How law can help solve the collective action problem of antimicrobial resistance

Hoffman, Steven J.; Bakshi, Reema; Rogers Van Katwyk, Susan

Reform of the global governance mechanisms relevant to AMR is clearly needed. If time were not a challenge, one could consider a radical reimagining of the structure and mechanisms of global governance and a complete change to the system in order to ensure these kinds of collective action problems do not exist in the first place. However, given the urgent need to make progress in the short and medium term, the most pragmatic, effective, fair, and sustainable way forward is through a new international legal agreement. A growing number of scholars have been calling for such an agreement to address AMR. 25 An international legal agreement makes the most sense for at least four reasons. First, there is clear interdependence among countries when it comes to AMR, which means that all, or at least most, countries must act in order for any country to be safe.