The Policy Cycle Tool for Policy Development
Question:
Discuss about the Policy, Power and Politics in Health Care for Policy Cycle.
Policy cycle refers a tool that is used in analyzing policy development. Policy cycle is mostly used in political science sphere. It is an appropriate tool for development of new policies because it established a framework through which policymakers can develop new policies. In addition, through policy cycle, public demands can be organized and turned into actionable actions aimed at addressing issues affecting the public. The cycle works on the basis of specific steps each with details of what needs to be done during the process of developing new policies (Brownson, Colditz & Proctor,2017). While the process of developing policies can be viewed as quite complex, through the use of policy cycle, it becomes much easier to create new policies. The reason for this is that through adherence to the established steps, the much needed consistency in the development of new policies can be achieved. Not only do the steps enable consistency in the development of the policies but also they ensure that new policies are standardized and acceptable across the board because they are as per the requisite standards and for their ability to address existing public needs. Therefore policy cycle ensures that a policy is accorded support and acceptability making it more effective. It also ensures that policies are not made haphazardly by prescribing what policymakers need to do in the course of coming up with new policies. This ensures that each new policy actions are aligned with the existing demands. Problem identification is also an important consideration in the development of new policies (Evans, 2017). Policy cycle facilitates this process by ensuring that public demand problems are identified accurately to aid in the development of effective policies. Policy cycle also ensures that alternative policies are identified during the process of coming up with new policies. Rational decision making is an important component of effective policy formulation. Through the use of policy cycle in guiding policymakers, new policies are developed through rational decisions. This means that decisions are solely made based on reason and the interests of the public. Policy cycle is therefore effective tool in the development of new policies due to its systematic framework and clear policy development guidelines
People are born and raised under different social circumstances. The society in which an individual is born in forms various aspects of their lives including behavior, perception, and dressing. Sociological factors refer to social phenomena that can affect or be affected by relationships and interaction. It includes dynamic social factors such as wealth family, religion (Thokala et al., 2016). Sociological factors play a major role in the type of lifestyle and kind of health status enjoyed by an individual. One of the major sociological factors affecting individual’s health status is social status and income. The quality of health care sought by people depends on the level of their income and social class. This means that the richer an individual is in the society, the easier it is for them to seek medical attention. On the other hand, the poor an individual is in the society the less likely the ability to seek quality medical care (Stoddart & Evans, 2017). The level of an individual’s income determines the kind of lifestyle that they live. Deprivation or affordability of goods and services is I determined by the level of income. Apart from the ease of medical care, wealthy people live in better houses, clean vicinities and live on healthy diets. On the other had poor people live on deprivation of basic foods and services such as medical care. Because of their deprived economic status, their access to medical care services is limited. This also escalated by the fact that they cannot subscribe to medical insurance because their financial status does not allow them. Therefore, the better the income and social status of individuals within a society, the better their health status and vice versa. The level of education is also a major sociological factor that determines the health status. Because of the knowledge acquired through education, such people can make informed food choices and improved living standards. On the other hand, poor people also double up as less educated. Because of their low levels of education, such people make poor food choices and live under poor living conditions (Barer, 2017). It is true therefore that the health status of individuals is linked to sociological factors.
Sociological Factors and Individual Health Status
Power refers to the ability to influence the outcome through the influence of the human behavior. Power comes at play in policy development through the capacity to influence the new policy development, adoption, and implementation. In many new policies, influence by the government is a major factor in the development and adoption (Abel-Smith, 2016). The reason for this is that most policies require government support for effective adoption. Policymakers must, therefore, look out for this support through influencing various arms of government. As a result of the individualistic nature of a number of the political class, they exert their influence and power in the development of the new policies. This influence and power serve to satisfy certain desires of the political class. Because of their power and influence, politicians can lead to either the adoption or rejection of a new policy irrespective of whether it is effective or not. Rejection of a new policy is usually informed by the fear of change. People tend to assume that the introduction of new policies is likely to deprive them certain objectives that they were enjoying previously. Policymakers should be in a position of understanding the concept of power and influence in the formulation of new policies. This basic understanding prepares them to deal with any pertinent issues that may arise in the course of development of new policies (Ståhl, 2018). This understanding can also enable policymakers to identify aspects of the political process which can influence the successful adoption of new policies. This [preparedness could include submission of policy proposals before preparation of budgets in a way of ensuring that sufficient funding is allocated for the development of new policies. They should also identify any potential conflicts likely to hinder the process of creating new policies. In summary, power in the context of policy making means the ability to influence the development, adoption and policy implementation.
