Introduction: Multi-level Health Governance and Health Diplomacy. Regional Dimensions

This introduction to the special section explores the nexus between global health governance and international health diplomacy. In these dynamic governance spaces, particular aĴ ention is paid to the multi-level and multi-actor character of global health governance and how health diplomacy functions in such a complex context. It is pointed out that the regional level plays both vertical (i.e., as an intermediary be-tween the global and national levels) and horizontal (i.e., interregional) roles. The contributions to the special section develop the conceptual un-derstanding of those interactions and analyze a number of concrete cases, including the African Union, ASEAN, the European Union, SADC, and UNASUR.