1. Global health policy has a positive correlation with national health systems, but top-down diffusion overlooks the relevance of national leadership in producing successful health outcomes.
2. This article examines the role of national leadership in global health governance by presenting two paired comparative case studies on South Africa's health system strengthening measures between 2002 and 2012.
3. The article argues that despite the influence of international partnership norms, national health leadership remains the key driver in producing more successful health system partnerships and should be further studied in global health governance.
The article is generally reliable and trustworthy, as it provides evidence to support its claims and presents both sides of the argument fairly. It acknowledges that global norms have had a positive effect on national practice, but also highlights how focusing too narrowly on top-down diffusion overlooks the importance of national leadership in producing successful health outcomes. The article then goes on to present two paired comparative case studies on South Africa's health system strengthening measures between 2002 and 2012 to illustrate this point, providing evidence from interviews with government officials, healthcare professionals, civil society members, and other stakeholders to back up its claims.
The only potential bias that could be identified is that the author may have an underlying agenda to promote the importance of national leadership in global health governance. However, this does not detract from the overall reliability of the article as it still presents both sides of the argument fairly and provides evidence for its claims.