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Legislator voting and behavioral science theory: a systematic review.
Gregory J Tung1, Jon S Vernick, Erin V Reiney
1The Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA. gtung@jhsph.edu
American Journal of Health Behavior
|October 3, 2012
Summary
Behavioral science theories help explain legislator voting on public health policies. The theory of planned behavior offers a framework for advocates to promote pro-health legislation.
Area of Science:
- Political Science
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Understanding legislator voting behavior on public health policies is crucial for effective policy implementation.
- Behavioral science offers potential frameworks to explain these decisions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and synthesize research applying behavioral science theories to legislator voting behavior concerning public health policies.
- To identify which behavioral science theories are most relevant and applicable in this context.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review was conducted to identify relevant studies.
- Studies examined factors influencing legislator support, voting intention, or actual votes on public health policies.
- Emphasis was placed on research explicitly grounded in behavioral science theory.
Main Results:
- Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria for the review.
- Six of the included studies were explicitly based on a behavioral science theory.
- The Theory of Planned Behavior emerged as a prominent theoretical framework.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral science theories provide a valuable lens for understanding why legislators vote the way they do on public health issues.
- The Theory of Planned Behavior, in particular, offers a robust framework for analysis.
- Advocates can leverage these theoretical insights to develop more effective strategies for advancing pro-health policies.
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