Successful governance reform and its consequences: How the historical drive for shorter meetings and more time efficiency reverberates in contemporary World Health Assemblies
Journal
Global Health Governance
ISSN-Digital
1939-2389
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2017
Author(s)
Abstract
The paper argues the working methods of the World Health Assembly (WHA) have been a recurrent object of reform discussions and that the vision that WHAs should become shorter has been a constant driver for them. It shows also how the vision of shorter WHAs was turned into reality and to what extent the consequences of these past reforms still reverberate today. With a view to the current debates, the paper suggests contemporary WHAs cannot be understood without considering past practices, and that some present problems are the (un)intended consequence of previous reforms. The paper concludes that reform is an inherent element of WHO governance: this kind of “self-reflection” will continue to be a time-consuming assignment for decision-makers also after the seventieth anniversary of the organization.
Language
English
Keywords
organizational reform
World Health Organization
World Health Assembly
time efficiency
ethnography
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SEPS - Global Democratic Governance
Refereed
Yes
Volume
11
Number
1
Start page
40
End page
56
Eprints ID
265838
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Eckl.2017_Successful.Governance.Reform.and.Its.Consequences.pdf
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Format
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