Policy brief n = 19 | Freq (%) | Policy dialogue n = 20 | Freq (%) |
---|---|---|---|
1. What should be retained | |||
Taking cognizance of the local context | 5 (26.3) | Participatory and interactive engagement which gave room for each participant to make useful contributions | 5 (25) |
Employment of systematic transparent method in the identification, selection and assessment of synthesized research evidence | 4 (21.1) | Fair representation of stakeholders in the various subgroups during the deliberations | 4 (20) |
The “merit” review process | 2 (10.5) | Involvement of all stakeholders | 3 (15) |
Description of the current situation in the featured policy issue | 2 (10.5) | Well-itemized problems and policy recommendations | 2 (10) |
Outlined implementation strategies | 2 (10.5) | Flexibility in dialogue which led to respect of opinions | 2 (10) |
Description of the policy document from where the policy brief was developed (AFRIN) | 2 (10.5) | Systematic and transparent method that is research evidence-based | 2 (10) |
Description of the issue to be addressed | 1 (5.3) | Frank off-the-record deliberations | 2 (10) |
Inclusion of references | 1 (5.3) |
Policy brief n = 18 | Policy dialogue n = 11 | ||
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2. What should be changed? | |||
No changes suggested | 16 (88.9) | Nothing | 4 (36.4) |
Should be shorter with fewer pages to make it easier to read | 1 (5.6) | Participation by the apex policy-makers in the ministry in policy dialogues should be mandatory | 3 (27.3) |
More local literature should be highlighted | 1 (5.6) | When subgroups for discussions are created, members should not be randomly allocated | 1 (9) |
Adding more details to the description of the context of the problem | 1 (9) | ||
Participants should be informed earlier about the policy dialogue | 1 (9) | ||
The language of discussion should be kept simple for easy understanding | 1 (9) |
Policy brief n = 4 | Policy dialogue n = 8 | ||
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3. One important action that you personally can do better or differently to address the featured policy issue | |||
Circulate the policy brief much earlier | 1 (25.0) | Collect, collate and share complete and relevant data in a timely manner | 3 (37.5) |
Future policy briefs should make specific recommendations | 1 (25.0) | Take ownership of the work one is doing, e.g. through personal commitment, to ensure that recommended strategies are implemented | 2 (25) |
Getting input from local researchers and consider local applicability of their results | 1 (25.0) | Cost-effective methods of maintaining cold chain, e.g. by harnessing community resources | 2 (25) |
Increase the number of political policy-makers in the “merit” review process to at least three | 1 (25.0) | Facilitating the “push” programme of vaccine and commodity distribution from the state straight to health facilities | 1 (12.5) |