Global Health Law in Context

This course will provide an overview of the regulatory and legal aspects that govern and shape global health, including both hard and soft law instruments. Many reforms and innovations in global health law have occurred in response to crisis and advocacy (such as the Doha Declaration, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the PIP Framework). Yet, not all instruments have been equally effective in achieving their goals.  The course will examine how these legal instruments shape global health and responses to disease as well as the context in which these reforms arose and will critically consider these instruments in their political context to understand how different interests have shaped the effectiveness and impact of law on global health.  Topics covered would include: human rights, justice and global health, pandemic response (the international health regulations and the pandemic influenza preparedness framework), corporate power, trade law and global health (including the TRIPS Agreement and tobacco control), non-communicable diseases and law (including the framework convention on tobacco control and the international code on breastmilk substitutes), equity and the ongoing pandemic accord negotiations, and using global health law to address rising threats such as antimicrobial resistance and climate change. Through lectures, case studies, and critical discussions, students will gain foundational knowledge, assess the impact and limitations of global health laws, and develop skills for identifying areas for reform and advocacy.

This course aims to give students 1) an overview and foundational understanding of key global health law instruments and how they operate 2) a critical understanding of the shortcomings and strengths of the instruments and 3) the ability to identify areas for reform and advocacy efforts to improve global health outcomes. Readings for this course will consist of interdisciplinary global health law scholarship, legal scholarship and public health policy research.