Part Of: Economy and society. Volume 47:Issue 1(2018)
• Page Start: 83
• Page End: 110
• Publication Date: 2018-01-02
• Subjects: philanthropy -- global health -- audit -- accountability -- epidemiology -- metrics; Economics -- Sociological aspects -- Periodicals; Economics -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Periodicals; 300
• DOI: 10.1080/03085147.2018.1433359
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0308-5147

Abstract

Abstract: There have been concerns about the recent private turn and re-emergence of philanthropies in world health, with many worrying about philanthropies' perceived lack of transparency and accountability. In contrast, I argue that while the private turn might have led to a decline in democratic or public accountability, it did not bring an end to all forms of accountability. Specifically, I suggest that philanthropists' involvement in global health has led to the spread of another, new form of accountability: epidemiological accountability. The latter is a combination of two regimes of expertise and practices hitherto kept separate: audit and epidemiology. To substantiate this argument, I draw on my research on the Bloomberg Initiative – a global effort to reduce tobacco use spearheaded by the Bloomberg and Gates foundations.