A drop to save lives: analysing the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and disease eradication as a public good

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) presents a unique opportunity to assess global public goods theory and the inner dynamics of global public–private partnerships (PPPs) for health. Drawing on interviews with officials in the GPEI, this study evaluates the global public goods (GPG) concept as it relates to polio eradication. The findings from this analysis emphasise the connection between polio eradication, crucial cases, and levels of public goods distribution. Collectively, these findings suggest an added dimension to the ongoing and contested conversation regarding the GPG concept and GPG theory. These findings also confirm certain public goods criticisms as they relate to the rational choice leanings of public goods theory. In addition, while much has been written about the nature and purpose of global PPPs, such research remains abstract and intangible. This ambiguousness has contributed to an inadequate understanding of the inner dynamics of global PPPs. Thus, this study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the GPEI and provides the reader with a deep understanding of what makes this partnership work and what hurdles it has overcome since its inception. The relative success of the GPEI makes it a PPP that future health collaborations may choose to emulate.