Conspiracy Beliefs, Institutional Mistrust, and Health-Related Behaviours During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Burkina Faso: A Mediation Analysis
January 28, 2026
Its work combines applied research, policy dialogue and capacity building to support the long-term strengthening of health systems, particularly in Africa and Asia.
Research Priority 1 – Health Financing
The programme examines health financing mechanisms within the broader context of development finance. Research focuses on financing the One Sustainable Health approach, blended finance, health-related taxation and financing strategies for fragile and conflict-affected settings.
Research Priority 2 – Health System Efficiency
The programme assesses the performance of health facilities and analyses the relationship between quality of care, service delivery and the efficient use of public resources.
Current research is being conducted in China, Mongolia, Togo and Algeria to support health sector reforms and the implementation of universal health coverage.
Research Priority 3 – Health Behaviours and Universal Health Coverage
The programme investigates the economic, social and institutional determinants of household health behaviours.
Research explores, in particular, public preferences regarding universal health coverage, the acceptability of health policies and the factors influencing healthcare utilisation.
The programme contributes to international debates on health financing, health system efficiency and the implementation of universal health coverage. Its research results in peer-reviewed publications, working papers and policy briefs that support evidence-based policymaking and inform international discussions on strengthening health systems.
Recent publications have addressed topics including hospital efficiency in China, the relationship between quality of care and health centre efficiency in Mongolia, and financing the One Sustainable Health approach.
In 2025, research was carried out in China, Mongolia, Algeria and Togo to examine the links between quality of care, health facility performance and the efficient use of public resources. These studies seek to identify practical ways of improving the organisation and performance of health systems while enhancing the quality of services delivered to populations.
In Togo, ongoing research supports preparations for universal health coverage by assessing the efficiency of district hospitals and analysing household preferences regarding future health insurance schemes.
The programme also investigates household responses to health risks. In Burkina Faso, research examines how mistrust in public institutions influenced health behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Madagascar, studies explore public perceptions of tuberculosis and the acceptability of home-based screening strategies in order to identify the conditions that encourage greater uptake of healthcare services.
Research findings are regularly presented to international organisations, ministries of health and development partners.
In 2025, FERDI played an active role in the One Sustainable Health Forum, of which it is a strategic partner. Jacky Mathonnat (Cerdi, FERDI) co-chaired the international working group on financing the One Sustainable Health approach, which produced three policy briefs on blended finance, health taxation and financing mechanisms for programmes operating in fragile settings. The group's operational recommendations were presented at the Forum held in Lyon in November 2025.
In 2026, FERDI also presented, at the One Health Summit, its proposal for an Observatory on District Hospital Efficiency, an international initiative aimed at developing a benchmarking and monitoring tool for assessing the performance of district hospitals in low- and middle-income countries.
The programme's research directly informs the training courses delivered by IHEDD-FERDI for public administrations, health professionals and development practitioners.
The training programme Strengthening Health Systems and Policies to Combat Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases, developed with the support of the Directorate of International Cooperation of the Principality of Monaco, equips public- and private-sector professionals with expertise in health economics, health financing, data analysis and public policy evaluation.
→ Discover the training programme
Tailor-made training courses are also delivered at the request of ministries of health, notably in Botswana, Madagascar and Senegal, and as part of the continuing professional development component of the Master's programme in Health Public Policy Analysis and Evaluation at the Institute of Public Policy, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar.
