The Political Economy of Gender in Global Health: How International Actors Shape Women’s Outcomes

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the politics of global health and how international actors shape women’s outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Using a three-paper model, it consists of three separate studies that highlight the interconnectedness of gender, health, and international politics. The first paper explores the spillover effects of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) implemented in Migori, Kenya in support of the World Health Organization’s cervical cancer elimination strategy. An original follow-up survey was administered to women living in the intervention and control villages to understand the RCT’s impact on non-medical outcomes. The second paper focuses on the international politics of foreign aid for family planning and demonstrates that a country’s response to dynamics within the international arena can determine how and why countries choose to contribute to policies that target women. Specifically, it investigates the international response when the United States, the largest aid donor, withdraws funding for family planning through its Mexico City Policy, better known as the “global gag rule.” The third paper looks at foreign aid termination more broadly, and how the use of this sanction instrument by the United Nations, United States, and European Union affects women’s health and safety in the target countries. These papers employ quantitative methods on a variety of data sources, ranging from original survey data collected in rural, western Kenya, to observational data on a range of indicators for multiple countries. Taken together, these studies show that women in low- and middle-income countries are subjected to consequences that stem from the political actions of international players.