Introduction
The Journal of Global Health Economics and Policy (JoGHEP) was established to provide an intellectual platform for the rapidly expanding intersection between global health, health economics, and policy analysis. Over the past two decades, global health has undergone profound transformation. Economic constraints, demographic transitions, technological innovation, and increasing awareness of health inequities have all placed economic evaluation and policy design at the centre of public health decision-making. JoGHEP was created within this context to support a growing community of researchers seeking to analyse health systems, evaluate interventions, and inform evidence-based policy, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The first four years of the journal, spanning 2021–2024, represent an important formative period during which the journal established its thematic identity, built a geographically diverse authorship base, and demonstrated its capacity to attract work with meaningful policy relevance. During these first four years, JoGHEP published 80 articles covering a wide range of topics in health economics, health policy, health systems analysis, and global public health. A notable feature of the journal’s early development is the breadth of geographic representation among contributing authors. A substantial proportion of studies originated from Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, regions where health systems face particularly complex resource allocation challenges. Countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Cameroon, and India were prominently represented. This geographic diversity reflects the journal’s commitment to amplifying research perspectives from settings where the interplay between economic constraints and health outcomes is most acute.
JoGHEP’s Focus on Real-World Policy Questions
One of the defining characteristics of JoGHEP’s early portfolio has been its focus on real-world policy questions. Many papers have examined the design, implementation, and economic implications of health policies in specific national or regional contexts. For example, studies explored the economic burden of disease and the valuation of health outcomes, such as analyses of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and estimations of the present value of lives lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other research investigated financing mechanisms and health insurance systems, including influential work on Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Scheme and studies assessing the potential impact of expanded insurance coverage on poverty reduction and health outcomes.1,2
Health technology assessment and economic evaluation have also been prominent themes. Several studies addressed cost-effectiveness and health service costing in LMIC settings, including analyses of HIV diagnostic technologies, costing frameworks for integrated health services, and evaluations of nutrition and infectious disease interventions. These contributions demonstrate the journal’s role in bridging the gap between theoretical economic modelling and the practical realities of health systems in resource-constrained environments.
Given that we launched the journal in the year 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic inevitably shaped the journal’s earliest years. Numerous articles examined pandemic-related policy responses, vaccine equity, health system resilience, and the broader socioeconomic consequences of the crisis. Studies explored topics such as violence against healthcare workers during the pandemic, governance failures in pandemic management, disparities in vaccine distribution, and the economic consequences of public health restrictions. Importantly, many of these contributions focused on LMIC perspectives, offering insights into the challenges faced by health systems operating with limited resources. In doing so, the journal helped document a critical period in global health history, while providing evidence to guide future crisis responses.
JoGHEP’s Addressing of Persistent Global Health Challenges
Beyond the pandemic, JoGHEP published a wide variety of studies addressing persistent global health challenges. Research on maternal and child health, malnutrition, infectious diseases, and chronic conditions illustrated the multifaceted nature of health system priorities in developing regions. For instance, articles examined determinants of maternal and infant mortality, factors affecting breastfeeding practices, childhood nutrition, and diarrhoeal disease management. Other studies focused on noncommunicable diseases and environmental determinants of health, including investigations into diabetes, hypertension, and the impact of climatic variables on infectious disease transmission.
JoGHEP’s Most Impactful Contributions
A particularly important contribution of the journal has been its support for research capacity development in LMICs. One of the most highly cited papers in the journal’s early years addressed the structural barriers faced by aspiring researchers from low- and middle-income countries in global health research.3 With more than fifty-five citations on Google Scholar within a few years of publication (Table 1), this article highlights the continued relevance of questions surrounding equity in global health knowledge production. Other highly cited studies addressed the aforementioned health insurance systems in Nigeria,1,2 long-term care policy in China,4 and political economy approaches to health system reform in India.5 Further notably cited papers, with more than 10 early citations, include policy challenges faced by Bangladesh when confronted with “double burden” of Dengue outbreak amid COVID-19 pandemic,6 documentation of systems and governance failure during COVID-19 crisis in Nepal,7 and an interesting contribution on “epistemic indebtedness”, with an interesting question whether we “owe to epistemic enterprises?”.8 These influential contributions illustrate the journal’s ability to publish work that resonates across disciplinary and geographic boundaries.
JoGHEP’s Geographic, Thematic and Methodological Diversity
Methodologically, the journal has demonstrated considerable diversity. Publications have included systematic reviews, scoping reviews, qualitative studies, cross-sectional surveys, economic evaluations, policy analyses, and conceptual essays. This methodological pluralism reflects the inherently interdisciplinary nature of health economics and policy research. In addition, the journal has served as a platform for discussions of emerging tools and technologies, including applications of artificial intelligence in biostatistical analysis and the use of geographic information systems for health system planning.
