ABSTRACT
In examining the relative costs and benefits of health securitization, this chapter illuminates whose interests are – and are not – being served by the securitization of global health. It suggests that securitization has been shaped more by the interests of relatively privileged populations, especially in developed countries, whereas the costs are more likely to be borne by marginalized groups in both developed and developing countries. Securitization tends to activate state-centric policy responses that shift scarce resources away from public health actors and initiatives towards already well-funded security institutions and programs. Both historical and contemporary examples indicate that health securitization has foundations in traditional, state-centric conceptions of security. The securitization of health risks generating state-centric policy responses that shift scarce resources away from public health initiatives and empower police, intelligence, and military actors rather than public health or medical personnel.
