Gatekeeping Global Health Partnerships

Abstract Gatekeeping Global Health Partnerships investigates why public-private partnerships (PPPs) emerge to address some global health issues but not others. It argues that civil society organizations (CSOs) play a crucial role in shaping these outcomes by influencing whether other types of actors—international organizations, states, and private actors—consider partnerships legitimate and desirable. The volume develops a theory of multistakeholder interactions, showing that PPPs are more likely to arise when CSOs advocate for the provision of specific goods, such as medicines, rather than for regulatory measures. Drawing on an original dataset of 124 partnerships, it combines network visualization, qualitative text analysis, and comparative case studies of HIV/AIDS, neglected tropical diseases, nutrition, and non-communicable diseases. Through a mixed-method approach, the volume demonstrates how CSOs can both facilitate and block PPP formation, offering new insights into the politics of global health governance.