Health Policy and Planning, Vol 14, 103-114, Copyright © 1999 by Oxford University Press
J Trostle, M Bronfman and A Langer
Though the problems translating or applying research in policy-making are
legion, solutions are rare. As developing countries increase their
capacities to develop effective local solutions to their health problems,
they confront the research/policy dilemma. Yet few descriptive studies of
research-policy links can be found from developing countries, and the
relevance of European and North American models and data is questionable.We
report the results of a descriptive study from Mexico of the relationship
between health research and policy in four vertical programmes (AIDS,
cholera, family planning, immunization). We interviewed 67 researchers and
policy-makers from different institutions and levels of responsibility.We
analyzed interviewee responses looking for factors that promoted or impeded
exchanges between researchers and policy-makers. These were, in turn,
divided into emphases on content, actors, process, and context. Many of the
promoting factors resembled findings from studies in industrialized
countries. Some important differences across the four programmes, which
also distinguish them from industrialized country programmes, included
extent of reliance on formal communication channels, role of the mass media
in building social consensus or creating discord, levels of social
consensus, role of foreign donors, and extent of support for biomedical
versus social research.We recommend various ways to increase the impact of
research on health policy-making in Mexico. Some of the largest challenges
include the fact that researchers are but one of many interest groups, and
research but one input among many equally legitimate elements to be
considered by policy-makers. Another important challenge in Mexico is the
relatively small role played by the public in policy-making. Further
democratic changes in Mexico may be the most important incentive to
increase the use of research in policy -making.
ARTICLES
How do researchers influence decision-makers? Case studies of Mexican policies
Anthropology Program, Trinity College, Hartford, CT, USA; Health Policy and Planning Unit, National Institute of Public Health, Mexico; LAC Regional Office, The Population Council, Mexico
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