{"id":11163,"date":"2024-06-13T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-12T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/?p=11163"},"modified":"2024-06-21T16:19:28","modified_gmt":"2024-06-21T06:19:28","slug":"who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"WHO and COVID-19: Stress testing the boundary of science and politics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/tag\/sara-davies\/\">SARA E DAVIES<\/a> AND SOPHIE HARMAN  |  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Specialised agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) stress the importance of impartiality and independence to secure state compliance and support for their institutional mandate. For functionalists, separating scientific expertise from politics is beneficial for states and institutions aiming to prioritise knowledge over politics. However, in extreme crises, states tend to prioritise national interests. Specialised agencies then face the dilemma of whether to reinforce the separation between science and politics during a crisis to maintain their authority. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged this functional arrangement in international relations, where scientific credibility can aid global governance. <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/epdf\/10.1177\/00471178241248548\">Our recent article<\/a> examines why, during a crisis, WHO leadership insisted on upholding the boundary between science and politics, even when others saw politics affecting impartiality and independence. It does so by analysing the governance processes and technical expertise led by the WHO in investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emphasising science alone overlooked the politics, particularly in the origins investigation in China. We argue that while the urge to enforce boundaries may intensify in crises, attempts to separate politics from science during such times undermine the effectiveness and reputation of specialised technical agencies. It is more practical to reveal how political conditions compromise scientific independence and impartiality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the challenging interplay between science and politics, particularly for specialised agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO, entrusted with the impartial provision of health advice and information, relies on a clear boundary between scientific expertise and political interests to ensure state compliance and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Historically, this boundary has been pivotal in promoting a knowledge-driven approach to global health governance, as exemplified by the International Health Regulations (IHR). The IHR mandates member states to report public health emergencies and collaborate with WHO for verification and technical assistance. This regulatory framework aims to uphold scientific integrity and foster international cooperation during health crises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the COVID-19 pandemic has tested this functional arrangement. The WHO&#8217;s investigation into the origins of COVID-19 in China highlighted the difficulties in maintaining the boundary between science and politics. While the WHO leadership aimed to preserve scientific impartiality, the investigation became entangled in geopolitical tensions, raising questions about the agency&#8217;s independence and credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the pandemic, the WHO had to navigate complex political landscapes while trying to uphold scientific principles. Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO COVID-19 Technical Lead, underscored this challenge when she emphasised focusing on the scientific work despite political pressures. This scenario reflects a broader tension in global health governance: the ideal of scientific cooperation often clashes with national interests and political incentives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The WHO&#8217;s experience demonstrates that while scientific expertise is crucial, it cannot be entirely isolated from political contexts, especially during global emergencies. Effective global health governance requires a nuanced approach that recognises and navigates the intersection of science and politics, ensuring transparency and trust among states and the public. This balance is essential for the credibility and success of international health agencies in addressing future global health challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The challenge for the WHO and similar specialised agencies is to strike a balance that ensures transparency and trust among states and the public. This balance is essential for the credibility and success of international health agencies in addressing future global health challenges. As the WHO navigates these complexities, it must adapt its strategies to maintain scientific integrity while acknowledging the political realities that shape global health governance. This nuanced approach is crucial for fostering effective international cooperation and safeguarding public health on a global scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"author label wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>AUTHORS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Professor Sara E Davies is a member of&nbsp; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.griffith.edu.au\/asia-institute\">Griffith Asia Institute<\/a> and Sophie Harman is from Queen Mary University of London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please click here to access the full journal article titled \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/epdf\/10.1177\/00471178241248548\">WHO and COVID-19: stress testing the boundary of science and politics<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SARA E DAVIES AND SOPHIE HARMAN | Specialised agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) stress the importance of impartiality and independence to secure state compliance and support for their institutional mandate. For functionalists, separating scientific expertise from politics is beneficial for states and institutions aiming to prioritise knowledge over politics. However, in extreme crises, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":11164,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2064,2142,234,245,1731],"tags":[1087,1296,2211,1477,449],"class_list":["post-11163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-governance-and-diplomacy","category-journal-article","category-publication","category-china-and-north-east-asia","category-sdg16","tag-covid-19","tag-sara-davies","tag-sophie-harman","tag-who","tag-world-health-organization"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Jill Moriarty","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>WHO and COVID-19: Stress testing the boundary of science and politics | Griffith Asia Insights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SARA E DAVIES AND SOPHIE HARMAN | Specialised agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) stress the importance of impartiality and independence to\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WHO and COVID-19: Stress testing the boundary of science and politics | Griffith Asia Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SARA E DAVIES AND SOPHIE HARMAN | Specialised agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) stress the importance of impartiality and independence to\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Griffith Asia Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/griffithasiainstitute\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-12T22:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-21T06:19:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/covid-stress-test.