Introducing Health Workers for Change: from transformation theory to health systems in developing countries

This introductory paper provides the theoretical basis behind the Health Workers for Change methodology, and the role of interactive, participatory learning approaches in promoting social change. The methodology has its origins in Latin America and Kenya, where participatory research methods have been used widely to raise social consciousness and promote change. The paper discusses the resistance of health institutions to participatory ways of learning and the reasons why this occurs. It also presents the logic for the subsequent papers in this special issue and provides a summary of their respective contributions.