Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides David Wien's one way of cutting the theoretical and practical problem of guiding the reform of global institutions. There are a number of institutions that leave a heavy footprint on the global social, political, and economic landscape. The consequences if political will were to fail in sustaining a global institution could not be more starkly drawn than in the case of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria. More than half of the world's population who receive lifesaving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment receive it from the Global Fund. The power and accountability of global institutions is central to their performance. Making global institutions work for the people who need them most is far more difficult than announcing a program of reform, and far more involved than simply rebranding an institution.