This class explores the politics of global public health.  As political scientists, we are interested in controversies as they arise around issues such as the control of infectious diseases, the use of vaccines, research on vulnerable populations, and the division of public and private responsibility for “lifestyle” diseases.  We are also interested in what political conditions lead to effective, broad-based public interventions in population health as measured by variables such as infant mortality.  Our inquiry is global in the sense that we will study these issues in the context of developing and developed countries and consider the role of international actors.  We are interested in what governments and international organizations can and ought to do about public health problems.