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Griffith Asia Institute\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GAIGriffith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GAIGriffith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Griffith Asia Institute\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a\"},\"headline\":\"WHO and COVID-19: Stress testing the boundary of science and politics\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-12T22:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-21T06:19:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":647,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/covid-stress-test.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Covid-19\",\"Sara Davies\",\"Sophie Harman\",\"WHO\",\"World Health Organization\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Governance and diplomacy\",\"Journal article\",\"Publications\",\"Region | China and Northeast Asia\",\"SDG 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\\\/\",\"name\":\"WHO and COVID-19: Stress testing the boundary of science and politics | Griffith Asia Insights\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/covid-stress-test.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-12T22:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-21T06:19:28+00:00\",\"description\":\"SARA E DAVIES AND SOPHIE HARMAN | Specialised agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) stress the importance of impartiality and independence to\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/covid-stress-test.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/covid-stress-test.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":500},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"WHO and COVID-19: Stress testing the boundary of science and politics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Insights\",\"description\":\"Asia Insights is published by the Griffith Asia Institute. It offers latest commentary on Asia-Pacific affairs and aims to inform and foster academic scholarship, public awareness and considered and responsive policy making.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2023\\\/10\\\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1\",\"width\":2930,\"height\":308,\"caption\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/griffithasiainstitute\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/GAIGriffith\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a\",\"name\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Griffith Asia Institute\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\\\/asiainsights\\\/author\\\/gaigriffith-edu-au\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"WHO and COVID-19: Stress testing the boundary of science and politics | Griffith Asia Insights","description":"SARA E DAVIES AND SOPHIE HARMAN | Specialised agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) stress the importance of impartiality and independence to","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"WHO and COVID-19: Stress testing the boundary of science and politics | Griffith Asia Insights","og_description":"SARA E DAVIES AND SOPHIE HARMAN | Specialised agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) stress the importance of impartiality and independence to","og_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/","og_site_name":"Griffith Asia Insights","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/griffithasiainstitute\/","article_published_time":"2024-06-12T22:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-06-21T06:19:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/covid-stress-test.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Griffith Asia Institute","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@GAIGriffith","twitter_site":"@GAIGriffith","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Griffith Asia Institute","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/"},"author":{"name":"Griffith Asia Institute","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/person\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a"},"headline":"WHO and COVID-19: Stress testing the boundary of science and politics","datePublished":"2024-06-12T22:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-21T06:19:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/"},"wordCount":647,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/covid-stress-test.jpg","keywords":["Covid-19","Sara Davies","Sophie Harman","WHO","World Health Organization"],"articleSection":["Governance and diplomacy","Journal article","Publications","Region | China and Northeast Asia","SDG 16 Peace, justice and strong institutions"],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/","name":"WHO and COVID-19: Stress testing the boundary of science and politics | Griffith Asia Insights","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/covid-stress-test.jpg","datePublished":"2024-06-12T22:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-21T06:19:28+00:00","description":"SARA E DAVIES AND SOPHIE HARMAN | Specialised agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) stress the importance of impartiality and independence to","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/covid-stress-test.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/covid-stress-test.jpg","width":900,"height":500},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/who-and-covid-19-stress-testing-the-boundary-of-science-and-politics\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"WHO and COVID-19: Stress testing the boundary of science and politics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/","name":"Griffith Asia Insights","description":"Asia Insights is published by the Griffith Asia Institute. It offers latest commentary on Asia-Pacific affairs and aims to inform and foster academic scholarship, public awareness and considered and responsive policy making.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#organization","name":"Griffith Asia Institute","url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/10\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/10\/GU_Griffith-Asia-Institute_rgb_red_horizontal.png?fit=2930%2C308&ssl=1","width":2930,"height":308,"caption":"Griffith Asia Institute"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/griffithasiainstitute\/","https:\/\/x.com\/GAIGriffith"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/#\/schema\/person\/8121b8aa336749474cbaca380c03029a","name":"Griffith Asia Institute","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f133de65681da3b20ddbc1917f066f458d355d7dfa1f214b10ff4bd135d5ab6c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Griffith Asia Institute"},"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/author\/gaigriffith-edu-au\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/covid-stress-test.