Incorporating evidence and politics in health policy: Can institutionalising evidence review make a difference?

Authors

Kathy Flitcroft, University of Sydney
James Gillespie, University of Sydney
Stacy Carter, University of SydneyFollow
Glenn P. Salkeld, University of WollongongFollow
Lyndal Trevena, University of Sydney

RIS ID

111216

Publication Details

Flitcroft, K., Gillespie, J., Carter, S., Salkeld, G. & Trevena, L. (2014). Incorporating evidence and politics in health policy: Can institutionalising evidence review make a difference?. Evidence and Policy: a journal of research, debate and practice, 10 (3), 439-455.

Abstract

Much of the evidence translation literature focuses narrowly on the use of evidence in the initial policy formulation stages, and downplays the crucial role of institutions and the inherently political nature of policy making. More recent approaches acknowledge the importance of institutional and political factors, but make no attempt to incorporate their influence into new models of evidence translation. To address this issue, this article uses data from a comparative case study of bowel cancer screening policy in Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, to propose alternative models of evidence incorporation which apply to all stages of the policy process.