Policy, Theory, and Evaluation: Stop Mixing the Fruit Salad; Comment on “Developing a Framework for a Program Theory-Based Approach to Evaluating Policy Processes and Outcomes: Health in All Policies in South Australia”

Document Type : Commentary

Author

1 Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation (CHETRE), University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

2 South Western Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool, NSW, Australia

3 Ingham Institute, Liverpool, NSW, Australia

Abstract

The study of Health in All Policies (HiAP) is gaining momentum. Authors are increasingly turning to wide swathes of political and social theory to frame (Program) Theory Based (or Informed) Evaluation (TBE) approaches. TBE for HiAP is not only prudent, it adds a level of elegance and insight to the research toolbox. However, it is still necessary to organize theoretical thinking appropriately. A commentary on a recent Int J Health Policy Manag paper argued that the framing of context and causality were hard to establish. This paper argues that this is not the most pressing issue. Rather, it claims we need to go back to basics to establish an appropriate HiAP evaluation paradigm. Such a basic paradigm would hinge on an understanding of power.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Full Text

"Watch the Video Summary"

References

  1. Newton I. Four Letters from Sir Isaac Newton to Doctor Bentley: Containing Some Arguments in Proof of a Deity. London: Printed for R. and J. Dodsley; 1756.
  2. Breton E, De Leeuw E. Theories of the policy process in health promotion research: a review. Health Promot Int. 2011;26(1):82-90. doi:10.1093/heapro/daq051
  3. Gatrell AC, Elliott SJ. Geographies of Health: An Introduction. Wiley; 2014.
  4. Glaser BG, Strauss AL, Strutzel E. The discovery of grounded theory; strategies for qualitative research. Nurs Res. 1968;17(4):364.
  5. Birckmayer JD, Weiss CH. Theory-based evaluation in practice. What do we learn? Eval Rev. 2000;24(4):407-431. doi:10.1177/0193841x0002400404
  6. Van den Broucke S. Theory-informed health promotion: seeing the bigger picture by looking at the details. Health Promot Int. 2012;27(2):143-147. doi:10.1093/heapro/das018
  7. Eldredge LKB, Markham CM, Ruiter RAC, Kok G, Parcel GS. Planning health promotion programs: an intervention mapping approach. John Wiley & Sons; 2016.
  8. Lawless A, Baum F, Delany-Crowe T, et al. Developing a Framework for a Program Theory-Based Approach to Evaluating Policy Processes and Outcomes: Health in All Policies in South Australia. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2018; Forthcoming. doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2017.121
  9. Howlett M, McConnell A, Perl A. Weaving the fabric of public policies: comparing and integrating contemporary frameworks for the study of policy processes. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice. 2016;18(3):273-289. doi:10.1080/13876988.2015.1082261
  10. De Leeuw E, Hoeijmakers M, Peters D. Juggling Multiple Networks in Multiple Streams. European Policy Analysis. 2016;2(1):196-217. doi:10.18278/epa.2.1.13
  11. Peña S. Evaluating Health in All Policies: Comment on “Developing a framework for a program theory-based approach to evaluating policy processes and outcomes: Health in All Policies in South Australia.” Int J Health Policy Manag. 2018; forthcoming. doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2018.33
  12. De Leeuw E, Peters D. Nine questions to guide development and implementation of Health in All Policies. Health Promot Int. 2015;30(4):987-997. doi:10.1093/heapro/dau034
  13. De Leeuw E. Engagement of Sectors Other than Health in Integrated Health Governance, Policy, and Action. Annu Rev Public Health. 2017;38(1):329-349. doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044309
  14. Peters BG. Managing horizontal government: the politics of co‐ordination. Public Adm. 1998;76(2):295-311. doi:10.1111/1467-9299.00102
  15. Dahl RA. Who Governs?: Democracy and Power in an American City. New Haven: Yale University Press; 1961.
  16. Malone N. Can Women Have It All? Beyoncé Says Yes. The New Republic. January 27, 2013 https://newrepublic.com/article/112214/beyonces-message-women-can-have-it-all.  Accessed  April 3, 2018.
  17. Guevara E. Tactics and Strategy of the Latin-American Revolution (October-November 1962). In: Deutschmann D, ed. Che Guevara Reader. Second Expanded Edition. North Melbourne: Ocean Press; 2003:294-304.
  18. Wrong D. Power: Its Forms, Bases and Uses. London: Routledge; 2017.
  19. Arendt H. The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 2013.
  20. Dalton D. Mahatma Gandhi: Nonviolent Power in Action. New York: Columbia University Press; 2012.

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 24 February 2018
  • Revise Date: 17 April 2018
  • Accept Date: 03 April 2018
  • First Publish Date: 01 August 2018

Share

How to cite

Statistics