Big philanthropies as agents of policy circulation in development: examining the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Arenas, Agents and Actions

Jolkkonen, Roosa (2019). Big philanthropies as agents of policy circulation in development: examining the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Arenas, Agents and Actions. In: Baker, Tom and Walker, Christopher eds. Public Policy Circulation. Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 73–88.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788119153.00014

Abstract

Big philanthropic foundations constitute prominent agents of transnational policy circulation, furthering new approaches to policy formation and delivery in the context of development. This chapter presents a case study on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest representative and driver of contemporary philanthropy in development. The chapter explores the comparative advantages and distinct limitations experienced by philanthropic donors as policy suppliers and identifies the particular approaches to policy circulation deployed by the Gates Foundation in the global development community and one of its aid-receiving countries, Tanzania. The findings offer valuable insights on the unique factors hampering and facilitating policy circulation by big philanthropies as well as their sources and uses of power as transnational policy agents.