Latin America is presently the epicentre of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Infection rates and numbers of deaths are rising, placing severe pressure on health systems, as well the economies, politics and social fabric of many countries. The panel will discuss how government policy in the region has responded to the pandemic – both the successes and failures in terms of vector control, but also impacts – the lessons that might have been learned from previous epidemics, the importance of pharmaceutical innovation, trust and institutional resilience.
Ken Shadlen is Professor of Development Studies and Head of Department in the Department of International Development. His research has addressed global and cross-national politics of intellectual property (IP), especially in relation to pharmaceutical patents which resulted in his book Coalitions and Compliance: The Political Economy of Pharmaceutical Patents in Latin America (Oxford, 2017). He is presently leading a project entitled ‘Brazil's Fight Against Hepatitis C: Surveillance, Control, and Care’, with Fundação Oswaldo Cruz and Fundação Getúlio Vargas (http://www.lse.ac.uk/lacc/research/brazils-fight-against-hepatitis-c-surveillance-control-and-care). Ken speaking about Covid-19 and patents can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H3eXHbRBn0
Clare Wenham (@clarewenham) is Assistant Professor of Global Health Policy and member of the LSE Global Health Initiative. Her work mostly falls in the cross-over between global health and international relations focusing on global health security and global health governance. Recent research has concentrated on Zika, Ebola, and more broadly, on the governance structures of the global health landscape and global disease control. Clare is currently leading a Wellcome Trust funded project exploring the intersections between Zika, regulation and women’s access to medical abortion in Brazil, Colombia and El Salvador, and a Grand Challenges initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on ‘Gender Norms in Vector Control Programmes: Sharing Experiences Between Africa and Brazil’ (http://www.lse.ac.uk/lacc/news/lacc-to-conduct-research-on-gender-norms-in-mosquito-control-programmes). Clare has publicised in The Lancet, is regularly in the media and has a video in the LSE LACC series (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va_H-H6KX7E).
Helen Yaffe (@HelenYaffe) is a Visiting Fellow at the LSE Latin America and Caribbean Centre and a Lecturer in Economic and Social History in the University of Glasgow. Helen’s research has mostly focused on Cuba, and lead most recently to her book We are Cuba! How a Revolutionary People Have Survived in a Post-Soviet World (Yale University Press, 2020). She has written widely on scientific and medical innovation, a record that has resulted in Cuba having a better record at tackling Covid-19 than most other countries in the region. Her writing on Covid-19 has appeared in Le Monde Diplomatque (https://mondediplo.com/outsidein/cuban-medical-covid), Counterpunch (https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/04/10/cuban-medical-science-in-the-service-of-humanity/) and LSE LACC (https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/latamcaribbean/2020/03/18/cuba-and-coronavirus-how-cuban-biotech-came-to-combat-covid-19/)
Gareth A Jones is Director of the LSE Latin America and Caribbean Centre and Professor of Urban Geography in the Department of Geography and Environment.
Karina Rodriguez is the Student Leader for this geographic session. She is currently completing her Masters in Public Administration at LSE.
The Latin America and Caribbean Centre (@LSE_LACC) is the focal point for LSE research and engagement with the region. Further details of our Research Programme, Events, Blog and People. The Centre has created a COVID-19 Portal that collates research, videos and blogs on the pandemic, and the impacts on the region and how policy-makers have or might respond.
The Institute of Global Affairs (@LSEIGA) aims to maximise the impact of LSE's leading expertise across the social sciences by shaping inclusive and locally-rooted responses to the most important and pressing global challenges.
The School of Public Policy (@LSEPublicPolicy) is an international community where ideas and practice meet. Our approach creates professionals with the ability to analyse, understand and resolve the challenges of contemporary governance.
This event is part of the Maryam Forum Launch: "From Rulership to Leadership: Early Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic".
View the full programme here.
The Maryam Forum is a new multi-year platform aiming to encourage the shift towards evidence-informed, transparent, accountable and inclusive leadership. Introduced on the global stage in Davos during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in January 2020, Maryam Forum is a collaboration between policy makers, academics, business leaders and media that engages the LSE across departments and disciplines. Together with our students – the leaders of tomorrow – we will convene Maryam Co-Labs, leading up to our first annual Global Conference in December. From climate change, health crises and other global emergencies, to industrial policy, populism and migration, these year-round working groups will tackle the most urgent challenges of our time - providing opportunities to exchange expertise and shape solutions, and unlocking the potential for inclusive and sustainable leadership across all regions of the world.
Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSEMaryamForum
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