Health Sciences 3400A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Path Dependence, The Elected, Liberal Democracy

• School: Western University
• Department: Health Sciences
• Course: Health Sciences 3400A/B
• Professor: Melanie McPhail

Document Summary

Health policy chapter 5: government and the policy process. The (cid:858)plu(cid:396)alist(cid:859) pe(cid:396)spe(cid:272)ti(cid:448)e assu(cid:373)ed that politi(cid:272)s t(cid:396)a(cid:374)s(cid:373)itted the p(cid:396)efe(cid:396)e(cid:374)(cid:272)es of (cid:272)itize(cid:374)s to (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h governments responded appropriately. The (cid:858)elitist(cid:859) pe(cid:396)spe(cid:272)ti(cid:448)e e(cid:373)phasized i(cid:374)e(cid:395)ualities, pa(cid:396)ti(cid:272)ula(cid:396)l(cid:455) i(cid:374) e(cid:272)o(cid:374)o(cid:373)i(cid:272) po(cid:449)e(cid:396) (cid:271)et(cid:449)ee(cid:374) g(cid:396)oups a(cid:374)d the ability of powerful groups to ensure that policy decisions favoured them. Two features of government systems have a major effect on their ability to make and implement policy: autonomy and capacity. Capacity refers to the ability of the government system to make and implement policy: springs from the expertise, resources and coherence of the machinery of the government. All governments operate at a variety of levels between the national and local level. There is an important distinction between unitary and federal systems which cannot be overlooked when thinking about policy change in health systems. It can delegate these powers to lower levels of government, but can also take these powers back relatively easy: china, japan and new zealand are similar.