Stakeholders in Policy Making and the Process of Policy Formulation

The History and Process of Health Policymaking in The U.S.
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Improvements in population or group health are the ultimate goal of every health strategy. Making decisions on public health is challenging due to the wide range of interested parties, topics, and political considerations at play. The term "health policymaking" refers to the procedure through which measures are decided upon and put into effect to better the public's health. Multiple stakeholders are involved, including policymakers, healthcare providers, researchers, civil society, businesspeople, journalists, and the general public. Procedures, difficulties, and results vary depending on the area of study. Agenda setting, policy formulation, and policy implementation are the three stages of the policy making process identified by CDC (2019). There are different stakeholders and concerns at each stage.
Agenda Setting
Problems that need policy action are identified and prioritized during the agenda setting process. The public, the media, interest groups, and policymakers' reactions to the issues will determine the next steps (Gordon, 2003). People have several options to express their opinions and desires, including surveys, petitions, protests, and voting. The media has the power to shape public perception and focus by focusing on and framing particular issues. Policymakers can benefit from the advocacy and professional advice of interest groups representing certain interests and beliefs (Hamra et al., 2020). Policymakers can propose new policies, back existing ones, or oppose them depending on their personal beliefs, party allegiance, or other factors. Concerns with defining, prioritizing, and drawing attention to the problems may develop at this stage.
Policy Formulation
In the policy formulation stage, potential solutions to the issues are brainstormed and assessed. Research, analysis, consultation, negotiation, and decision-making all come into play at this stage. Policymakers can benefit from the researchers' scientific evidence and analysis. Policymakers and other interested parties can benefit from the consultants' technical help and advice on several parts of the policymaking process. Incorporating civil society's views, attitudes, experiences, and suggestions helps improve the policymaking procedure (Longest, 2016c)....