Annual Meeting of the CARMEN Observatory on Chronic Non-Communicable Disease Policy:

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Annual Meeting of the CARMEN Observatory
onChronic Non-Communicable Disease Policy
Mobilizing for ActionMay 12-13, 2008Hilton
Montreal Bonaventure Hotel
Report on the Workshop on Policy Analysis and
Decision-Making with Emphasis on Chronic
Non-Communicable Diseases, Bridgetown, Barbados,
October 15-17, 2007.
Cristina Puentes-Markides Public Policy,
Regulation and Health Financing Area of
Strengthening Health Systems and Services PAHO/WHO
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Why Capacity Building in these Areas?

• Policy increasingly complex and important
• Policy perspective as problem-oriented research,
  client-oriented advice informed by social values,
  speaking truth to power
• Limitation of rational perspectives on policy
• Advisory capacity to influence/persuade
  stakeholders and relevant clients is uneven.
• MOH and PAHO staff may lack formal training in
  the social sciences, including public policy and
  policy analysis.
• Understanding the role of policy and politics in
  health system development may be weak.
• Need to improve skills to use policy tools for
  argumentation, decisionmaking, planning and
  assessment of progress and performance

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Generic Structure of the Workshop
Products
Themes Introduction to methods and tools
Policymaking, Politics and Policy Argumentation Policy development
Policy analysis Issue Paper Policy Brief Policy Memo Policy analysis
Agenda-setting Issue Paper Policy Brief Policy Memo Political analysis
Strategic planning, foresight, strategic thinking, strategy making Issue Paper Policy Brief Policy Memo Anticipatory methods (e.g. scenarios)
Monitoring, evaluation and performance measurement Issue Paper Policy Brief Policy Memo Ethical analysis
Ethics in decision-making Issue Paper Policy Brief Policy Memo Evaluation (types, designs, logic models). Economic evaluation (impact, cost-effectiveness and cost benefit analyses)
Use of evidence in decision-making Competencies Qualitative methods
Critical, systemic and anticipatory thinking Argumentation and communication Interpersonal relations Integration of interdisciplinary knowledge Collaborative leadership Search and management of information for decision-making Critical, systemic and anticipatory thinking Argumentation and communication Interpersonal relations Integration of interdisciplinary knowledge Collaborative leadership Search and management of information for decision-making Critical, systemic and anticipatory thinking Argumentation and communication Interpersonal relations Integration of interdisciplinary knowledge Collaborative leadership Search and management of information for decision-making
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Participating Countries
Workshop on Policy Analysis and Decision-Making
with Emphasis on Chronic Non-communicable
DiseasesBridgetown, BarbadosOctober 15-17, 2007

• Eastern Caribbean and Barbados
• United Kingdom Territories
• Anguilla, British Virgin Islands , Montserrat
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Barbados
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Saint Kitts Nevis
• Saint Lucia

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WorkshopPolicy Analysis and Decision-Making with
Emphasis on Chronic Non-communicable Diseases

• Goal
• To enhance skills and competencies of the
  participants in the fields of knowledge and
  practice as analysts and advisors
• Learning Objectives
• Familiarity with general concepts of design,
  implementation and evaluation of public policy,
  including the roles played by politics, evidence
  and rationality in the decision-making process.
• Enhance abilities to critically conceptualize
  policy problems, generate policy alternatives and
  provide effective advise to decision-makers.
• Be acquainted with economic evaluation
  (cost-effectiveness analysis, cost benefit
  analysis and impact evaluation) as a critical
  tool for policy analysis.
• Recognize the relevance of strategic thinking,
  foresight and better peripheral vision to
  optimize analysis, design and implementation.
• Understand the applicability of policy tools for
  the prevention and control of chronic
  non-communicable diseases.

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(Workshop, continued)

• DAY 1
• Opening Remarks
• Introduction of Participants and Expectations
• Objectives of the Workshop
• The Health Agenda
• Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases in the
  English-Speaking Caribbean An Update
• Public Policy Perspectives
• The policy capacity of governments.
• Explanatory models technical and political
  rationalities..
• The Analysis of Public Problems
• Overview of policy analysis features, phases,
  contents.
• Health policy example.
• Products of the Analysis
• The issue paper, the policy memorandum, the
  policy brief
• Evidentiary bases of public policy
  opportunities and risks.
• The craft of policy advice

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Workshop (Continued)

• DAY 2
• Agenda-setting
• The political in public policy actors and
  windows of opportunity.
• The social construction of target populations
  political and policy implications.
• Case Study and Discussion The Framework
  Convention for Tobacco Control
• Policy Options
• Generating policy options
• Evaluation criteria types, methods, matrices.
• Assessing Policy
• Economic evaluation An Introduction
• Economic impact of obesity.
• Cost Effectiveness, Cost Benefit and Impact
  Evaluation
• Special Evening Session Moving Forward the NCD
  Policy Agenda A Dialogue

• DAY 3
• Policy Adoption and Implementation
• Approaches, models and strategies to translate
  decisions into policies.
• Pitfalls of policy design in implementation.
• Policy Monitoring and Evaluation
• Instruments of public accountability (also
  performance measurement)
• Role of advocacy and organized groups.
• Strategic Thinking and Anticipatory Approaches
• Understanding and creating the future.
• Foresight , strategic thinking and the advantages
  of peripheral vision
• Relevance of futures approaches to health policy
  analysis.
• Plenary Discussion How Countries can Lead to
  Better Health Policy Outcomes for All.
• Evaluation of the Workshop and Closing

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According to EEC Staff

• Timely
• Captured interest
• Demystified policy process
• Addressed the relevance/impact of policy to the
  health agendas
• Prepared participants to move from policy to
  action
• Examined the role of health care practitioners in
  the policy process
• Policy application to expanded agenda of CNCD (
  advocacy, planning , financing and evaluation )
• Identified skills and competencies required to
  design, implement and evaluate the performance of
  policies
• Open policy debate
• Helpful to build and sustain capacity to use
  policy development and policy analysis to
  strengthen health system

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Methodology

• Team approach
• Policy/decision-makers
• Planners
• Managers
• Practitioners
• Multidisciplinary (skill mix)
• Presentations included theory and practice
• Analysis of the policy environment in country
  reference to CNCD
• Group discussions blend of country experiences
  with theory, practice and methods
• Resources
• Documentation folder, CD-Rom
• Websites and databases
• Software packages

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Highlights

• Recognize role of professional experience in the
  policy process and benefit from it to discuss
  workshop topics.
• Discuss the importance of policy and politics
• Review tools of policy analysis
• Debate the policy environment, share experiences
  and solutions
• Expanded emphasis on monitoring and evaluation,
  including economic evaluation methods and model
  building.
• Direct interactive approach
• Limited time frame
• Inability to actually manipulate the tools in
  simulation exercises

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Future Steps

• Sustain Response
• View policy analysis as interactive and
  participatory
• Involve planers, managers, practitioners,
  researchers
• Integrating/institutionalising policy into health
  system strengthening
• Capacity building at the country level using
  champions
• Support systems and structures

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Thank you