Exploring the policy dynamics of global antimicrobial resistance

This project analyzes the political dynamics that prevent antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from gaining greater traction on the global policy agenda. While around 700,000 deaths per year can be attributed to AMR, concerted transnational initiatives to combat the threat have been few and far between. By comparing the transnational initiatives to curb the spread of AMR to those of a similar transnational crisis, namely climate change, this project answers two interrelated question: (i) why are we only now experiencing a sudden surge in global policy interest in AMR and (ii) why does this interest not result in treaties with binding obligations and quantifiable targets. The hypothesis is that while we are currently experiencing successful science-led agenda setting by the WHO, actual policy formulation and international coordination are trailing behind, unlike in the 1990s when global interest and formalized treaties to prevent climate change went hand-in-hand.

AMR