EPH3022 Y3 Exam summary of all cases (Health Policy at the European Level)

EPH3012 – Health Policy at the European level

Case 1 (policy analysis: different types, perspectives, disciplines)

Dunn
Policy analysis: a process of multidisciplinary inquiry aiming at the creation, critical assessment, and communication
of policy-relevant knowledge. Policy analysis is partly descriptive. It relies on traditional social science disciplines to
describe and explain the causes and consequences of policies. But it is also normative. Policy analysis is designed to
provide policy-relevant knowledge about five types of questions:
1. Policy problems;
2. Expected policy outcomes;
3. Preferred policies;
4. Observed policy outcomes;
5. Policy performance.

Methodology of policy inquiry: refers to the critical investigation of potential solutions to practical problems.




The lines connecting each
pair of components
represents knowledge
transformation, were one
type of knowledge is
changed into another.




Policy-analytic methods of policy analysis:
- Problem structuring – problem-structuring methods are employed to produce knowledge about what
problem to solve;
- Forecasting – forecasting methods are used to produce knowledge about expected policy outcomes
(prospective & descriptive);
- Prescription – methods of prescription are employed to create knowledge about preferred policies
(prospective & normative);
- Monitoring – methods of monitoring are employed to produce knowledge about observed policy outcomes
(retrospective & descriptive);
- Evaluation – evaluation methods are used to produce knowledge about the value or utility of observed
policy outcomes and their contributions to policy performance (retrospective & normative).

Descriptive: about what it is, a set of logically consistent propositions that describe or explain action.
Normative: refers to value judgements about what ought to be, a set of logically consistent propositions that
evaluate or prescribe action.
Prospective: involves the production and transformation of knowledge before prescriptions are made.
Retrospective: a potential solution, involves the production and transformation of knowledge after policies have
been implemented.

, Problem structuring and problem solving
Procedures of problem structuring are designed to identify elements that go into the definition of a problem, but not
to identify solutions (conceptual). Problem-solving methods are designed to solve rather than structure a problem
(technical).

Reconstructed logic versus logic-in-use
The process of integrated policy analysis is a logical reconstruction. The process of actually doing policy analysis
never conforms exactly to this reconstruction, because all logical reconstructions are abstractions of behaviours and
not literal descriptions of them. This lack of conformity is captures by the term logic-in-use, which refers to the way
practicing analysts actually do their work. Notably, that work departs significantly from the methodological ‘best
practices’ mandated by logical reconstructions. Variation from best practices depends on a number of factors:
- Cognitive styles;
- Analytic roles;
- Institutional incentive systems;
- Institutional time constraints;
- Professional socialization;
- Multidisciplinary teamwork.

Policy arguments: by analysing policy arguments, we can identify and probe the assumption underlying competing
policy claims, recognize and evaluate objections to these claims, and synthesize knowledge from different sources.
The structure of a policy arguments can be represented as a set of seven elements:
1. Policy claim (C) – a policy claim is the conclusion of a policy argument (normative, descriptive, evaluative,
definitional);
2. Policy-relevant knowledge (K) – policy-relevant knowledge provides the grounds for a policy claim;
3. Warrant (W) – the warrant is a reason to support a claim;
4. Qualifier (Q) – the qualifier expresses the degree to which a claim is approximately true, given the strength
of the knowledge, warrants, backings, objections, and rebuttals;
5. Backing (B) – the backing is an additional reason to support or back up the warrant;
6. Objection (O) – an objection opposes or challenges the knowledge, warrant, backing, or qualifier by
identifying special conditions or exceptions that reduce confidence in the truth of the knowledge, warrant,
backing, or qualifier;
7. Rebuttal (R) – a rebuttal is an objection to an objection.

Phases of the policymaking process:
- Agenda setting;
- Policy formulation;
- Policy adoption;
- Policy implementation;
- Policy assessment;
- Policy adaptation;
- Policy succession;
- Policy termination.

Models of policy change:
- The comprehensive rationality model (economic rationality);
- Second-best rationality (impossible to meet requirements of the comprehensive rationality model);
- Disjointed incrementalism (decisions are made at the margin of the status quo);
- Bounded rationality (individual choices, making minimally acceptable choices);
- Erotetic rationality (process of questioning and answering);
- Simultaneous convergence (policy change occurs at critical moments);
- Punctuated equilibrium (exogenous shocks affecting major policy changes).

Buse
Process: the way in which policies are initiated, developed or formulated, negotiated, communicated, implemented,
and evaluated. Policy making occurs in different stages:
- Problem identification and issue recognition;
- Policy formulation;