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Understanding Australian policies on public health using social and political science theories: reflections from an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Workshop

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

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Understanding Australian policies on public health using social and political science theories: reflections from an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Workshop. / Baum, Fran; Graycar, Adam; Delany-Crowe, Toni et al.
In: Health Promotion International, Vol. 34, No. 4, 31.08.2019, p. 833-846.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Baum, F, Graycar, A, Delany-Crowe, T, de Leeuw, E, Bacchi, C, Popay, J, Orchard, L, Colebatch, H, Friel, S, MacDougall, C, Harris, E, Lawless, A, McDermott, D, Fisher, M, Harris, P, Phillips, C & Fitzgerald, J 2019, 'Understanding Australian policies on public health using social and political science theories: reflections from an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Workshop', Health Promotion International, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 833-846. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/day014

APA

Baum, F., Graycar, A., Delany-Crowe, T., de Leeuw, E., Bacchi, C., Popay, J., Orchard, L., Colebatch, H., Friel, S., MacDougall, C., Harris, E., Lawless, A., McDermott, D., Fisher, M., Harris, P., Phillips, C., & Fitzgerald, J. (2019). Understanding Australian policies on public health using social and political science theories: reflections from an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Workshop. Health Promotion International, 34(4), 833-846. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/day014

Vancouver

Baum F, Graycar A, Delany-Crowe T, de Leeuw E, Bacchi C, Popay J et al. Understanding Australian policies on public health using social and political science theories: reflections from an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Workshop. Health Promotion International. 2019 Aug 31;34(4):833-846. Epub 2018 Apr 19. doi: 10.1093/heapro/day014

Author

Baum, Fran ; Graycar, Adam ; Delany-Crowe, Toni et al. / Understanding Australian policies on public health using social and political science theories : reflections from an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Workshop. In: Health Promotion International. 2019 ; Vol. 34, No. 4. pp. 833-846.

Bibtex

@article{cfd474e9c013400d8fb054a836cb59b9,
title = "Understanding Australian policies on public health using social and political science theories: reflections from an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Workshop",
abstract = "There is strong, and growing, evidence documenting health inequities across the world. However, most governments do not prioritize policies to encourage action on the social determinants of health and health equity. Furthermore, despite evidence concerning the benefits of joined-up, intersectoral policy to promote health and health equity, it is rare for such policy approaches to be applied systematically. To examine the usefulness of political and social science theory in understanding the reasons for this disjuncture between evidence and practice, researchers and public servants gathered in Adelaide for an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) Workshop. This paper draws together the learnings that emerged from the Workshop, including key messages about the usefulness of various theories as well as insights drawn from policy practice. Discussions during the Workshop highlighted that applying multiple theories is particularly helpful in directing attention to, and understanding, the influence of all stages of the policy process; from the construction and framing of policy problems, to the implementation of policy and evaluation of outcomes, including those outcomes that may be unintended. In addition, the Workshop emphasized the value of collaborations among public health researchers, political and social scientists and public servants to open up critical discussion about the intersections between theory, research evidence and practice. Such critique is vital to render visible the processes through which particular sources of knowledge may be privileged over others and to examine how political and bureaucratic environments shape policy proposals and implementation action.",
keywords = "Determinants of health, evidence based policy, healthy public policy, politics",
author = "Fran Baum and Adam Graycar and Toni Delany-Crowe and {de Leeuw}, Evelyne and Carol Bacchi and Jennie Popay and Lionel Orchard and Hal Colebatch and Sharon Friel and Colin MacDougall and Elizabeth Harris and Angela Lawless and Dennis McDermott and Matthew Fisher and Patrick Harris and Clare Phillips and Jane Fitzgerald",
year = "2019",
month = aug,
day = "31",
doi = "10.1093/heapro/day014",
language = "English",
volume = "34",
pages = "833--846",
journal = "Health Promotion International",
issn = "0957-4824",
publisher = "Oxford University Press",
number = "4",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Understanding Australian policies on public health using social and political science theories

T2 - reflections from an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Workshop

AU - Baum, Fran

AU - Graycar, Adam

AU - Delany-Crowe, Toni

AU - de Leeuw, Evelyne

AU - Bacchi, Carol

AU - Popay, Jennie

AU - Orchard, Lionel

AU - Colebatch, Hal

AU - Friel, Sharon

AU - MacDougall, Colin

AU - Harris, Elizabeth

AU - Lawless, Angela

AU - McDermott, Dennis

AU - Fisher, Matthew

AU - Harris, Patrick

AU - Phillips, Clare

AU - Fitzgerald, Jane

PY - 2019/8/31

Y1 - 2019/8/31

N2 - There is strong, and growing, evidence documenting health inequities across the world. However, most governments do not prioritize policies to encourage action on the social determinants of health and health equity. Furthermore, despite evidence concerning the benefits of joined-up, intersectoral policy to promote health and health equity, it is rare for such policy approaches to be applied systematically. To examine the usefulness of political and social science theory in understanding the reasons for this disjuncture between evidence and practice, researchers and public servants gathered in Adelaide for an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) Workshop. This paper draws together the learnings that emerged from the Workshop, including key messages about the usefulness of various theories as well as insights drawn from policy practice. Discussions during the Workshop highlighted that applying multiple theories is particularly helpful in directing attention to, and understanding, the influence of all stages of the policy process; from the construction and framing of policy problems, to the implementation of policy and evaluation of outcomes, including those outcomes that may be unintended. In addition, the Workshop emphasized the value of collaborations among public health researchers, political and social scientists and public servants to open up critical discussion about the intersections between theory, research evidence and practice. Such critique is vital to render visible the processes through which particular sources of knowledge may be privileged over others and to examine how political and bureaucratic environments shape policy proposals and implementation action.

AB - There is strong, and growing, evidence documenting health inequities across the world. However, most governments do not prioritize policies to encourage action on the social determinants of health and health equity. Furthermore, despite evidence concerning the benefits of joined-up, intersectoral policy to promote health and health equity, it is rare for such policy approaches to be applied systematically. To examine the usefulness of political and social science theory in understanding the reasons for this disjuncture between evidence and practice, researchers and public servants gathered in Adelaide for an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) Workshop. This paper draws together the learnings that emerged from the Workshop, including key messages about the usefulness of various theories as well as insights drawn from policy practice. Discussions during the Workshop highlighted that applying multiple theories is particularly helpful in directing attention to, and understanding, the influence of all stages of the policy process; from the construction and framing of policy problems, to the implementation of policy and evaluation of outcomes, including those outcomes that may be unintended. In addition, the Workshop emphasized the value of collaborations among public health researchers, political and social scientists and public servants to open up critical discussion about the intersections between theory, research evidence and practice. Such critique is vital to render visible the processes through which particular sources of knowledge may be privileged over others and to examine how political and bureaucratic environments shape policy proposals and implementation action.

KW - Determinants of health

KW - evidence based policy

KW - healthy public policy

KW - politics

U2 - 10.1093/heapro/day014

DO - 10.1093/heapro/day014

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 29684128

VL - 34

SP - 833

EP - 846

JO - Health Promotion International

JF - Health Promotion International

SN - 0957-4824

IS - 4

ER -