Influencing Prescription Practices? The Role of International Agreements in Combating Antimicrobial Resistance

Do international agreements influence the behaviour of professional communities? We explore this question in the case of antimicrobial resistance—one of the most important threats to human health in the 21st century. Specifically, we study whether the Global Action Plan (GAP) on antimicrobial resistance shapes doctors’ antibiotic prescription practices. We hypothesize that mentioning the GAP—especially when it is framed as legally binding, widely implemented, or tied to national health authorities—reduces the prescription of antibiotics at risk of increasing the burden of antimicrobial resistance. Our empirical analysis utilizes a novel survey experiment with medical professionals from more than ten countries. The results illuminate how international agreements can influence the decisions of medical professionals and provide important insights into the role of global governance in fostering more responsible antibiotic stewardship worldwide.