International Journal of Health Policy and Management

International Journal of Health Policy and Management

Whose Knowledge, Whose Plan? Developing Mental Health Policy With Communities, Not for Them; Comment on “Routes of Well-Being, Spiritual Harmony and Recovery in Mental Health: The Community as a Policy-Maker”

Articles in Press

Document Type : Commentary

Authors
Kaaren Mathias 1
Anna Matheson 2
1 Faculty of Health, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
2 School of Health, Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Abstract
This commentary builds on the recent paper by Agudelo-Hernández and Giraldo-Álvarez describing co-design with Indigenous communities in Colombia. This repositioning of community as policy-makers highlights three shifts needed for equitable health policy: from extracting knowledge to co-producing it; from participation as a method to sustaining participation within relational infrastructure; and from locating communities as intervention targets to recognising them as agents of their well-being. We outline how place-based knowledge, strong relationships, and decision-making processes matter as much as the products of collaboration. This points to the need for skills in developing non-hierarchical and collaborative relationships, expanding opportunities for communities to exercise agency and to challenge hierarchies. Scaling these approaches requires parallel shifts in financing, institutional power, and knowledge systems. The opportunity offered here is to ensure that community knowledge shapes decisions and actions, not simply informs them. This can lead to more effective, legitimate, culturally grounded, and equitable mental health policy.

Keywords
Community Participation
Co-Design
Community Health System
Community Policy-Makers
Mental Health
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International Journal of Health Policy and Management

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 08 November 2026

  • Received Date 09 July 2026
  • Revised Date 27 September 2026
  • Accepted Date 29 September 2026
  • First Published Date 08 November 2026
  • Published Date 08 November 2026