Overlapping Institutions and Developing State Health Policy.

The ability of health related crises to affect global populations, global markets and security, has created numerous linkages between health and other issues. As a result, cooperation and authority over health policy is highly fragmented. This fragmentation of health policy across multiple areas of international cooperation, pose a significant challenge for developing states attempting to address health crises. Little research has been done addressing the impact of overlapping institutional authority and it is unclear if the benefits of coordination in the areas of trade and conflict are maintained in health policy or if such benefits are constrained as a result of overlapping authority among multiple institutions. In addition to addressing the conceptual and theoretical aspects of overlapping authority, this paper uses data from HIV/AIDS programs within developing states to examine the effect of overlapping institutions. Using a large-N analysis as well as a detailed case study, this paper reveals that obligations to multiple international institutions constrains developing states ability to create and implement health policies and negates expected benefits of international cooperation within domestic level health policy. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]