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.