Boundaries Of Contagion: How Ethnic Politics Have Shaped Government Responses To Aids,New

Why Have Governments Responded To The Hiv/Aids Pandemic In Such Different Ways? During The Past Quarter Century, International Agencies And Donors Have Disseminated Vast Resources And A Set Of Best Practice Recommendations To Policymakers Around The Globe. Yet The Governments Of Developing Countries In Subsaharan Africa, Asia, Latin America, And The Caribbean Continue To Implement Widely Varying Policies. Boundaries Of Contagion Is The First Systematic, Comparative Analysis Of The Politics Of Hiv/Aids. The Book Explores The Political Challenges Of Responding To A Stigmatized Condition, And Identifies Ethnic Boundariesthe Formal And Informal Institutions That Divide Societiesas A Central Influence On Politics And Policymaking.Evan Lieberman Examines The Ways In Which Risk And Social Competition Get Mapped Onto Wellinstitutionalized Patterns Of Ethnic Politics. Where Strong Ethnic Boundaries Fragment Societies Into Groups, The Politics Of Aids Are More Likely To Involve Blame And Shameavoidance Tactics Against Segments Of The Population. In Turn, Government Leaders Of Such Countries Respond Far Less Aggressively To The Epidemic. Lieberman'S Case Studies Of Brazil, South Africa, And Indiathree Developing Countries That Face Significant Aids Epidemicsare Complemented By Statistical Analyses Of The Policy Responses Of Indian States And Over Seventy Developing Countries. The Studies Conclude That Varied Patterns Of Ethnic Competition Shape How Governments Respond To This Devastating Problem. The Author Considers The Implications For Governments And Donors, And The Increasing Tendency To Identify Social Problems In Ethnic Terms.