Industry Engagement: EPHA-authored chapter in the journal ’Intersectoral Governance for Health in All Policies’

Article’s brief introduction

The operating framework for public health has been changing over the last two decades in many ways: new challenges, redistribution of power and resources, external environmental and demographic pressures, as well as changes in social and behavioural norms.

Studies on global trends show the private sector is one of the major driving forces behind global environmental, economic and social changes, at the same time as increasing its venture into traditional health promotion. This creates a power environment where the actors driving unforeseen global consequences or disturbing “side effects” of consumer culture – such as the mass production of commercial products, increasing time pressures, economic crisis, climate change, poverty and growing social inequality, as well as rising life expectancy and health life years – are seen as partners to meet these challenges.

Together with the changing context, public health as a discipline and sector has also changed, and is continuing to change, with governments and the public sector actors looking for innovative ways to face modern challenges. The role of industry through the development of PPPs, and their impact on our understanding and framing of traditional and new public health questions, has become increasingly common. However, the relatively recent venture of public and private sectors in health means that their impact, relationships and governance questions are still new and to some extent uncertain.

 Read the article in its entirety at Industry engagement - By Monika Kosińska and Leonardo Palumbo (Chapter 11, pag. 185).