Title
The Limits of International Cooperation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of Global Health Governance
Abstract
This paper aims to analyze the limits of international cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the challenges faced by global health governance. The World Health Organization (WHO) will be examined as a case study to offer broader insights into how states and international institutions managed the crisis, emphasizing the constraints that prevented effective cooperation. The study also explores how the pandemic encouraged states to adopt isolationist policies, reinforcing the primacy of the nation-state at the expense of international cooperation.
The paper uses a synthetic theoretical framework combining neoinstitutionalism and neorealism, as recommended by the professor:
1. Neoinstitutionalism suggests that international institutions like the WHO promote cooperation and reduce uncertainty among states by establishing common rules and standards.
2. Neorealism argues that the anarchic nature of the international system compels states to prioritize their national interests, often weakening the effectiveness of international institutions.
The paper analyzes the impact of the pandemic on global health governance through practical examples, such as the reluctance of states to share information and the competition for medical resources. It further examines whether national interests overshadowed international cooperation, weakening global governance and institutions such as the WHO.
Proposed Structure
1. Introduction:
• Define the objectives of the research and its significance.
• Highlight the COVID-19 pandemic as a key example of challenges to international cooperation.
2. Theoretical Framework:
• Present the neorealist and neoinstitutionalist perspectives on international cooperation.
• Explain how these approaches will be combined to offer a deeper understanding of the issue.
3. Global Health Governance and Cooperation During the Pandemic:
• Analyze the role and performance of the WHO during the pandemic.
• Identify the obstacles that challenged effective health governance.
4. Critical Evaluation: The Limits of International Cooperation:
• Examine how the pandemic limited international cooperation.
• Discuss specific challenges, such as resource competition and states’ retreat to nationalism.
5. Conclusion:
• Summarize key findings and main conclusions.
• No recommendations will be provided, as the focus is on analysis.
Research Notes
The research will focus on how the pandemic restricted international cooperation, with a special focus on the interaction between national interests and global governance. The WHO will serve as a model, but the discussion will extend to broader dynamics of global governance. The Chicago citation style will be used for footnotes and the bibliography.
Professor’s Feedback
The professor emphasized the importance of focusing on the limits of international cooperation and treating the WHO as just one case study. Therefore, the research question must concentrate on the challenges facing global health governance and how the pandemic prompted states to retreat from international cooperation, reinforcing the primacy of the nation-state.
Evaluation Criteria
The following criteria will guide the assessment of the paper:
• Relevance to the research question.
• Clear organization and structure.
• Quality and clarity of written expression.
• Effective use of evidence.
• Demonstrated understanding of the topic.
• Adequacy of research and analysis.
• Identification of key themes and arguments.
• Critical evaluation and judgment.
• Appropriate use of sources.
• Depth of insight and originality.
Technical Requirements
The paper must include:
• A title page with a clear title relevant to the research question.
• Complete and correct citations following the Chicago style in footnotes and the bibliography.
• The title page and bibliography are excluded from the word count.
• The total word count should be between 3,000 and 4,000 words.
• A minimum of 10 references is required.
This plan ensures the paper meets the professor’s expectations, focusing on critical analysis of how the COVID-19 pandemic restricted international cooperation, with a nuanced exploration of national interests and global governance.
The professor wants you to focus primarily on the limits of international cooperation and the challenges faced by global health governance during the pandemic. In other words, COVID-19 is not the main focus on its own; rather, it serves as a case study to illustrate how major crises hinder international cooperation.
Here’s a clearer breakdown of what the professor is asking for:
1. Focus on the challenges to international cooperation, not just a description of what happened during the pandemic.
2. Analyze the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) as a model to understand how international institutions operate in times of crisis, without making the WHO the sole focus of the paper.
3. Highlight how the pandemic led states to adopt isolationist policies, prioritizing national interests over international cooperation, which undermined global governance.
4. Use the theoretical framework effectively: Combine neorealism (which emphasizes national interests) with neoinstitutionalism (which highlights the role of institutions in fostering cooperation) to explain what happened during the pandemic.
Therefore, the research question becomes:
How did the COVID-19 pandemic restrict international cooperation, and what challenges did global health governance face during the crisis?
This means that COVID-19 is just a lens to explore the broader issue: the decline of international cooperation and the resurgence of the nation-state during crises.