Catherine Grant | Institute of Development Studies (original) (raw)

Papers by Catherine Grant

Routledge eBooks, Aug 4, 2023

In May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Covid-19 is no longer a health em... more In May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Covid-19 is no longer a health emergency. Now that the world is in this new period of living with the coronavirus, it is an important time to gather knowledge gained from our experiences. Over 50 researchers from 25 countries across six continents have come together to share the key lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, the policies to mitigate it, and the impacts of these policies. Several resounding lessons emerged from across the globe that seemed to be at the root of many of the issues raised, including: resolving systemic issues; ensuring the most vulnerable are supported; increasing community involvement, and taking pandemic innovations forward for the future.

Social Science & Medicine, 2022

Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2020

Interviews conducted in Zambia by Catherine Grant and Noreen Machila (July-October 2013) for jour... more Interviews conducted in Zambia by Catherine Grant and Noreen Machila (July-October 2013) for journal article available at PLOS NTD: 'Stakeholder narratives on trypanosomiasis, their effect on policy and the scope for One Health'

Frontiers in tropical diseases, Feb 8, 2024

Institute of Development Studies, 2023

In May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Covid-19 is no longer a health em... more In May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Covid-19 is no longer a health emergency. Now that the world is in this new period of living with the coronavirus, it is an important time to gather knowledge gained from our experiences. Over 50 researchers from 25 countries across six continents have come together to share the key lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, the policies to mitigate it, and the impacts of these policies. Several resounding lessons emerged from across the globe that seemed to be at the root of many of the issues raised, including resolving systemic issues; ensuring the most vulnerable are supported; increasing community involvement, and taking pandemic innovations forward for the future.

Frontiers in Public Health

IntroductionLockdown measures were introduced worldwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and se... more IntroductionLockdown measures were introduced worldwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and several studies showed the positive impacts of these policies in places such as China and Europe. Many African governments also imposed lockdowns at the beginning of the pandemic. These lockdowns met with mixed reactions; some were positive, but others focused on concerns about the consequences of lockdowns.MethodsIn this article, we use social listening to examine social media narratives to investigate how people balanced concerns about preventing the spread of COVID-19 with other priorities. Analyzing social media conversations is one way of accessing different voices in real time, including those that often go unheard. As internet access grows and social media becomes more popular in Africa, it provides a different space for engagement, allowing people to connect with opinions outside of their own conceptual frameworks and disrupting hierarchies of how knowledge is shaped.ResultsThis ar...

Frontiers in Public Health, 2023

Introduction: Lockdown measures were introduced worldwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and ... more Introduction: Lockdown measures were introduced worldwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and several studies showed the positive impacts of these policies in places such as China and Europe. Many African governments also imposed lockdowns at the beginning of the pandemic. These lockdowns met with mixed reactions; some were positive, but others focused on concerns about the consequences of lockdowns.
Methods: In this article, we use social listening to examine social media narratives to investigate how people balanced concerns about preventing the spread of COVID-19 with other priorities. Analyzing social media conversations is one way of accessing different voices in real time, including those that often go unheard. As internet access grows and social media becomes more popular in Africa, it provides a different space for engagement, allowing people to connect with opinions outside of their own conceptual frameworks and disrupting hierarchies of how knowledge is shaped.
Results: This article indicates which narratives were favored by different organizations, stakeholders, and the general public, and which of these narratives are most dominant in policy discourses. The range of narratives is found to be reflective of the blindness to inequality and social difference of much decision- making by policymakers.
Discussion: Thus, contrary to the “we are all in this together” narrative, diseases and public health responses to them clearly discriminate, accentuating long-standing structural inequalities locally, nationally, and globally, as well as interplaying with multiple, dynamic, and negotiated sources of marginalization. These and other insights from this article could play a useful role in understanding and interpreting how social media could be included in pandemic preparedness plans.

