Governing the Commercial Determinants of Noncommunicable Diseases: Maintaining the Regulatory Power of Governments

Abstract

Background and context: “Through the manufacture, sale and promotion of tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed food and drink (unhealthy commodities), transnational corporations are major drivers of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)” (Moodie et al., 2013). Furthermore, the impact of trade and investment liberalization has been correlated with the rapidly increasing prevalence of some cancers, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in developing countries. Reaching the SDG targets is a challenging task for governments of low- and middle-income countries who face constraints in regulating the commercial determinants of NCDs due to the increasing influence of unhealthy commodity industries in policy making. Although the literature recommends various approaches to maintain or strengthen the regulatory power of governments, the impact of these strategies on the governance of commercial determinants of NCDs remains unclear. Aim: Identifying the strategies which have been successfully applied in strengthening the governance of commercial determinants of NCDs in regard to tobacco. Strategy/Tactics: The strategies for strengthening the governance of unhealthy commodities recommended by the literature mostly target the issues of fragmentation of governments and the constraints on regulatory capacity. This research examines the way the governments of Fiji and Vanuatu applied these strategies for the sake of implementing tobacco control policies. The methods involve literature review, document analysis and in-depth interviews with key informants across government departments, NGOs and development agencies in these countries. The document analysis and in-depth interviews are currently ongoing in Fiji and Vanuatu. The results and conclusions will be available by early September.