Understanding the Role of Public Administration in Implementing Action on the Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequities

Int J Health Policy Manag. 2015;4(12):795–798. doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2015.185

4 Pages Posted: 17 Nov 2015

See all articles by Gemma Carey

Gemma Carey

Australian National University (ANU)

Sharon Friel

Australian National University (ANU); School of Regulation & Global Governance (RegNet)

Date Written: November 15, 2015

Abstract

Many of the societal level factors that affect health – the ‘social determinants of health (SDH)’ – exist outside the health sector, across diverse portfolios of government, and other major institutions including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector. This has created growing interest in how to create and implement public policies which will drive better and fairer health outcomes. While designing policies that can improve the SDH is critical, so too is ensuring they are appropriately administered and implemented. In this paper, we draw attention to an important area for future public health consideration – how policies are managed and implemented through complex administrative layers of ‘the state.’ Implementation gaps have long been a concern of public administration scholarship. To precipitate further work in this area, in this paper, we provide an overview of the scholarly field of public administration and highlight its role in helping to understand better the challenges and opportunities for implementing policies and programs to improve health equity.

Keywords: Social Determinants of Health (SDH); Health Equity; Public Policy; Implementation

Suggested Citation

Carey, Gemma and Friel, Sharon, Understanding the Role of Public Administration in Implementing Action on the Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequities (November 15, 2015). Int J Health Policy Manag. 2015;4(12):795–798. doi:10.15171/ijhpm.2015.185, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2691552

Gemma Carey (Contact Author)

Australian National University (ANU) ( email )

Australia

Sharon Friel

Australian National University (ANU) ( email )

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601
Australia

School of Regulation & Global Governance (RegNet) ( email )

College of Asia and the Pacific
Coombs Extension (bldg 8)
Canberra ACT 0200
Australia

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