Transnational Transparency: Why Does it Matter for Global Health?

This paper by Suerie Moon (Harvard Global Health Institute and Harvard School of Public Health) argues that transparency is critical for global health by offering three illustrations: closed-door negotiations over trade agreements, which can contain provisions that are harmful for public health; the secretive investor-state dispute settlement processes of the global investment regime, which can tie the hands of governments to regulate for health; and pharmaceutical R&D, where lack of transparency can lead to skewed information on drug safety and efficacy, and provide a justification for unaffordable pricing.