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7611,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/covid-19-has-disrupted-data-collection-as-well\/","url_meta":{"origin":11163,"position":0},"title":"COVID-19 has disrupted data collection as well\u2026","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"14 July 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"ANGELINE ROHOIA | Prior to COVID-19, gathering and compiling economic data was burdensome in the Solomon Islands. Coupled with the lack of political commitment to adequately resource national institutions responsible for collection and dissemination of economic data, the outbreak of COVID-19 and the scale down of the government\u2019s workforce to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Office empty due to COVID-19","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/07\/pacific-covid-data-disruption-900x500-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/07\/pacific-covid-data-disruption-900x500-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/07\/pacific-covid-data-disruption-900x500-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/07\/pacific-covid-data-disruption-900x500-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10227,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/privatising-poverty-series-part-9-financial-inclusion-the-money-pump-of-market-based-development-and-poverty-reduction\/","url_meta":{"origin":11163,"position":1},"title":"Privatising Poverty Series Part 10: \u00a0Financial inclusion\u2013\u2013the money pump of market-based development and poverty reduction","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"2 November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"RON BEVACQUA\u00a0 |\u00a0 This blog series has traced the history of the idea that promoting entrepreneurship and innovation is the key to unlocking economic growth and reducing poverty. As we have seen, it is distinctly American in its conceptualisation: forged in an economic context of the first advanced economy to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Financial inclusion\u2013\u2013the money pump of market-based development and poverty reduction","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/privatising-poverty-10.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/privatising-poverty-10.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/privatising-poverty-10.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/privatising-poverty-10.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8944,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/covid-19-is-changing-financial-inclusion-can-policymakers-keep-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":11163,"position":2},"title":"COVID-19 is changing financial inclusion: Can policymakers keep up?","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"21 February 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"SHAWN HUNTER AND PETER ROSENKRANZ | The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the importance of ensuring that the poorest and most vulnerable people have access to formal financial services, given their role in supporting inclusive economic recovery and resilience. With demand for digital services skyrocketing during the pandemic, the Asia-Pacific region\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Feature series&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Feature series","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/feature-series\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/financial-inclusion-900x500-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/financial-inclusion-900x500-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/financial-inclusion-900x500-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/financial-inclusion-900x500-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":381,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/being-political-leadership-and-democracy-in-the-pacific-islands\/","url_meta":{"origin":11163,"position":3},"title":"Being political: Leadership and democracy in the Pacific Islands","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"3 March 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Griffith Asia Institute Featured Publication Purchase the book from University of Hawai\u2019i Press Written by Dr Jack Corbett Politicians everywhere tend to attract cynicism and inspire disillusionment. They are supposed to epitomize the promise of democratic government and yet invariably find themselves cast as the enemy of every virtue that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Region-PNG and the Pacific&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Region-PNG and the Pacific","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/png-and-the-pacific\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Being-Political-book.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Being-Political-book.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Being-Political-book.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/11\/Being-Political-book.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7271,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/weekly-pacific-bulletin-21\/","url_meta":{"origin":11163,"position":4},"title":"Weekly Pacific Bulletin","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"13 May 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"TESS NEWTON CAIN\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0 Tensions in Port Moresby Tensions in Port Moresby rose after a senior police officer was killed by off duty members of the PNG Defence Force. Senior Inspector Andrew Tovere was attacked by drunk off duty soldiers whilst seeking to enforce a ban on sale of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Coronavirus in the Pacific&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Coronavirus in the Pacific","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/feature-series\/coronavirus-in-the-pacific\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pacific Outlook","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/11\/pacific-outlook-map-banner-900x500.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9943,"url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/whether-on-russia-or-china-clearly-baerbock-is-driving-germanys-change\/","url_meta":{"origin":11163,"position":5},"title":"Whether on Russia or China, clearly Baerbock is driving Germany\u2019s change","author":"Griffith Asia Institute","date":"1 September 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"IAN KEMISH AM\u00a0 | Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock\u2019s address to the Lowy Institute this week\u00a0highlighted\u00a0the significant changes in German foreign and security stance over the last 18 months, especially when it comes to dealing with authoritarian states. It was quite unlike any of the politicians\u2019 speeches I sat through as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/category\/publication\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Annalena Baerbock Wahlkampfh\u00f6hepunkt D\u00fcsseldorf, September 2021","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Annalena-Baerbock.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Annalena-Baerbock.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Annalena-Baerbock.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/08\/Annalena-Baerbock.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"featured_image_thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/covid-stress-test.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}