Global health has been a crucial focus in recent years, but there are still challenges to overcome in order to truly decolonize the field. A study published in PLOS Global Public Health by Daniel Krugman from Brown University and Alice Bayingana from the University of Sydney sheds light on the need for “ruinous solidarity” from institutions in the Global North to drive this transformation.
Despite advancements in decolonizing global health scholarship, institutions from the Global North continue to dominate the field through a “soft money” structure. This financial dominance not only perpetuates the ideological power of Northern institutions but also poses challenges for shifting power to institutions in the Global South.
Krugman and Bayingana’s study delves into the ideological and financial structures at a major school of public health in the United States. Through interviews with 30 faculty members, the authors uncovered conflicting perspectives on shifting power to the Global South. While most participants supported the idea in principle, they expressed concerns about the operationalization of such a shift, particularly in terms of funding for global health programs and research.
The “soft money” system prevalent in universities, where researchers compete for grants to fund their salaries and projects, reinforces the existing power dynamics. Faculty members described how this constant pursuit of grants not only detracts from their ability to make a meaningful impact but also leads to burnout and project closures when funding priorities shift.
Despite recognizing the need to redistribute resources to the Global South, many participants expressed anxiety about the potential impact on their own livelihoods if the current grant structure were to change. Krugman and Bayingana argue that true transformation in global health requires Northern researchers and institutions to accept the possibility of losing resources in the process, highlighting the concept of “ruinous solidarity.”
The authors emphasize the importance of addressing the material structures that perpetuate inequities in global health research, rather than focusing solely on symbolic gestures of decolonization. Without significant changes to the financial systems that uphold Northern dominance, power dynamics in the field will continue to reproduce themselves.
The study, titled “Soft money, hard power: Mapping the material contingencies of change in global health academic structures,” underscores the need for elite Northern global health actors to advocate for restructuring their institutions’ financial systems. Only through tangible actions to redistribute power and resources can real change be achieved in the field of global health.
For more information on this study, you can access the full article in PLOS Global Public Health (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004622). This research sheds light on the challenges and opportunities for decolonizing global health and calls for a concerted effort to dismantle the existing power structures that hinder progress in the field.
