Program and public policy

Wellbeing Budgeting: A Critical Public Health Perspective

In New Zealand, Wales, Scotland, and Finland, among other countries, wellbeing approaches to policy have become a growing trend over the past decade. Attention to the wellbeing and quality of life of the population has the potential to act on upstream determinants of health and, thus, to be a significant boon for healthy public policy. The National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP) seeks to explore the significance of this policy turn. In this briefing note, we invite noted public health scholar, Lindsay McLaren, to assess how wellbeing approaches to policy align with public health scholarship and practice and whether there is a role for public health in this work. Dr. McLaren offers a critical perspective on the state of public health and on the opportunities and risks of embracing wellbeing budgeting as a ‘potentially radical approach to realizing some of the core values and goals’ of public health. We invite you to read her contribution bel…

Profiles of Public Health Systems in Canada: Jurisdictional Review Methodology

The Profiles of Public Health Systems in Canada are part of a research project titled Platform to Monitor the Performance of Public Health Systems, led by Principal Investigators Dr. Sara Allin,

Dr. Andrew Pinto and Dr. Laura Rosella from the University of Toronto. The project involves the participation of knowledge users, collaborators and an inter-disciplinary team of scholars from across Canada, and aims to develop a platform to compare public health system performance across Canada. To achieve this aim, the project comprises three phases:

  1. Produce detailed descriptions of the public health financing, governance, organization, and workforce in each of the 13 provinces and territories using a literature review with results validated by decision makers.
  2. Conduct a set of comparative in-depth case studies examining implementation and outcomes of reforms, and their impacts on responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  3. Define in…

Profiles of Public Health Systems in Canada: Ontario

The Profiles of Public Health Systems in Canada are part of a research project titled Platform to Monitor the Performance of Public Health Systems, led by Principal Investigators Dr. Sara Allin, Dr. Andrew Pinto and Dr. Laura Rosella from the University of Toronto. The project involves the participation of knowledge users, collaborators and an inter-disciplinary team of scholars from across Canada, and aims to develop a platform to compare public health system performance across Canada. To achieve this aim, the project comprises three phases:

  1. Produce detailed descriptions of the public health financing, governance, organization, and workforce in each of the 13 provinces and territories using a literature review with results validated by decision makers.
  2. Conduct a set of comparative in-depth case studies examining implementation and outcomes of reforms, and their impacts on responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  3. Define indicators…

Build Back Better: Wellbeing Budgets for a Post COVID-19 Recovery?

The health and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have left governments at all levels thinking about promising paths to recovery in a post-pandemic context. In the midst of health, social, and economic uncertainty, many, including in Canada, have called for a recovery that puts people and their wellbeing at the heart of these efforts (Büchs et al., 2020; Cohen, 2020; Smith, 2020). Survey data in Canada and elsewhere suggest that, more than ever before, wellbeing is a top concern of citizens (Department of Finance Canada, 2021; Harvey, 2020). Indeed, this concern for wellbeing has been building internationally for decades and many central governments, including those in New Zealand, Finland, Scotland, Wales, and elsewhere, have made it a priority in recent years. Some jurisdictions in Canada are involved in discussions or have made known their plans to make themselves accountable for the wellbeing of the population. For example, in his mandate letter to the Minister…

Public Policy Competencies for Public Health: A Review of the Literature

This report presents findings from a scoping review with analysis of the literature on competencies for healthy public policy. It is intended to inform public health professionals about the trends and tendencies over the past 15 years or so related to what public health schools, organizations, and authorities have done and are doing with regard to developing competency frameworks as one tool for increasing their ability to intervene in public policy. In addition to presenting the findings, we suggest that increasing organizational capacity in this area is a promising way to move policy work forward.

Background

In 2015, The National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP) published a report outlining A Public Policy Competency Framework for Public Health Actors based on the recognition since the 1980s of the need to foster, develop, and implement healthy public policies, and on the use of competency frameworks to guide and support the work of pu…

Tools and Methods for Integrating Health into Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Policies and Strategies

This paper presents the results of a scoping review of the literature on existing tools and methods for integrating health concerns into climate change adaptation and mitigation policies and strategies. It is intended for public health actors who may be involved in the development of such policies and strategies. It may also be of interest to other actors who would like to further integrate the health dimension into their actions aimed at combating climate change.

The review of the scientific and grey literature identified thirteen tools and methods, which were classified into five categories:

  1. Impact assessment tools;
  2. Tools for integrating health into adaptation policies and strategies;
  3. Models;
  4. Conceptual frameworks;

Understanding Public Policy Agenda Setting Using the 4 P’s Model: Power, Perception, Potency and Proximity

This briefing note belongs to a series on the various models used in political science to represent public policy development processes. Note that the purpose of these briefing notes is not to refine an existing model. Our purpose is rather to suggest how each of these models constitutes a useful interpretive lens that can guide reflection and action leading to the production of healthy public policies.

In addition to the news or to unforeseen events that may arise daily, policy makers have to grapple with a multiplicity of evolving demands coming from numerous actors on all sides. These unfolding events and ongoing demands all compete for their attention and struggle to get placed on the government agenda. However, given a context of limited resources (cognitive, financial, temporal, etc.), choices have to be made. In the field of public policy analysis, the term “agenda setting,”1 denotes this initial stage during which a “list” is formed of v…

Series on Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA): 1-Overall situation and clarification of concepts

This briefing note is the first in a series of six focused on the state of the practice of integrated impact assessment (IIA). These documents focus, respectively, on:

  1. Overall situation and clarification of concepts
  2. Example of the practice of IIA at the European Commission
  3. Example of the practice of IIA in France
  4. Example of the practice of IIA in the United Kingdom
  5. Example of the practice of IIA in Northern Ireland
  6. Main challenges and issues tied to IIA

Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) is a decision-support mechanism increasingly being considered by public administrations in industrialized countries. The movement toward the adoption of evidence-based policy has given rise to many forms of impact assessment, reflecting governmental priorities. The need to combine the various impact assessment tools which have multiplied over the years within governments arises from the…

Series on Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA): 2-Example of the Practice of IIA at the European Commission

This briefing note is the second in a series of six focused on the state of the practice of integrated impact assessment (IIA). These documents focus, respectively, on:

  1. Overall situation and clarification of concepts
  2. Example of the practice of IIA at the European Commission
  3. Example of the practice of IIA in France
  4. Example of the practice of IIA in the United Kingdom
  5. Example of the practice of IIA in Northern Ireland
  6. Main challenges and issues tied to IIA

Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) is a decision-support mechanism increasingly being considered by public administrations in industrialized countries. The movement toward the adoption of evidence-based policy has given rise to many forms of impact assessment, reflecting governmental priorities. The need to combine the various impact assessment tools which have multiplied over the years within governments arises from the desire to reduce…

Series on Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA): 3-Example of the Practice of IIA in France

This briefing note is the third in a series of six focused on the state of the practice of integrated impact assessment (IIA). These documents focus, respectively, on:

  1. Overall situation and clarification of concepts
  2. Example of the practice of IIA at the European Commission
  3. Example of the practice of IIA in France
  4. Example of the practice of IIA in the United Kingdom
  5. Example of the practice of IIA in Northern Ireland
  6. Main challenges and issues tied to IIA

Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) is a decision-support mechanism increasingly being considered by public administrations in industrialized countries. The movement toward the adoption of evidence-based policy has given rise to many forms of impact assessment, reflecting governmental priorities. The need to combine the various impact assessment tools which have multiplied over the years within governments arises from the desire to reduce…