This report focuses on Agenda 2030 and the challenges of delivering the Global Goals and the impl... more This report focuses on Agenda 2030 and the challenges of delivering the Global Goals and the implications of trends for the UK's international development work. Section 2 focuses on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs/Global Goals) and the challenges of delivering them (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs). These Global Goals will shape the world's approach to growth and sustainable development until 2030. Building on the progress made by the Millennium Development Goals, this agenda sets out the framework through which the world will work together to combat the most pressing challenges of our time. The goals are:

Additionally this report has a section on value for money (section 6) and safe abortion (section ... more Additionally this report has a section on value for money (section 6) and safe abortion (section 7). Contraceptive use (WHO 2015) Africa's population will reach 2 billion by 2050. To get a sense of this kind of increase, consider that in 1950 there were two Europeans for every African; by 2050, on present trends, there will be two Africans for every European (The Economist 2009). Contraceptive use has increased in many parts of the world, especially in Asia and Latin America, but continues to be low in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, use of modern contraception has risen slightly, from 54% in 1990 to 57.4% in 2014. Regionally, the proportion of women aged 15-49 reporting use of a modern contraceptive method has risen minimally or plateaued between 2008 and 2014. In Africa it went from 23.6% to 27.6%, in Asia it has risen slightly from 60.9% to 61.6%, and in Latin America and the Caribbean it rose slightly from 66.7% to 67.0%. Use of contraception by men makes up a relatively small subset of the above prevalence rates. The modern contraceptive methods for men are limited to male condoms and sterilisation (vasectomy).

The keywords you choose are central to shaping your search. You will know some of the appropriate... more The keywords you choose are central to shaping your search. You will know some of the appropriate words but may need to use a snowball approach and add keywords as you access the literature and increase your knowledge of the terminology being used. If you are new to the topic do an extremely brief general search to help identify your keywords. You should be as creative as possible at this stage, as this will form the basis of your search and restrict what you find. You will need to consider that there are different meanings to different words, and also consider that different spellings and different terminologies may also be used in different countries. Note that keywords need not only relate to terms in your research questions. If your searches identify authors or agencies who have regularly published in the area, you can also search using their names.

Medicine Anthropology Theory

In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the addition of Disease X, a hypothetical ... more In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the addition of Disease X, a hypothetical infectious threat, to its blueprint list of priority diseases. In the construction of discourse that circulated following this announcement, conceptions of Disease X intersected with representations of Africa. In our article, we share a broad strokes analysis of internet narratives about Disease X and Africa in the six months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (July–December 2019) and during its first six months (January–June 2020). Our analysis focuses on how the scientific concept of Disease X was applied by ‘non-experts’ to make meaning from risk, uncertainty, and response. These non-experts drew in parallel upon more general representations of power, fear, and danger. This research is particularly relevant at the time of writing, as online narratives about COVID-19 vaccination are shaping vaccine anxiety throughout the world by drawing upon similar conceptions of agency and in...

Medical Anthropology, 2022

ABSTRACT This article shares findings on COVID-19 in Africa across 2020 to examine concepts and p... more ABSTRACT This article shares findings on COVID-19 in Africa across 2020 to examine concepts and practices of epidemic preparedness and response. Amidst uncertainties about the trajectory of COVID-19, the stages of emergency response emerge in practice as interconnected. We illustrate how complex dynamics manifest as diverse actors interpret and modify approaches according to contexts and experiences. We suggest that the concept of “intersecting precarities” best captures the temporalities at stake; that these precarities include the effects of epidemic control measures; and that people do not just accept but actively negotiate these intersections as they seek to sustain their lives and livelihoods.

Infectious diseases of poverty, Jan 25, 2016

This review outlines the benefits of using multiple approaches to improve model design and facili... more This review outlines the benefits of using multiple approaches to improve model design and facilitate multidisciplinary research into infectious diseases, as well as showing and proposing practical examples of effective integration. It looks particularly at the benefits of using participatory research in conjunction with traditional modelling methods to potentially improve disease research, control and management. Integrated approaches can lead to more realistic mathematical models which in turn can assist with making policy decisions that reduce disease and benefit local people. The emergence, risk, spread and control of diseases are affected by many complex bio-physical, environmental and socio-economic factors. These include climate and environmental change, land-use variation, changes in population and people's behaviour. The evidence base for this scoping review comes from the work of a consortium, with the aim of integrating modelling approaches traditionally used in epide...

