Researchers involved: Jan Luiten van Zanden, Gerarda Westerhuis, Elwyn Davies, Sarah Carmichael and Selin DilliÂ
This research project seeks to explain why many people in developing countries do not have access to health care provisions. This will researched by looking at the role that institutions play in the organisation of health care. Why did institutions (for organising health care) in Western Europe often work? What was the role of state, of bottom up institutions (cooperatives), of insurance schemes and of private parties? And why do institutions often not work for the poor?
The project incorporates insights both from economic history as well as the present-day practice. The historic research will focus mainly on Western Europe, which was one of the most important regions where economic institutions developed. The present-day development research will focus on practices in sub-Saharan African countries and on the technological innovations that currently take place in that region.
The project will be conducted in close cooperation with external partners PharmAccess and the Joep Lange Institute, both of which are currently involved in the actual implementation of several health care initiatives, such as providing credit and insurance to actors in the health sector. The Amsterdam Institute of Global Health & Development (AIGHD) is a leading research network on health issues globally, focusing both on medical and social-economic factors We hope that by combining the expertise of the partners in this research project, we will be able to not only contribute to the academic debate, but also to actual interventions in the field.
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