Health Policy, Politics and Governance

Overview of the Health Policy, Politics and Governance Section Health and health care are inherently political. At a fundamental level, decisions on whether to prioritize good health are about the value that a polity ascribes to human life. More practically, safeguarding health and providing care involves opportunity costs, and decisions on who gets what, when and how. Since this implies that not all lives are valued equally, societal efforts to promote the health of some over others question the very social contract that citizens have with the modern (welfare) state. Many political scientists took notice of these questions during Covid-19, and studies of health in the field proliferated in the years which followed, focusing primarily on the pandemic. While attention faded as societies got accustomed to a new status quo, ordinary health politics remain a fruitful field of study for the discipline. Yet, there remains a dearth of attention to health and healthcare within the political science scholarship. The purpose of this section is to showcase and advance political science scholarship addressing health and healthcare. The proposed panels cover a range of themes, addressing interest groups and participatory politics, corporate political activity and governance, the politics of health technology innovation, and the influence of corporate actors over health. The section is endorsed and organised by the Health Policy, Politics and Governance (Health-PPG) Research Network, newly established ECPR research network following a successful joint sessions workshop in May 2025. Each panel has an organisational lead, who is already in touch with potential panellists and will be responsible for organising the call for papers and the selection process, and a provisional chair. Description of panels 1. Interest groups in health and healthcare policy On the theme of stakeholders, interest groups, participation and policymaking, this panel will explore the governance of health and healthcare, with a focus on the actors involved and the institutional structures which shape their engagement. Health presents a particular setting for the study of interest groups and their role, as policymakers seek to balance the provision of healthcare as a human right against the resource constraints, competing priorities and advancing technologies of modern society. Papers addressing the representation, role, influence, interests and experiences of health stakeholders, as well as the mechanisms by which they are engaged in health policymaking and governance, will be invited. Organisational lead: Eleanor Brooks Chair: Olga Löblová 2. Health technologies between global markets and local health systems This panel will explore the contentions of making, regulating and using health technologies in a world impacted by financialization, trade wars, supply chain disruptions, increasing distrust in expertise, and fiscal austerity. Health technologies are understood as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, digital and artificial intelligence (AI) apps, interventions or any other medical procedures. Who are new technologies developed by? How do we know they are safe and effective? Who gets to use them? Contributions will explore the governance of innovation, the politics of regulation, the tensions health technologies create within the health care state, and other related themes. The panel will invite perspectives from political economy, regulatory politics, and science and technology studies. Organisational lead: Olga Löblová Chair: Tamara Popic 3. Health reforms, politics and public opinion On the theme of political dynamics and public opinion in the context of health reforms, this panel will explore the politics of health policy and of public opinion on healthcare issues. Health policy reforms are often highly politically contested, as governments must reconcile the goals of efficiency and fiscal sustainability with citizens’ expectations and deeply held values regarding access to care. This makes the health sector an ideal arena for studying how political actors, institutions, and discourses shape, and are shaped by, public attitudes toward healthcare. Papers examining issues such as the political drivers of health reform, the role of ideology, and partisanship, and institutions in shaping policy change, and citizens’ perceptions and attitudes toward health systems and policies will be invited. Organisational lead: Tamara Popic Chair: Eleanor Brooks 4. Corporate political activity, power and health governance This panel will focus on the influence of corporate actors over health across industries, policy domains and levels of governance, seeking to address current gaps in commercial determinants of health (CDoH) research agenda. First, it highlights innovative research beyond the ‘canonical’ health-harming, e.g. on the global plastics and pesticide sectors. Second, it will explore corporate power and political strategy at local, national, regional and global levels and the interactions and interdependencies between these. Third, it will broaden the scope of commercial actors to include analysis on ancillary actors such who provide the ideological support for corporate strategy. Finally, it seems to create connection with researchers interested in corporate actors beyond health to cross-fertilise exchange of ideas and research agendas. Organisational lead: Ben Hawkins Chair: Eleanor Brooks 5. Open track Based on our experience with the 2025 joint sessions, we propose to retain an open track, to accommodate work addressing the latest developments in the field. In the recent past events such as Covid-19, the withdrawal of US funding for global health governance, and shifts in international markets for pharmaceuticals have prompted new research efforts, opportunities for collaboration, and interest from far beyond the ‘health sphere’. With this in mind, the open track will address the pressing issue(s) of the day, either in a traditional panel, or as a roundtable discussion. Organisational lead: TBC Chair: TBC Additional activities The section will be part of a wider programmes of activities organised by the Health-PPG Network, including a Network meeting, social event, and a workshop aimed at fostering collaborations and supporting early-career researchers.