Aid(s) dependency in the midst of global economic crisis: biopolitical sovereignty and the risk of non-payment for HIV treatment in Tanzania

Even the spread of AIDS could be affected by the global economic downturn. In Tanzania, about 500,000 people living with HIV are currently undergoing antiretroviral treatment (ART) against the virus; roughly 700,000 more will need it soon. But, when international resources represent 97% of funding, these programs are extremely dependent on now-declining foreign aid. Limiting – or even cutting – access to these drugs poses major ethical problems and jeopardizes our ability to stop the spread of HIV. On top of that, the lack of promised funding creates serious political risks for governments.
This is where Moritz Hunsmann’s work comes in. He is collecting data from interviews with AIDS policy makers in Tanzania in order to analyze the political consequences of declining international support during economic downtimes. What coping strategies exist locally to counter this gap? How do governments handle the inevitable rationing of ART? Hunsmann’s analysis will contribute to a better understanding of this new structural feature of the African political economy.