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Introduction: evaluation in analytic theory and political practice
Lawrence D Brown1, Michael K Gusmano
1Columbia University.
Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law
|August 27, 2013
Summary
Policy analysis aims to apply science to decisions, but eliminating politics is impossible. Efforts like health technology assessment should enrich, not replace, political health care decision-making.
Area of Science:
- Health Policy Analysis
- Political Science
- Health Economics
Background:
- Professional policy analysis emerged from a desire to apply scientific methods to policy decisions.
- The ideal of apolitical policy analysis has been historically unattainable.
- Current trends like health technology assessment (HTA) and comparative-effectiveness research (CER) reflect ongoing attempts to find technical solutions for healthcare cost challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the persistent pursuit of apolitical policy analysis despite evidence of its futility.
- To contextualize health technology assessment and comparative-effectiveness research within this historical trend.
- To reframe the goal of policy analysis in healthcare not as eliminating politics, but as enhancing political deliberation.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of the history and philosophy of policy analysis.
- Review of contemporary approaches in health technology assessment and comparative-effectiveness research.
- Examination of the role of evidence in political decision-making within healthcare systems.
Main Results:
- The aspiration for purely scientific, apolitical policy analysis remains a recurring, yet ultimately futile, endeavor.
- Health technology assessment and comparative-effectiveness research represent the latest manifestations of seeking technical fixes for complex healthcare cost issues.
- The increasing growth in healthcare benefits and costs fuels the demand for analytic evidence and insights.
Conclusions:
- The goal of policy analysis in healthcare should not be to circumvent or eliminate political processes.
- Policy analysis should aim to enrich and inform the political deliberations that shape healthcare systems.
- Recognizing the inherent political nature of healthcare policy is crucial for effective decision-making and resource allocation.
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