^aDepartment of Political Science, University of Minnesota Duluth, 304 Cina Hall, 1123 University Drive, Duluth, MN 55812-3006, USA. E-mail: jaywhy@alumni.grinnell.edu

Abstract

The international community appears to have embraced a new norm — that of universal access to antiretroviral drugs. The process by which this norm has found acceptance raises interesting questions about how norm entrepreneurs frame their arguments, the role of non-state actors in realizing a norm, and the importance of existent complementary norms. To understand the success of the norm of universal antiretroviral access, I examine the failure of an earlier health-related norm — that of universal primary health care. The campaign for universal antiretroviral access points to a need for a more nuanced understanding of norm evolution within the international community and a more holistic vision of which actors can facilitate the realization of a norm.