# Governing Political Realities in NCD Agenda Setting in LMICs: A Case of the Carrot and the Stick? Comment on "National Public Health Surveillance of Corporations in Key Unhealthy Commodity Industries: A Scoping Review and Framework Synthesis"

## TL;DR

This paper discusses how to monitor industries that harm health, especially in low- and middle-income countries, to better address non-communicable diseases.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a political economy perspective to improve NCD policy-making and UCI monitoring in LMICs.

## Key findings

- Public health surveillance of unhealthy commodity industries should transition to (sub)-national governments.
- Independent accountability mechanisms and rights-based advocacy are needed to support NCD policy-making in LMICs.

## Abstract

In their scoping review Bennett et al present a summary framework for public health surveillance of unhealthy commodity industries (UCIs) that impact human health, which is important in view of the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The authors focus on the tobacco, alcohol and food and beverage industry and discuss who should "own" the process; where in the public sector administration the responsibility should lie; and how and which practices or organizations to monitor. They also argue that the monitoring should transition from academia and civil society to (sub)-national governments because of their central role in the protection of public health. This commentary argues that the challenges related to NCD policy-making in LMICs should be viewed from within a political economy perspective and that support for UCI monitoring has to be bolstered by independent accountability mechanisms and rights-based advocacy at national and global level.