Last year when I took Policy Analysis Course with Professor Foster, I never thought that one day I will meet the architecture of Policymaker Software. This tool is a Window-based software program for analyzing the political dimensions of public policy. This tool provides a computer-assisted guide for strategic thinking about policy reform. The software leads the user through a step-by-step analysis of the policy content, positions and power of major players, opportunities and obstacles to policy change, and strategies for change. The method can be used for health policy reform as well as other areas of public policy. A free version of the software is available on the internet (www.polimap.com ).
Yes I met Professor Michael Riech at his office at Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies. It seems I have this chance to conduct my practicum under his supervision. A major area of Dr. Reich’s research examines access to medicines in developing countries. In 2002, he edited a book on public-private partnerships for public health (distributed by Harvard University Press). Dr. Reich and collaborators have applied the method for analyzing health reform issues in more than ten countries, in collaboration with national governments and international agencies. The method is used in policy courses around the world, including the World Bank Flagship Course on Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing. He recently coauthored a book, using the materials from this course, on how to improve the performance of health systems, entitled Getting Health Reform Right (by M.J. Roberts, W. Hsiao, P. Berman, and M.R. Reich, Oxford, 2004).
Filed under: Blogroll, Health Policy | Tagged: Health Policy, Michael Reich, Policymaker, Public Policy