In order to increase the effectiveness of new policies, it is important to take note of a number of considerations. While policies are meant to solve certain problems, without policy considerations, the ability of a policy to achieve its desired objectives is likely to be affected. The first consideration in a national obesity health campaign is the prevalence of the obesity problem. This should be identified through the analysis of current literature and statistics. Sustainability is also a major consideration in policy creation (Blank, Burau & Kuhlmann, 2017). The campaign should, therefore, put into consideration the long-term sustainability of the various aspects of an obesity policy. It should consider how the intended outcome will be maintained over a long period of time. The effectiveness of a policy is determined by the sustainability of its intended results over a given period. For example, the effectiveness of an obesity campaign policy can be accessed by its ability to achieve sustained results such as the reduction of cases of obesity or deaths as a result of obesity. Development of policies is informed by the desire to deal with an existing issue. The national obesity campaign should, therefore, consider the effectiveness of a policy in addressing the existing issue which it is meant to deal with. Budget is also a major determinant of the success of a policy. The national obesity campaign should consider the budget for the campaign. The budget should be reasonable and which can be raised with ease. The budget should also be sufficient to ensure optimal implementation of a national obesity campaign. Stakeholder engagement should also be a priority for a national obesity campaign. Collaboration is an important component of successful policy implementation. Through collaboration, the much-needed support for a policy can be achieved. Through various considerations, therefore, national obesity campaign can be a success (Huss & MacLachlan, 2016)
The Role of Power in Policy Development
For a policy to achieve its objectives, it must be created through consideration of various factors. If I were to create a new policy to develop a smoke-free environment, I would first consider the objectives of the policy. Just like any other policy, the setting of project objectives will be a major input into its success. I will therefore clearly state the objectives stating what the policy aims to achieve. Objectives will give direction to the development and implementation of the new policy. I will ensure that these policies are clearly stated. In policy creation, statement of the objectives is followed by interventions to achieve them. I will, therefore, identify the various interventions which can be employed to develop a smoke-free environment. Each of the intervention will also include a list of activities to be carried out (Béland & Ridde, 2016). In these interventions will be the solution to a smoke-free environment in the University. Stakeholder involvement will also be an aspect that I will consider. I will also consider the input of stakeholders such as the students, university staff, community and university management. Stakeholder involvement will not only facilitate inclusion of various opinions and perspectives, but it will also ensure exclusive support for the policy. Stakeholder involvement will also provide an opportunity for the stakeholders to have a firsthand understanding of the component of the policy and how effective its interventions will be (Baum, 2016). This will also minimize resistance. Monitoring will be the last factor that I will consider. The role of monitoring will be to ensure that policy activities are carried out as desired. It will also ensure that any deviation is identified and rectified. I will include an evaluation and monitoring framework that will guide the overall implementation.
References
Abel-Smith, B. (2016). An introduction to health: policy, planning and financing. Routledge.
Baum, F. (2016). The new public health (No. Ed. 4). Oxford University Press.
Barer, M. (Ed.). (2017). Why are some people healthy and others not?. Routledge.
Béland, D., & Ridde, V. (2016). Ideas and Policy Implementation: Understanding the Resistance against Free Health Care in Africa. Global Health Governance, 10(3).
Blank, R., Burau, V., & Kuhlmann, E. (2017). Comparative health policy. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Brownson, R. C., Colditz, G. A., & Proctor, E. K. (Eds.). (2017). Dissemination and implementation research in health: translating science to practice. Oxford University Press.
Evans, M. (2017). Understanding policy transfer. In Policy transfer in global perspective (pp. 10-42). Routledge.
Huss, T., & MacLachlan, M. (2016). Equity and Inclusion in Policy Processes: A Framework to Support Inclusive Policy Development, Implementation and Evaluation.
Stoddart, G. L., & Evans, R. G. (2017). Producing health, consuming health care. In Why are some people healthy and others not? (pp. 27-64). Routledge.
Ståhl, T. (2018). Health in All Policies: From rhetoric to implementation and evaluation–the Finnish experience. Scandinavian journal of public health, 46(20_suppl), 38-46.
Thokala, P., Devlin, N., Marsh, K., Baltussen, R., Boysen, M., Kalo, Z., … & Ijzerman, M. (2016). Multiple criteria decision analysis for health care decision making—an introduction: report 1 of the ISPOR MCDA Emerging Good Practices Task Force. Value in health, 19(1), 1-13.
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