Another notable feature of JoGHEP’s first four years has been its engagement with broader scholarly dialogue through one editorial that was invited each year, several book reviews, and numerous commentary pieces in the “viewpoints” section. Reviews of major publications in global health economics and policy have helped situate the journal within ongoing academic debates, while also introducing readers to important conceptual frameworks and analytical tools. Editorial reflections have periodically assessed the state of the field and highlighted emerging research priorities. Furthermore, “News” section highlighted the most interesting publications relevant to global health economics and policy that were published in other journals of the “Journal of Global Health” (JoGH) family of journals.
Taken together, the first four years of JoGHEP demonstrate the successful establishment of a journal that prioritises policy relevance, geographic inclusivity, and methodological diversity. Although citation counts are still emerging for many recently published papers, early indicators suggest that several contributions are gaining significant traction within the academic community. We believe that the combination of topical relevance and strong representation from LMIC researchers positions the journal as an important platform within the global health research ecosystem.
JoGHEP’s Future Directions
The transition into the journal’s fifth year offers an opportunity to reflect on our impact so far, consider emerging trends and plan for our future directions. We will continue to be interested in research addressing health system strengthening in Africa, especially the settings with very few resources available. We would like to learn more about the complex health landscape in such countries and the growing engagement of local researchers in global health scholarship. Topics of our interest will continue to include malnutrition, vaccine effectiveness, HIV infection patterns, adolescent health behaviours, non-communicable disease management, and efforts in digitalisation of health information. We will remain particularly focused on disseminating the work that demonstrates the importance of locally generated evidence in informing health policy and planning in low- and middle-income countries, but also in other settings.
We will also remain interested in publishing papers that focus on the growing intersection between global health and broader societal determinants of health, such as housing and food insecurity, climate change, violence and war, especially where underprivileged are the most affected. We will welcome contributions that underscore the increasing recognition that health outcomes are shaped not only by healthcare systems but also by socioeconomic, environmental, and structural factors.
The expansion of implementation science and health systems research is another area of our interest. We will be interested in high-quality studies that explore practical strategies for improving health service delivery, including digital health interventions, mobile clinic readiness, community engagement models, and quality improvement initiatives. This work should aim to demonstrate our journal’s continued focus on translating evidence into practical, actionable, and feasible policy recommendations.
Economic evaluation will remain a central pillar of the JoGHEP’s identity. We will continue to welcome analyses of the cost-effectiveness of prevention strategies, cost-benefit assessments of medical technologies appropriate for LMIC settings, and economic modelling related to infectious disease and non-communicable disease prevention. There is a growing demand for economic evidence to guide resource allocation decisions in global health, so we will be keen to invite such papers.
We will also remain interested in emerging global health threats and evolving policy priorities. Papers addressing climate change, air pollution, and pandemic preparedness should contribute to the widening scope of health economics and policy research. Similarly, analyses of pharmaceutical self-reliance in low-resource settings and governance of private sector engagement in health systems should increasingly focus future debates on sustainability, resilience, and local production capacity.
JoGHEP’s Key Opportunities
Looking ahead, several opportunities may further strengthen the journal’s impact. First, expanding the use of advanced analytical methods, including machine learning, large-scale data analysis, and health system modelling, could improve the sophistication of future research. As health data availability continues to increase globally, the integration of data science approaches with traditional health economics frameworks is likely to become increasingly important.
Second, the journal may continue to play a leadership role in promoting equitable research partnerships. Many of the challenges highlighted in early JoGHEP publications, such as barriers faced by LMIC researchers, remain pressing issues within the global health community. By prioritising inclusive authorship and supporting emerging scholars, the journal can contribute to a more balanced global research landscape. This is fully aligned with the central theme of annual conferences of the International Society of Global Health (ISoGH), which is “improving representation, fairness and equity in global health research”.
Third, strengthening links between academic research and policy implementation will remain a key priority. One of JoGHEP’s distinctive contributions has been its emphasis on policy-relevant research that addresses real-world decision-making. Maintaining this orientation while expanding engagement with policymakers, international organisations, and development agencies should further increase the journal’s influence, especially through promotion of specific decision-making tools that can be used in creating global health policy, such as the CHNRI method, the EQUIST tool and the PATHS tool,9–11 all of which are promoted by the International Society of Global Health.
Finally, the rapid evolution of global health challenges suggests that interdisciplinary collaboration will become increasingly important. Issues such as climate change, migration, urbanisation, and technological innovation require integrated approaches that draw on economics, epidemiology, sociology, political science, and environmental science. JoGHEP is well positioned to serve as a forum for such interdisciplinary dialogue.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the first four years of the Journal of Global Health Economics and Policy (JoGHEP), marked by 20 publications in each year of a notable geographic, thematic and methodological diversity, represent a successful launch and consolidation of a journal dedicated to addressing some of the most pressing challenges in global health. Through its diverse authorship, policy-focused research, and commitment to amplifying voices from low- and middle-income countries, JoGHEP has established itself as a platform for scholarship at the intersection of health economics and policy. The expansion of research themes that we anticipate in the journal’s next several years of publishing should ensure its growing role as global health systems confront new economic, environmental, and political challenges. With sustained commitment to methodological innovation, research equity, and policy relevance, JoGHEP is well positioned to contribute meaningfully to the evolving landscape of global health research in the fields of economics and policy.