Health Sciences 3400A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Intersectionality, Outsourcing
Lecture 2 Notes: Introduction to the Policy Process
Objectives
• Understand the importance and relevance of health policy
• Be able to explain the common concepts
• Be able to identify the different stakeholders
• Understand the impact contextual factors have on policy
• Be able to list the stages of the policy process
• Understand the role of and uses for Policy Briefs
Important Concepts
• Defining Policy: Public policy looks at the government aspect of health
o Some examples of direct health policies (tobacco reduction strategies,
environmental regulations)
• Equity – process of being fair or impartial (whether the groups are defined socially,
economically, geographically)
• Intersectionality – overlapping identities are all interconnected and should not be
viewed in isolation of the others
• Autonomy – freedom from control or influence
• Coercion
• Proportionality – the balance between the good that something may achieve vs the
bad with the rights it may take away or infringe upon
Why Study Health Policy
• Because you have to
• Because it impacts every aspect of society
• Because it is one of the best ways that we can respond to a rapidly changing world
Policy Stakeholders/Actors
• Individuals
• Organizations
o Public: any organization that is part of government (or an agent of the govt.)
o Private: business organizations run for profit
o Non-profit: organizations where profit is recycled back into the organization
• Groups – may not have same formal organization or may be groups of organizations
(grassroots, coalition of pharmaceutical companies, social movements)
Perspectives in Health Policy
• There is usually a pro/con to each side
• Economist
• Medical Professional
• City Planners
• Patient
• Taxpayer
Contextual Factors
• Situational: temporal conditions that can influence policy
• Structural: more permanent characteristics of a society (capitalist society will use
different policies than a communist one)
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Document Summary
Economically, geographically: some examples of direct health policies (tobacco reduction strategies, equity process of being fair or impartial (whether the groups are defined socially, Lecture 2 notes: introduction to the policy process. Important concepts: defining policy: public policy looks at the government aspect of health environmental regulations) Why study health policy: because you have to, because it impacts every aspect of society, because it is one of the best ways that we can respond to a rapidly changing world. Perspectives in health policy: there is usually a pro/con to each side, economist, medical professional, city planners, patient, taxpayer. Contextual factors: situational: temporal conditions that can influence policy, structural: more permanent characteristics of a society (capitalist society will use different policies than a communist one, cultural: include things such as social hierarchies. International/exogenous: when people travel with banned food/introduce new species into an area there are serious implications within the country.