HIV/AIDS: thinking through the politics of country responses

This technical approach paper considers how politics plays a role in country response to HIV and AIDS. It argues that greater analysis of the political dimensions of these responses can and should be used to understand how and why governments respond to HIV and AIDS, and how the design and implementation of interventions can be made more effective. The paper outlines how political analysis is important and uses country examples to highlight key political issues that have significant influence on HIV and AIDS responses at country level.

Critical factors can be the legacy of a country’s political and social history and the role of a country’s political systems and institutions. Other factors include: the pattern of emerging political incentives for responding to HIV and AIDS; the basis and nature of relationships between key institutions and sectors involved in the response; and the relationship between the state, donor and non-governmental sectors. The authors concludes that if a country response is to be effective, it must reflect its political and institutional context, and that the design of HIV and AIDS programmes and implementation structures should be rooted in a broader analysis of a country’s political economy. [adapted from author]