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Table 2 Description of stages heuristic framework

From: Using narratives to impact health policy-making: a systematic review

Stage

Description

Agenda-setting

Process through which an issue or problem reaches the policy agenda and gets the attention of policy-makers; this usually occurs when an interest group demands government action on a problem, or when there is public disagreement over ways in which a problem should be addressed

Policy formation

A set of policy alternatives and solutions is generated and the public administration concerned examines the various policy options. Coalitions of actors strive, through the use of advocacy strategies, to gain priority for one specific option.

Policy adoption

Decisions are made at the governmental level, resulting in a decision that favours one or more options to addressing a given problem. Decisions are given a legal force or legitimised as a result of the public statements or actions of government officials; this includes executive orders, laws and appropriations, rules and regulations, and administrative and court decisions that set policy directions

Policy implementation

This includes the actions and mechanisms whereby adopted policies are brought into practice; social, economic, technological, and political conditions significantly influence the implementation stage of public policies

Policy evaluation

This assesses whether policies have achieved their intended goals and objectives; it covers the appraisal of their content, their implementation and their effects