IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v117y2014icp150-159.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The inter-section of political history and health policy in Asia – The historical foundations for health policy analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Grundy, John
  • Hoban, Elizabeth
  • Allender, Steve
  • Annear, Peter

Abstract

One of the challenges for health reform in Asia is the diverse set of socio-economic and political structures, and the related variability in the direction and pace of health systems and policy reform. This paper aims to make comparative observations and analysis of health policy reform in the context of historical change, and considers the implications of these findings for the practice of health policy analysis. We adopt an ecological model for analysis of policy development, whereby health systems are considered as dynamic social constructs shaped by changing political and social conditions. Utilizing historical, social scientific and health literature, timelines of health and history for five countries (Cambodia, Myanmar, Mongolia, North Korea and Timor Leste) are mapped over a 30–50 year period. The case studies compare and contrast key turning points in political and health policy history, and examines the manner in which these turning points sets the scene for the acting out of longer term health policy formation, particularly with regard to the managerial domains of health policy making. Findings illustrate that the direction of health policy reform is shaped by the character of political reform, with countries in the region being at variable stages of transition from monolithic and centralized administrations, towards more complex management arrangements characterized by a diversity of health providers, constituency interest and financing sources. The pace of reform is driven by a country's institutional capability to withstand and manage transition shocks of post conflict rehabilitation and emergence of liberal economic reforms in an altered governance context. These findings demonstrate that health policy analysis needs to be informed by a deeper understanding and questioning of the historical trajectory and political stance that sets the stage for the acting out of health policy formation, in order that health systems function optimally along their own historical pathways.

Suggested Citation

  • Grundy, John & Hoban, Elizabeth & Allender, Steve & Annear, Peter, 2014. "The inter-section of political history and health policy in Asia – The historical foundations for health policy analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 150-159.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:117:y:2014:i:c:p:150-159
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.07.047
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953614004766
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.07.047?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sunyoung Pak & Daniel Schwekendiek & Hee Kyoung Kim, 2011. "Height and living standards in North Korea, 1930s–1980s," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 64, pages 142-158, February.
    2. Noland, Marcus & Haggard, Stephan, 2007. "Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform," MPRA Paper 92548, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Grundy, John & Annear, Peter & Ahmed, Shakil & Biggs, Beverley-Ann, 2014. "Adapting to social and political transitions – The influence of history on health policy formation in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burma)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 179-188.
    4. Bloom, Gerald, 2011. "Building institutions for an effective health system: Lessons from China's experience with rural health reform," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(8), pages 1302-1309, April.
    5. Tin, Nilar & Lwin, Saw & Kyaing, Nyo Nyo & Htay, Thein Thein & Grundy, John & Skold, Margareta & O'Connell, Thomas & Nirupam, Siddharth, 2010. "An approach to health system strengthening in the Union of Myanmar," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(2-3), pages 95-102, May.
    6. Glass, Thomas A. & McAtee, Matthew J., 2006. "Behavioral science at the crossroads in public health: Extending horizons, envisioning the future," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(7), pages 1650-1671, April.
    7. Bloom, Gerald & Standing, Hilary & Lloyd, Robert, 2008. "Markets, information asymmetry and health care: Towards new social contracts," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(10), pages 2076-2087, May.
    8. Howlett, Michael, 2009. "Process Sequencing Policy Dynamics: Beyond Homeostasis and Path Dependency," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 29(3), pages 241-262, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Grundy, John & Annear, Peter & Ahmed, Shakil & Biggs, Beverley-Ann, 2014. "Adapting to social and political transitions – The influence of history on health policy formation in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burma)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 179-188.
    2. Leonard, David K. & Bloom, Gerald & Hanson, Kara & O’Farrell, Juan & Spicer, Neil, 2013. "Institutional Solutions to the Asymmetric Information Problem in Health and Development Services for the Poor," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 71-87.
    3. Martin, Molly A. & Lippert, Adam M., 2012. "Feeding her children, but risking her health: The intersection of gender, household food insecurity and obesity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(11), pages 1754-1764.
    4. Umberson, Debra & Liu, Hui & Mirowsky, John & Reczek, Corinne, 2011. "Parenthood and trajectories of change in body weight over the life course," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(9), pages 1323-1331.
    5. Mengna Luan & Wenjing Shi & Zhigang Tao & Hongjie Yuan, 2023. "When patients have better insurance coverage in China: Provider incentives, costs, and quality of care," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 1073-1106, October.
    6. Kitae Sohn, 2015. "A World Record in the Improvement in Biological Standards of Living in Korea: Evidence from Age at Menarche," CEH Discussion Papers 037, Centre for Economic History, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    7. Andrew McNee, 2012. "Illuminating the local: can non-formal institutions be complementary to health system development in Papua New Guinea?," Development Policy Centre Discussion Papers 1215, Development Policy Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    8. Stephen Devereux, 2009. "Why does famine persist in Africa?," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 1(1), pages 25-35, February.
    9. Soohyon Kim & Wook Sohn & Changyong Choi, 2020. "The North Korean Economy: Sustainable or Muddling-Through?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-23, October.
    10. Kyunghee Kook, 2018. "“I Want to Be Trafficked so I Can Migrate!†: Cross-Border Movement of North Koreans into China through Brokerage and Smuggling Networks," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 676(1), pages 114-134, March.
    11. Haggard, Stephan & Noland, Marcus, 2009. "The political economy of North Korea: implications for denuclearization and proliferation," MPRA Paper 15919, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Jessica B. Lewis & Sonya S. Brady & Siobhan Sutcliffe & Ariana L. Smith & Elizabeth R. Mueller & Kyle Rudser & Alayne D. Markland & Ann Stapleton & Sheila Gahagan & Shayna D. Cunningham & Prevention o, 2020. "Converging on Bladder Health through Design Thinking: From an Ecology of Influence to a Focused Set of Research Questions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-17, June.
    13. Stephen Matthews & Daniel M. Parker, 2013. "Progress in Spatial Demography," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 28(10), pages 271-312.
    14. Shivani A. Patel & Susan G. Sherman & Subarna K. Khatry & Steven C. LeClerq & Joanne Katz & James M. Tielsch & Parul Christian, 2016. "An Index of Community-Level Socioeconomic Composition for Global Health Research," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 129(2), pages 639-658, November.
    15. Haggard, Stephan & Noland, Marcus, 2010. "Reform from below: Behavioral and institutional change in North Korea," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 73(2), pages 133-152, February.
    16. Bloom, Gerald & Wolcott, Sara, 2013. "Building institutions for health and health systems in contexts of rapid change," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 216-222.
    17. Noland, Marcus & Haggard, Stephan, 2009. "Repression and punishment in North Korea: survey evidence of prison camp experiences," MPRA Paper 17705, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Chang, Yoonok & Haggard, Stephan & Noland, Marcus, 2009. "Exit polls: Refugee assessments of North Korea's transition," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 144-150, March.
    19. Cerami, Alfio, 2018. "The Night Lights of North Korea. Prosperity Shining and Public Policy Governance," MPRA Paper 87281, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 13 Jun 2018.
    20. Cámara, Antonio D. & Puche, Javier & Martínez-Carrión, José Miguel, 2021. "Assessing the effects of autarchic policies on the biological well-being: Analysis of deviations in cohort male height in the Valencian Community (Spain) during Francoist regime," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:117:y:2014:i:c:p:150-159. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.