Trust in Global Health Governance: The GAVI Experience

The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization provides a most interesting example of effective cooperation between international organizations—especially the World Health Organization, the UN Children's Fund, and the World Bank. Based on extensive research and interviews, this article examines how and why this cooperation came about. The role of the Gates Foundation in providing massive financial support was certainly crucial. An adequate explanation must, however, involve more than what might be called “buying cooperation”; trust played a crucial role. By studying this particular case in detail, this article raises some interesting theoretical issues about the role of trust in global governance.