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Tom Oliver, University of Wisconsin, troliver@wisc.edu

When the APSA conference returns to Washington, D.C. in 2010, health politics and policy will be front and center among the issues to be examined.  This past year, epidemics and economics have combined to threaten public health and the capacity of health systems at both national and international levels.  What happens to public health and health systems in hard times? 

Proposals for papers, panels, and posters addressing all perspectives on health politics and policy are welcome.  We have a strong interest in developing a program that reflects the diverse frameworks, methods, and applications of our new division members. 

In keeping with the overall conference theme, we also will be especially interested in proposals focused in the following areas: 

The first focus is the fate of the latest effort at comprehensive health care reform in the U.S.  How did the context for reform in 2008-09 compare with prior episodes of reform, with respect to the state of the health care system and state of the political system?  How did general economic turmoil and policy initiatives early in the Obama presidency affect the priority, timing, and key proposals for health care reform; overall, did reform efforts benefit or suffer from the general economic climate?  How did interest group mobilization in the form of political contributions, lobbying, and media campaigns compare to past episodes of health care reform in the U.S.?  Did the impact of the economic crisis on state budgets and health care programs have any impact on the politics or proposals in Washington?  Does the fate of health care reform alter or reinforce judgments about the capacity of U.S. political institutions to develop systemic solutions to large-scale social problems?  

A second focus is cross-national analysis of the relationship between economic security and health security.  Are health systems put under greater stress during hard economic times, and what are the responses of governments across the globe to that stress?  What types of health systems are most resilient to economic stress?  Does severe economic decline strengthen or weaken public support and commitments of political leaders for the traditional welfare state? 

A third focus is on global public health: How have national and international institutions grappled with the emergence of H1N1 flu as a potential pandemic?  Has earlier international cooperation in AIDS, SARS, avian flu and other crises produced stronger capacity to address global and regional threats to public health?  What roles do nongovernmental organizations play in public health preparedness and protection in relation to governmental agencies?