Elizabeth Kath is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Global Cities Institute at RMIT University. Her academic work has been interdisciplinary, spanning the fields of political science, public health and development. This includes a major study of the social and political dimensions of Cuba's public health system, specifically its Maternal-Infant Health Program, for which she spent nine months conducting field research in Havana. The findings of this research on Cuba were published as a book - Social Relations and the Cuban Health Miracle - in 2010.

Her work has also been published in numerous academic journals, presented at international conferences and has won several awards. She co-authored the health components of the Global Cities Institute's ‘Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Development' project, which identifies alternative, community-engaged pathways to development in Papua New Guinea and formed part of a major report and a book. She is an Honorary Research Fellow with the UN Global Compact Cities Programme, for which is particularly interested on the programme’s engagement in Latin America and has been involved with its social inclusion project in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Her current research interests include social inclusion and reconciliaton, Latin American and Caribbean society, politics and culture (esp. Cuba and Brazil), and public heath (esp. maternal-infant health). Most recently, she is embarking on a research project that considers the concepts of social inclusion and reconciliation in relation to health service delivery in disadvantaged communities. She is a co-director of and has played a key role in establishing 'Global Reconciliation' - an organization with partners from over 35 countries, which seeks to promote human security through community engagement and local-global collaboration.

Research Interests

• Reconciliation
• Social Inclusion
• Public health (esp. maternal-infant health)
• State capacity/institution building
• Social capital
• Development
• Latin American and Caribbean society politics and culture (esp. Cuba)
• Informal and second economies

Publications

Books

Kath, Elizabeth. 2010. Social Relations and the Cuban Health Miracle, Transaction: New Jersey, London.

James, Paul, Yaso Nadarajah, Karen Haive and Victoria Stead with Elizabeth Kath. Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Development: Other Paths for Papua New Guinea (in press with University of Hawaii Press)

Refereed journal articles

Komesaroff, Paul, Elizabeth Kath and Paul James (Eds). 2011. (in press with Journal of Bioethical Enquiry), ‘Global Reconciliation Symposium’.

Kath, Elizabeth. 201. (in press with Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies) ‘Revolutionary Health: Social Capital, State Capacity and the Cuban Health Paradox’.

Kath, Elizabeth. 2009. ‘Life Underground in Cuba: The Second Economy and the Health Sector’. Cuban Affairs.

Kath, Elizabeth. 2007. ‘Inter-sectoral Cooperation, Political Will and Health Outcomes: A Study of Cuba’s Maternal-Infant Program,’ Policy and Politics: Vol. 35, No. 1.

Kath, Elizabeth. 2006. ‘Father Knows Best? Cuba’s Proactive Approach to Healthcare Delivers Results but Paternalism Brings Some Compromises,’ Cuba in Transition: Vol. 16.

Kath, Elizabeth. 2006. ‘The Role of Cooperative Institutional Arrangements and Political Will in Cuba’s Maternal-Infant Health Outcomes,’ Australasian Political Studies Association (APSA).

Kath, Elizabeth. 2004. ‘The Mother of all Battles: Why Paid Maternity Leave is Overdue in Australia,’ Dialogue E Journal: Vol. 1, Issue 3.

Kath, Elizabeth. 2004. ‘Beyond the Liberal Development Model: Linking Social Capital with State Capacity,’ Cuba Siglo 21.

Reports, reviews, and other publications

Kath, Elizabeth and Paul James, 'Port Moresby', Global Cities Annual Review, vol. 2, 2010.

Kath, Elizabeth. 2009. ‘Review of Christina Perez’ Caring for them From Birth to Death: The Practice of Community Based Cuban Medicine’, in Journal of Iberian and Latin American Research (JILAR) A Special Edition. Cuba Today: 50 Years On. December. Vol. 5, Issue 2: 174-176.

James, Paul, Yaso Nadarajah, Karen Haive, and Victoria Stead with Elizabeth Kath. Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Development: Other Paths for Papua New Guinea, Globalism Research Centre and the Department for Community Development, Papua New Guinea, 234pp.

Kath, Elizabeth. 2006. ‘The Role of Cooperative Institutional Arrangements and Political Will in Cuba’s Maternal-Infant Health Outcomes,’ Australasian Political Studies Association (APSA).

Queensland Government Office for Women. 2009. Profile: Queensland Women 2009. Queensland Government: Brisbane, 125pp.

James, Paul, Peter Annear and Elizabeth Kath. 2009. ‘Health and Funding’ in James, Paul, Yaso Nadarajah, Karen Haive, Victoria Stead et al. Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Development: Other Paths for Papua New Guinea, Globalism Research Centre and the Department for Community Development, Papua New Guinea, 234pp.

James, Paul, Zarnaz Faloudi and Elizabeth Kath. 2009. ‘Health and HIV/AIDS’ In James, Paul, Yaso Nadarajah, Karen Haive, Victoria Stead et al. 2009. Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Development: Other Paths for Papua New Guinea, Globalism Research Centre and the Department for Community Development, Papua New Guinea, 234pp.

Kath, Elizabeth. 2004. ‘Beyond the Liberal Development Model: Linking Social Capital with State Capacity,’ Cuba Siglo 21.

Refereed contributions to international conferences

July 2010 – Presenter. Association of Iberian and Latin American Studies of Australasia (AILASA). Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

June 2009 – Presenter. Latin American Studies Association Conference, Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

August 2006 – Paper Contributor. Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy (ASCE) Sixteenth Annual Meeting. Miami, Florida, USA.

September 2005 – Presenter. Australasian Political Studies Association (APSA) Conference 2005. Dunedin, New Zealand.

June 2004 – Poster Presenter. The Eleventh International Literacy and Education Research Network Conference on Learning. Havana, Cuba.

May 2004 – Presenter. International Conference – The work of Karl Marx and Challenges for the XXI Century. Havana, Cuba.