Boundaries of Contagion

How Ethnic Politics Have Shaped Government Responses to AIDS
Erscheinungsjahr 2009
ISBN: 978-0-691-14019-3
Verlag: Princeton University Press

Buch, Englisch, 368 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 626 g

Why have governments responded to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in such different ways? During the past quarter century, international agencies and donors have disseminated vast resources and a set of best practice recommendations to policymakers around the globe. Yet the governments of developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean continue to implement widely varying policies. Boundaries of Contagion is the first systematic, comparative analysis of the politics of HIV/AIDS. The book explores the political challenges of responding to a stigmatized condition, and identifies ethnic boundaries--the formal and informal institutions that divide societies--as a central influence on politics and policymaking. Evan Lieberman examines the ways in which risk and social competition get mapped onto well-institutionalized patterns of ethnic politics. Where strong ethnic boundaries fragment societies into groups, the politics of AIDS are more likely to involve blame and shame-avoidance tactics against segments of the population. In turn, government leaders of such countries respond far less aggressively to the epidemic. Lieberman's case studies of Brazil, South Africa, and India--three developing countries that face significant AIDS epidemics--are complemented by statistical analyses of the policy responses of Indian states and over seventy developing countries. The studies conclude that varied patterns of ethnic competition shape how governments respond to this devastating problem. The author considers the implications for governments and donors, and the increasing tendency to identify social problems in ethnic terms.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lieberman, Evan

Lieberman, Evan S.

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Invalidität, Krankheit und Abhängigkeit: Soziale Aspekte
• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Medizin, Gesundheitswesen Epidemiologie, Medizinische Statistik
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Arbeit/Sozialpädagogik Resozialisierung
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Regierungspolitik
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Gewalt und Diskriminierung: Soziale Aspekte
• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Medizin, Gesundheitswesen Medizinische Mathematik & Informatik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Illustrations ix

Abbreviations xi

Preface xiii

Chapter One: Introduction 1

The Puzzle Of Explaining Government Policy 5

AIDS as a Laboratory for Comparison: Politics in Really Hard Times 10

Outline of the Book 18

Chapter Two: A Theory of Boundary Politics and Alternative Explanations 25

Ethnic Boundaries 28

The Effect of Boundaries on Policymaking 35

Implications for AIDS Policy 42

Additional and Alternative Explanations 50

Conclusion 59

Chapter Three: Globalization and Global Governance of AIDS: The Geneva Consensus 61

The Rise of Asymmetric Global Health Governance 65

The Emergence of the Global Response to AIDS 72

The Content of the Geneva Consensus 86

The Limits of Consensus 106

Conclusion 107

Chapter Four: Partial and Alternative Explanations of Policy Divergence 125

The Effect of Boundary Institutions 142

Conclusion 171

Chapter Five: A Model-Testing Case Study of Strong Ethnic Boundaries and AIDS Policy in India 173

India's AIDS Epidemic 177

The Government's Response: Weak and Delayed 181

Explanation: The Role of Boundary Politics 193

Explaining Policy Variation across Indian States 220

Conclusions and Alternative Explanations 234

Chapter Six: Ethnic Boundaries and AIDS Policies around the World 239

The Data 240

Analysis and Discussion: Estimates of the Effect of Boundaries
on AIDS Policy 261

Conclusion 288

Chapter Seven: Conclusion: Ethnic Boundaries or Cosmopolitanism? 292

Implications 295

Future Research 303

References 307

Index 331