The Art and Politics of (Global) Science

I've been reading a recently published book called The Art and Politics of Science by Harold Varmus. Dr. Varmus is a Nobel Laureate in medicine, and the former Director of the National Institute of Health. For a good overview of the book, check out this review in the New York Times.

I definitely recommend this work to scholars who want to enhance their political skills - and to anyone who's life depends on science. (In other words, the book deserves a broad audience).

The chapter most pertinent to this blog is called,"Global Science and Global Health". It's near the back of the book, (chapter 14) but you may want to jump right here from the start. Here, Varmus draws on his own experience and the work of economist Jeffrey Sachs to make three points:

1. The world's future depends on major improvements in health in the developing countries.
2. Such improvements will require scientists (and their home institutions) to work in global networks. In fact, more hubs of research excellence must be based in developing countries.
3. This will require substantial funding increases in global health research. (See this WHO Report for a detailed estimate of funding needs).
   

In this economy, these points may seem trite or politically impossible. However, Varmus makes a pretty compelling case.

Read this chapter -- and another Varmus speech in which he proposes a Global Science Corps to address these issues.