Vaccine diplomacy: The politics of COVID-19 vaccines in Zimbabwe

Abstract

COVID-19 vaccines were unevenly distributed across the world, with fewer supplies in the Global South. The geopolitical powers who developed the vaccines started engaging in vaccine diplomacy, competing to donate or export their vaccines to other countries. A perspective neglected in this landscape is of those living in countries targeted by vaccine diplomacy. This study conducted a survey experiment in Zimbabwe to examine the influence of vaccine origins on vaccination intention. The results suggest that vaccine country origins and country image interact to influence vaccination intention toward American and Chinese vaccines. We also found that there was an interaction effect between vaccine country origins and partisanship in relation to Chinese vaccines. The findings suggest that the utility of vaccine diplomacy as a soft power strategy is affected by the heterogeneity of a country’s image fostered through international and local politics.