A framework of NGO inside and outside strategies in the commercial determinants of health: findings from a narrative review

Globalization and Health

Review

Sharon Friel¹  Timothy D. Johnson¹  Belinda Townsend¹  Rodney Holmes²  Rob Ralston³  Jeff Collin³  Liz Arnanz⁴  Jane Martin⁵  Katherine Cullerton⁶  Fran Baum⁷ 

[1]Australian Research Centre for Health Equity, School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

[2]Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, Canberra, Australia

[3]Global Health Policy Unit, Social Policy, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

[4]NCD Alliance, Geneva, Switzerland

[5]Obesity Policy Coalition, Melbourne, Australia

[6]School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Herston, Australia

[7]Stretton Health Equity & School of Social Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia

关键词: Commercial determinants of health;    NGO;    Civil society;    Advocacy;    Policy;    Public health;    Health policy;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12992-023-00978-x

 received in 2023-04-05, accepted in 2023-10-02,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPublic health scholarship has uncovered a wide range of strategies used by industry actors to promote their products and influence government regulation. Less is known about the strategies used by non-government organisations to attempt to influence commercial practices. This narrative review applies a political science typology to identify a suite of ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ strategies used by NGOs to attempt to influence the commercial determinants of health.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search in Web of Science, ProQuest and Scopus. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they comprised an empirical study, explicitly sought to examine ‘NGOs’, were in English, and identified at least one NGO strategy aimed at commercial and/or government policy and practice.ResultsOne hundred forty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. Eight industry sectors were identified: extractive, tobacco, food, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, weapons, textiles and asbestos, and a small number of general studies. We identified 18 types of NGO strategies, categorised according to the target (i.e. commercial actor or government actor) and type of interaction with the target (i.e. inside or outside). Of these, five NGO ‘inside’ strategies targeted commercial actors directly: 1) participation in partnerships and multistakeholder initiatives; 2) private meetings and roundtables; 3) engaging with company AGMs and shareholders; 4) collaborations other than partnerships; and 5) litigation. ‘Outside’ strategies targeting commercial actors through the mobilisation of public opinion included 1) monitoring and reporting; 2) protests at industry sites; 3) boycotts; 4) directly engaging the public; and 5) creative use of alternative spaces. Four NGO ‘inside’ strategies directly targeting government actors included: 1) lobbying; 2) drafting legislation, policies and standards; 3) providing technical support and training; and 4) litigation. NGO ‘outside’ strategies targeting government included 1) protests and public campaigns; 2) monitoring and reporting; 3) forum shifting; and 4) proposing and initiating alternative solutions. We identified three types of NGO impact: substantive, procedural, and normative.ConclusionThe analysis presents a matrix of NGO strategies used to target commercial and government actors across a range of industry sectors. This framework can be used to guide examination of which NGO strategies are effective and appropriate, and which conditions enable NGO influence.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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