Governing Towards ‘One Health’: Establishing Knowledge Integration in Global Health Security Governance
| Published date | 01 November 2017 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12505 |
| Author | John Connolly |
| Date | 01 November 2017 |
Governing Towards ‘One Health’: Establishing
Knowledge Integration in Global Health
Security Governance
John Connolly
University of the West of Scotland
Abstract
Recent global threats (e.g. Ebola, avian influenza, the Zika virus) have demonstrated the need for policy makers to focus on
the detection of risks at the animal-human interface. Yet epistemic knowledge across these domains is not sufficiently joined-
up. The article argues that, despite some progress, in order for the policy agenda for global health security to develop towards
a‘One Health’model there is a need for integration across public and animal health domains. This article sets out an evalua-
tion framework for establishing knowledge integration across these sectors. The article concludes that although ‘One Health
may seem utopian, given there are key challenges when it comes to reaching integration, there are important steps that can
be taken the short to medium-term. These include reforms to education and training programmes and interdisciplinary
research collaborations. A key determinant of whether One Health becomes a paradigm which frames public policy, and leads
to policy and institutional changes to enable public value creation and sustainability, is the presence of an ‘epistemic commu-
nity’that bridges health networks.
Policy Implications
•Recognise the need for cross-policy sector collaboration: in order to address the acute vulnerabilities of the spread of dis-
ease and pandemics (e.g. influenza, SARS and Ebola) the establishment of a ‘One Health’policy model for health security
governance, coupled with the development of public health capacities and the breaking down of disciplinary silos, is
required.
•The need for strategic leadership and networking: there are strategic leadership opportunities for the World Health Organ-
isation (WHO) to shape its organisational identity in order to become one of a network-builder, ‘metagovernor’and advo-
cate for One Health in order to shape global health security policy responses.
•The need to invest in evaluation: national agencies and international organisations need to continually invest in evaluation
to establish progress towards One Health. This article sets out an evaluation framework for establishing knowledge inte-
gration across these sectors.
•Interdisciplinary training and education: there is a need to embed One Health education within university/professional
education and training programmes. Integrated training across medical and veterinary fields is essential to enable the inte-
gration of knowledge across professional communities.
There is a lot of discussion right now about how do
we respond to an emergency, how do we ensure
that the regulatory, liability and organisational
boundaries do not slow us down. (Bill Gates, 2016
1
)
Recent transnational disease outbreaks such as Ebola, severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), avian influenza, swine
flu, and the Zika virus have all demonstrated that diseases
do not respect borders and that crisis management strate-
gies require a multi-sectoral and multi-lateral response.
Wicked problems come in various forms but a significant
contemporary wicked problem for policy makers concerns
how to manage disease threats at the animal-human inter-
face. Managing such diseases is a complex process that is
underpinned by uncertainty, high risk and requires govern-
mental resilience (Brassett et al., 2013). The failure to
effectively manage the wicked problem of disease-induced
crises can result in major costs for society (Connolly, 2015;
2016; Geuijen et al., 2016; Head, 2008; Weber and Khade-
mian, 2008). The UK Economic and Social Research Council
(ESRC) have highlighted the significant societal costs which
emerge from the outbreaks of animal diseases (which inter-
face with public health):
Zoonoses are diseases capable of passing from ani-
mals to humans and are estimated to have cost
more than $20 billion in direct costs globally
between 2000–2010, with a further $200 billion in
indirect costs. As well as threatening human and ani-
mal health, zoonoses affect livestock production,
causing economic and social harm to communities
in developed and developing countries. (ESRC, 2014)
Global Policy (2017) 8:4 doi: 10.1111/1758-5899.12505 ©2017 University of Durham and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Global Policy Volume 8 . Issue 4 . November 2017 483
Research Article
To continue reading
Request your trial