Political science(s) and HIV: a critical analysis

Abstract

The academic discipline of political science has substantially addressed the politics and policy of the HIV/AIDS epidemic over the last two decades, but the epidemic has not become a full-fledged research agenda of its own. The author analyses and groups the extant research into four research programmes. He suggests some future directions that political science may take, so as to further the investigation of the empirical problem of HIV/AIDS, as well as to meet the disciplinary imperative to advance more general theories and explanations of political phenomena.

Keywords:

• HIV/AIDS
• political science
• global health
• international development
• governance
• security studies

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by UNAIDS but does not necessarily reflect the policy of UNAIDS.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nathan A. Paxton

Nathan A. Paxton teaches politics and international relations at the School of International Service, American University, Washington, DC. The author thanks Dennis Altman, Amy Patterson, Pieter Fourie, and especially Kent Buse and the anonymous reviewers for valuable comments. A previous version of this paper was prepared for the ‘Thinking Politically about HIV’ workshop organised by UNAIDS and IAS, 27–28 April 2011, Bangkok, Thailand.