Routledge eBooks, Aug 4, 2023

In May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Covid-19 is no longer a health em... more In May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Covid-19 is no longer a health emergency. Now that the world is in this new period of living with the coronavirus, it is an important time to gather knowledge gained from our experiences. Over 50 researchers from 25 countries across six continents have come together to share the key lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, the policies to mitigate it, and the impacts of these policies. Several resounding lessons emerged from across the globe that seemed to be at the root of many of the issues raised, including: resolving systemic issues; ensuring the most vulnerable are supported; increasing community involvement, and taking pandemic innovations forward for the future.

Social Science & Medicine, 2022

Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2020

Interviews conducted in Zambia by Catherine Grant and Noreen Machila (July-October 2013) for jour... more Interviews conducted in Zambia by Catherine Grant and Noreen Machila (July-October 2013) for journal article available at PLOS NTD: 'Stakeholder narratives on trypanosomiasis, their effect on policy and the scope for One Health'

Frontiers in tropical diseases, Feb 8, 2024

Institute of Development Studies, 2023

In May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Covid-19 is no longer a health em... more In May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Covid-19 is no longer a health emergency. Now that the world is in this new period of living with the coronavirus, it is an important time to gather knowledge gained from our experiences. Over 50 researchers from 25 countries across six continents have come together to share the key lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, the policies to mitigate it, and the impacts of these policies. Several resounding lessons emerged from across the globe that seemed to be at the root of many of the issues raised, including resolving systemic issues; ensuring the most vulnerable are supported; increasing community involvement, and taking pandemic innovations forward for the future.

Frontiers in Public Health

IntroductionLockdown measures were introduced worldwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and se... more IntroductionLockdown measures were introduced worldwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and several studies showed the positive impacts of these policies in places such as China and Europe. Many African governments also imposed lockdowns at the beginning of the pandemic. These lockdowns met with mixed reactions; some were positive, but others focused on concerns about the consequences of lockdowns.MethodsIn this article, we use social listening to examine social media narratives to investigate how people balanced concerns about preventing the spread of COVID-19 with other priorities. Analyzing social media conversations is one way of accessing different voices in real time, including those that often go unheard. As internet access grows and social media becomes more popular in Africa, it provides a different space for engagement, allowing people to connect with opinions outside of their own conceptual frameworks and disrupting hierarchies of how knowledge is shaped.ResultsThis ar...

Frontiers in Public Health, 2023

Introduction: Lockdown measures were introduced worldwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and ... more Introduction: Lockdown measures were introduced worldwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and several studies showed the positive impacts of these policies in places such as China and Europe. Many African governments also imposed lockdowns at the beginning of the pandemic. These lockdowns met with mixed reactions; some were positive, but others focused on concerns about the consequences of lockdowns.
Methods: In this article, we use social listening to examine social media narratives to investigate how people balanced concerns about preventing the spread of COVID-19 with other priorities. Analyzing social media conversations is one way of accessing different voices in real time, including those that often go unheard. As internet access grows and social media becomes more popular in Africa, it provides a different space for engagement, allowing people to connect with opinions outside of their own conceptual frameworks and disrupting hierarchies of how knowledge is shaped.
Results: This article indicates which narratives were favored by different organizations, stakeholders, and the general public, and which of these narratives are most dominant in policy discourses. The range of narratives is found to be reflective of the blindness to inequality and social difference of much decision- making by policymakers.
Discussion: Thus, contrary to the “we are all in this together” narrative, diseases and public health responses to them clearly discriminate, accentuating long-standing structural inequalities locally, nationally, and globally, as well as interplaying with multiple, dynamic, and negotiated sources of marginalization. These and other insights from this article could play a useful role in understanding and interpreting how social media could be included in pandemic preparedness plans.

This report focuses on Agenda 2030 and the challenges of delivering the Global Goals and the impl... more This report focuses on Agenda 2030 and the challenges of delivering the Global Goals and the implications of trends for the UK's international development work. Section 2 focuses on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development (SDGs/Global Goals) and the challenges of delivering them (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs). These Global Goals will shape the world's approach to growth and sustainable development until 2030. Building on the progress made by the Millennium Development Goals, this agenda sets out the framework through which the world will work together to combat the most pressing challenges of our time. The goals are:

