Global bills of health: Gates, Clinton, and the role of private actors in international health

Bill Gates and Bill Clinton have become leading forces in global health politics, trying to provide economic incentives for researchers and drug companies to focus attention on the health problems in developing countries. Both of these efforts have brought greater attention to global health concerns, but they have also raised many questions about accountability and distortions of the global health agenda. This article examines the role of private actors in the international global health agenda, and international governance more broadly, and whether the presence of these major private philanthropic actors usurp the power of states and governments.