The Governance of Health Systems; Comment on “A Network Based Theory of Health Systems and Cycles of Well-Being”

Document Type : Commentary

Author

Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK

Abstract

Health systems research aims to understand the governance of health systems (i.e. how health systems function and perform and how their actors interact with each other). This can be achieved by applying innovative methodologies and concepts that are going to capture the complexity and dynamics of health systems when they are affected by shocks. The capacity of health systems to adapt to shocks (i.e. the resilience of health systems) is a new area of investigation. Social network analysis is a great avenue that can help measure the properties of systems and analyse the relationships between its actors and between the structure of a health system and the performance of a health system. A new conceptual framework is presented to define the governance of health systems using a resilience perspective.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

1. Rhodes MG. A network based theory of health systems and cycles of well-being. International Journal of Health Policy and Management 2013; 1: 7–15. doi: 10.15171/ijhpm.2013.03
2. Kickbusch I. Global Health Governance: Some Theoretical Considerations on the New Political Space. In: Lee K, editor. Health Impacts of Globalization. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan; 2003.
3. Commission on Macroeconomics and Health. Macroeconomics and health: Investing in health for economic development. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2001. doi: 10.1038/nm0602-551b
4. Brownlie J, Peckham C, Waage J, Woolhouse M, Lyall C, Meagher L, et al. Foresight. Infectious Diseases: Preparing for the Future; Future Threats; London: Foresight, Office of Science and Innovation; 2006. [cited 2013 July 18]; Available from: http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/foresight/docs/infectious-diseases/t1.pdf.
5. Bloom G, Edström J, Leach M, Lucas H, MacGregor H, Standing H, Waldman L. Health in a Dynamic World: STEPS Working Paper 5. Brighton: STEPS Centre; 2007.
6. Maynard-Smith J. Evolution and the Theory of Games. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1982. doi: 10.1017/cbo9780511806292
7. Kiel L, Elliott E. Chaos Theory in the Social Sciences: Foundations and Applications. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan; 1997. doi: 10.2307/2998619
8. Axelrod R. The Evolution of Cooperation. New York: Basic Books, Perseus Books Group; 2006.
9. Brinkerhoff D. Accountability and health systems: toward conceptual clarity and policy relevance. Health Policy Plan 2004; 19: 371–9. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czh052
10. Murray CJ, Frenk J. A framework for assessing the performance of health systems. Bull World Health Organ 2000; 78: 717–31.
11. Esteva G. Development. In: Sachs W, editor. The Development Dictionary: A Guide to Knowledge as Power. London: Zed Books; 1995. p. 6–25.
12. Crush J. The Power of Development. London: Routledge; 1995.
13. Bloom G, Standing H. Future health systems: Why future? Why now? Soc Sci Med 2008; 66: 2067–75. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.01.032
14. Gunderson LH, Holling CS. Panarchy: Understanding Transformations in Human and Natural Systems. Washington, D.C: Island; 2002.
15. Berkes F, Colding JF, Folke C. Navigating Nature’s Dynamics: Building Resilience for Complexity and Change. New York: Cambridge University Press; 2003. doi: 10.1017/cbo9780511541957.004
16. Westley F, Zimmerman B, Patton MQ. Getting to Maybe: How the World is Changed. Toronto: Random House; 2006.
17. Bloom G. Health in a changing world. IDS Bull 2004; 35: 38-41. doi: 10.1111/j.1759-5436.2004.tb00132.x
18. Wisner B, Blaikie P, Cannon T, Davis I. At Risk: Natural Hazards, People’s Vulnerability and Disasters. London and New York: Springer Netherlands; 2005. doi: 10.1007/s11069-006-9000-6
19. Judt T. Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945. New York: Penguin; 2006. doi: 10.1086/ahr.112.2.465
20. Streefland PH. Enhancing Coverage and Sustainability of Vaccination Programs: an Explanatory Framework with Special Reference to India. Soc Sci Med 1995; 41: 647–56. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(95)00036-7
21. Carpenter S, Walker B, Anderies JM, Abel N. From Metaphor to Measurement: Resilience of What to What? Ecosystems 2001; 4: 765–81. doi: 10.1007/s10021-001-0045-9
22. Walker BH, Holling CS, Carpenter CR, Kinzig AP. Resilience, Adaptability, and Transformability. Ecology and Society 2004; 9: 5.
23. Holling CS. Understanding the Complexity of Economic, Ecological, and Social Systems. Ecosystems 2001; 4: 390–405. doi: 10.1007/s10021-001-0101-5
24. Almedom AM. Resilience research and policy/practice discource in health, social, behavioral and environmental sciences over the last ten years. Afr Health Sci 2008; 8: S5–13.
25. Word Health Organisation. Strengthening health systems: what works? Annual Report 2009. Geneva: Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, World Health Organisation; 2010.
26. Blanchet K, James P. How to do (or not to do)…a social network analysis in health systems research. Health Policy Plan 2012; 27: 438–46. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czr055
27. Kohn LT, Corrigan J, Donaldson MS. To err is human: building a safer health system. Washington D.C.: Institute of Medicine; 2000.

Files

History

  • Received Date: 09 July 2013
  • Revised Date: 24 July 2013
  • Accepted Date: 23 July 2013
  • First Published Date: 24 August 2013
  • Published Date: 24 August 2013

Share

How to cite

Statistics