Additionally this report has a section on value for money (section 6) and safe abortion (section ... more Additionally this report has a section on value for money (section 6) and safe abortion (section 7). Contraceptive use (WHO 2015) Africa's population will reach 2 billion by 2050. To get a sense of this kind of increase, consider that in 1950 there were two Europeans for every African; by 2050, on present trends, there will be two Africans for every European (The Economist 2009). Contraceptive use has increased in many parts of the world, especially in Asia and Latin America, but continues to be low in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, use of modern contraception has risen slightly, from 54% in 1990 to 57.4% in 2014. Regionally, the proportion of women aged 15-49 reporting use of a modern contraceptive method has risen minimally or plateaued between 2008 and 2014. In Africa it went from 23.6% to 27.6%, in Asia it has risen slightly from 60.9% to 61.6%, and in Latin America and the Caribbean it rose slightly from 66.7% to 67.0%. Use of contraception by men makes up a relatively small subset of the above prevalence rates. The modern contraceptive methods for men are limited to male condoms and sterilisation (vasectomy).

The keywords you choose are central to shaping your search. You will know some of the appropriate... more The keywords you choose are central to shaping your search. You will know some of the appropriate words but may need to use a snowball approach and add keywords as you access the literature and increase your knowledge of the terminology being used. If you are new to the topic do an extremely brief general search to help identify your keywords. You should be as creative as possible at this stage, as this will form the basis of your search and restrict what you find. You will need to consider that there are different meanings to different words, and also consider that different spellings and different terminologies may also be used in different countries. Note that keywords need not only relate to terms in your research questions. If your searches identify authors or agencies who have regularly published in the area, you can also search using their names.

Medicine Anthropology Theory

In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the addition of Disease X, a hypothetical ... more In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the addition of Disease X, a hypothetical infectious threat, to its blueprint list of priority diseases. In the construction of discourse that circulated following this announcement, conceptions of Disease X intersected with representations of Africa. In our article, we share a broad strokes analysis of internet narratives about Disease X and Africa in the six months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (July–December 2019) and during its first six months (January–June 2020). Our analysis focuses on how the scientific concept of Disease X was applied by ‘non-experts’ to make meaning from risk, uncertainty, and response. These non-experts drew in parallel upon more general representations of power, fear, and danger. This research is particularly relevant at the time of writing, as online narratives about COVID-19 vaccination are shaping vaccine anxiety throughout the world by drawing upon similar conceptions of agency and in...

Medical Anthropology, 2022

ABSTRACT This article shares findings on COVID-19 in Africa across 2020 to examine concepts and p... more ABSTRACT This article shares findings on COVID-19 in Africa across 2020 to examine concepts and practices of epidemic preparedness and response. Amidst uncertainties about the trajectory of COVID-19, the stages of emergency response emerge in practice as interconnected. We illustrate how complex dynamics manifest as diverse actors interpret and modify approaches according to contexts and experiences. We suggest that the concept of “intersecting precarities” best captures the temporalities at stake; that these precarities include the effects of epidemic control measures; and that people do not just accept but actively negotiate these intersections as they seek to sustain their lives and livelihoods.

Infectious diseases of poverty, Jan 25, 2016

This review outlines the benefits of using multiple approaches to improve model design and facili... more This review outlines the benefits of using multiple approaches to improve model design and facilitate multidisciplinary research into infectious diseases, as well as showing and proposing practical examples of effective integration. It looks particularly at the benefits of using participatory research in conjunction with traditional modelling methods to potentially improve disease research, control and management. Integrated approaches can lead to more realistic mathematical models which in turn can assist with making policy decisions that reduce disease and benefit local people. The emergence, risk, spread and control of diseases are affected by many complex bio-physical, environmental and socio-economic factors. These include climate and environmental change, land-use variation, changes in population and people's behaviour. The evidence base for this scoping review comes from the work of a consortium, with the aim of integrating modelling approaches traditionally used in epide...

Grant, Catherine and Longhurst, Richard (2016) What do you know? Rapid literature reviews and sys... more Grant, Catherine and Longhurst, Richard (2016) What do you know? Rapid literature reviews and systematic reviews. In: A practical guide to implementation research on health systems. Future Health Systems.

Grant, C, Anderson, N, Machila, N, Whose Knowledge Matters? Trypanosomiasis Policy Making in Zamb... more Grant, C, Anderson, N, Machila, N, Whose Knowledge Matters? Trypanosomiasis Policy Making in Zambia In Bardosh, K (ed) 2016 One Health: Science, Politics and Zoonotic Disease in Africa