Methods

An Institutional Approach to Analysing Evidence Use in Health Policy Processes

The focus of our analysis is on national ministries of health (MoH) and other national or regional level authorities.

Three levels of institutional analysis – cultural, political, and administrative – are distinguished, each providing a different institutional perspective:

Case Studies

We have conducted comparative case studies across six countries (highlighted on the map) that are characterised by different income levels, political systems, public health systems and epidemiological trends. The health policy context in each country was investigated  in order to reflect on the functioning of the GRIP infrastructure in each setting and to draw comparisons between countries.

Data Collection

Our primary data collection methods involved documentary analysis and semi-structured interviews with policy stakeholders. Through direct purposive and snowball sampling we identified interviewees representing government sectors (e.g. civil servants, legislators, ministry officials), civil society organisations (e.g. NGOs, academics, and other stakeholders contributing to policy debates) and international agencies (e.g. aid agencies or development partners where appropriate).