Joining Forces to Prevent the Antibiotic Resistance Doomsday Scenario: The Rise of International Multisectoral Partnerships as a New Governance Model

Abstract

Humanity is facing a global threat caused by growing antibiotic resistance. If the current lack of innovation in antibiotics persists, we will face a doomsday scenario with drastic implications for society, health, and business worldwide. In this study, we examine international multisectorial partnerships (IMSPs), one of the policy interventions introduced to incentivize the antibiotic innovation necessary to avoid such a scenario. Based on insights from three recently launched antibiotics IMSPs, we present their key features and argue that such partnerships represent a novel type of organizational form and governance, different from others discussed in previous research. Specifically, antibiotics IMSPs are inter-organizational structures showing great governance complexity, strong centralized control, strict boundaries, and formalization of roles and rules. We discuss how antibiotics IMSPs differ from other partnerships dealing for instance with the environmental global challenge and their usefulness in other contexts where similar uncertain, risky, urgent, and complex tasks need to be faced. We conclude with implications for theory as well as for policy and managerial practice, along with avenues for future research.