While it is important to support the development of methods for public participation, we argue that this should not be at the expense of a broader consideration of the role of public participation. We suggest that a rights based approach provides a framework for developing more meaningful approaches that move beyond public participation as synonymous with consultation to value the contribution ...

In the Latin American region there is a notable absence of conceptual coherency in the use of the terms governability and governance. This is true for their application to both the social and political sciences and health. Researchers' understanding of governance varies, and the concept is used heterogeneously within academic circles, with ignorance of the term on the part of decision-makers an...

Research governance takes a broad approach to the regulation of human research encompassing: (a) frameworks and systems over ad hoc policy making; (b) quality standards as well as regulatory requirements; and (c) definition of roles and responsibilities of all parties involved in research. The effective and consistent implementation of research governance plays a role in the promotion of qualit...

public health instruments have been under constant development and renewal for decades. international legal instruments, with their binding character and strength, have a special place in this development. the start of the 21st century saw, in particular, the birth of the first world health organization (who)-era health treaties – the who framework convention on tobacco control (who fctc) and i...

This paper argues that the governance analytical framework (GAF) is a methodology having strong potential for investigation in social policy, particularly in the case of public health. It defines the concept of governance in a pragmatic way as being the processes of interactions between the actors involved in a public affair leading to decision-making or to formulating social norms. It is postu...

A debate on Internet governance for health, or "eHealth governance", is emerging with the impending award of a new dot-health (.health) generic top-level domain name (gTLD) along with a host of other health-related domains. This development is critical as it will shape the future of the health Internet, allowing largely unrestricted use of .health second-level domain names by future registrants...

The Spanish National Health System (SNHS) has sustainability problems resulting from weaknesses in institutional design and governance compounded by the economic crisis it faces. The global economic crisis has had a particularly virulent impact in Spain, characterized by high levels of unemployment and public and private debt. Fiscal adjustment policies implemented may significantly compromise ...

OBJECTIVES Theoretically inspired by discursive institutionalism and multi-level governance, this paper assesses the extent to which 'environmental health' has emerged as a new discourse at European level, the effects it has had on national public health governance in two European countries, and what mechanisms have triggered or hindered these effects. STUDY DESIGN Comparison of the dynamics ...