Browsing by Author "Kapilashrami, Anuj"
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Item Health systems for all in the SDG era: Key reflections based on the Liverpool statement for the fifth global symposium on health systems research(Health Policy and Planning, 2019) George, Asha; Olivier, Jill; Glandon, Douglas; Kapilashrami, Anuj; Gilson, LucyThe year 2018 marked anniversaries of several significant milestones in public health: the birth of the UK National Health Service, the Alma Ata declaration and the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. The Fifth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in Liverpool reflected on these foundational events and their significance for the maturing field of health policy and systems research (HPSR) and for our growing professional association, Health Systems Global (HSG; Text Box 1). The Symposium’s theme, Health Systems for All in the Sustainable Development Goal Era, encapsulated the spirit of those historical commitments and brought them forward into current con- texts, framing universal health coverage and beyond (5th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research, 2018). Our democracies are under threat, our societies more polarized and our ecosystems undermined. Conflict and epidemics are not given adequate political attention, and across countries gender and intersectional inequalities remain glaring. It is amidst these contexts that our histories remind us of the progressive values that underpin ideal health systems. A key aim of HSG is to strengthen health systems by combining socially relevant science with effective, accountable and inclusive institutions to guide diverse social actors on the path to health and equity. In doing so, it is critical for health policy and systems researchers and practitioners to, above all, remain undaunted in striving for the realization of our aspirational goals despite these contemporary challenges.Item Unmasking power as foundational to research on sexual and reproductive health and rights(BMJ Publishing Group, 2021) Schaaf, Marta; Kapilashrami, Anuj; George, AshaRelations of power are intrinsic to the social determinants of sexual and reproductive health (SRH); they influence the content, quality and outcomes of SRH care; and they shape the negotiation and realisation of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) more broadly. Power dynamics pervade how SRHR is understood, studied and acted on, in ways that are distinct from other health issues.1 For example, the deeply held personal beliefs about women’s sexuality and childbearing, cultural mores regarding adolescent sexuality and state goals related to fertility all mark SRHR as a sphere with distinct and deeply contested power dynamics. Unmasking power as a central element in SRHR research is therefore crucial to developing a research agenda that can produce knowledge to transform hierarchies of power and advance SRHR.2 For example, key studies on violence against women and HIV that included explicit measures of power broke new ground by assessing how multilevel programmes impacted power relations and SRH outcomes, thus elucidating the importance of power relations, the factors that shape power relations and how these relations can be changed.3–5 In this Commentary, we summarise key ways power has been understood, defined and operationalised in SRHR research. We propose areas where further theoretical and empirical work and improved research processes could better interrogate power, yielding insights that can help transform policies, programmes and services.