Cooperation, Social Networks and Global Health

Description:
The main objective of the proposed project is to set up a collaborative research infrastructure designed to 1) Systematically study cooperation, social networks and health through human history and among currently surviving small-scale communities and indigenous peoples; and 2) Translate the basic research findings into social science-based global health programs for these study populations. To this end, we will systematically conduct research on topics drawn from several School of Human Evolution and Social Change programmatic themes using a triangulation approach: 1) How have cooperation and social networks been shaped by and continue to shape human health profiles starting with the emergence of anatomically modern humans and ending with indigenous peoples today whose ecologies most closely resemble those of early humans?; 2) Are cooperative institutional traditions insufficient for the eradication of old (zoonotic) and newly emerging or recently introduced infectious pathogens, and if so why?; and 3) How can institutions at ASU help rid native populations of pathogens by developing and implementing cooperative community-based institutions that build on the project’s research findings? In order to convert our scientific research into practical health action we will develop and test hypotheses on the effects of natural and experimentally introduced social conditions that impact transmission of disease and adoption of health-enhancing behaviors.

Late Lessons from Early History