Public Involvement in Health Priority Setting: Future Challenges for Policy, Research and Society

Iestyn Williams, David Hunter, Kieslich Katharina, Peter Littlejohns, Sophie Staniszewska, Emma Tumilty, Albert Weale

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)
263 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Abstract
Purpose
The article reflects on the findings of this special issue and discusses the future
challenges for policy, research and society. The findings suggest that challenges
emerge as a result of legitimacy deficits of both consensus and contestatory modes of public involvement in health priority setting.

Design/Methodology/Approach
The article draws on the discussions and findings presented in this special issue. It seeks to bring the country experiences and case studies together to draw conclusions for policy, research and society.

Findings
At least two recurring themes emerge. An underlying theme is the importance, but also the challenge, of establishing legitimacy in health priority setting. The country experiences suggest that we understand very little about the conditions under which representative, or authentic, participation generates legitimacy and under which it will be regarded as insufficient. A second observation is that public participation takes a variety of forms that depend on the opportunity structures in a given national context. Given this variety the conceptualization of public participation needs to be expanded to account for the many forms of public participation.

Originality/Value
The article concludes that the challenges of public involvement are closely linked to the question of how legitimate processes and decisions can be generated in priority setting. This suggests that future research must focus more narrowly on conditions under which legitimacy are generated in order to expand our understanding of public involvement in health prioritization.

Keywords
Public participation, priority setting, legitimacy, authentic representation, equitable health coverage

Article Classification
General Review
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)796-808
JournalJournal of Health Organisation and Management
Volume30
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Aug 2016

Keywords

  • Public participation, priority setting, legitimacy, authentic representation, equitable health coverage

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