USAID and FINCA: helping women in Tanzania
Henderson, K.
Front Lines 6(2): 4
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 1084-6786 PMID: 12296255 Document Number: 267292
A descriptive study was conducted by Ana Langer, Population Council's Regional Director in Latin America and Caribbean, and her colleagues on the influence of research on health policy decision making in Mexico. Four programs within the Mexican Ministry of Health were examined: those concerned with AIDS, cholera, family planning, and immunization. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 67 researchers and Ministry of Health officials, extensive documentary research, and case studies. Overall, it was noted that four elements figure in any interaction between research and policy: the content of the research and policy, the actors involved, the communication process, and the context of research and policy. Both the researchers and decision-makers mentioned the quality of research as influential in promoting its use in policy. The investigators noted a ¿mutual intellectual disdain¿ between researchers and decision makers, with members of both groups wanting to be recognized as the greatest contributor to the control or solution of the problem. Local and international groups were identified as actors that promote the use of research in decision making, and many informants mentioned the importance of informal contacts between researchers and decision-makers. In addition, the relative stability of Mexico's government has facilitated the incorporation of research and policy, although the centralized government structure has sometimes hindered it. Strikingly, only few participants mentioned the role of the public in influencing connections between research and policy.