Article

Lessons from policy theories for the pursuit of equity in health, education and gender policy

Details

Citation

Cairney P, St Denny E, Kippin S & Mitchell H (2022) Lessons from policy theories for the pursuit of equity in health, education and gender policy. Policy & Politics, 50 (3), pp. 362-383. https://doi.org/10.1332/030557321x16487239616498

Abstract
We highlight practical lessons from policy theories on how to promote equity through transformational changes in policymaking. Health, education and gender are at the heart of such equity policy agendas. Their advocates seek transformational changes to: policy, to reject a ‘neoliberal’ paradigm and address the social and economic causes of unfair inequalities, and policymaking, to foster collaboration and holistic government. However, they also report a wide gap between aspirations and outcomes, and many seek insights from policy studies on how to close it. Our aim is to use their common engagement with policy theories to connect their agendas, foster intersectoral dialogue, and ensure that their contributions are greater than the sum of their parts. A common take-home message is to be cautious about any attempt to turn a provocative transformational political project into a technical process containing a ‘toolbox’ or ‘playbook’.

Keywords
Health; Education; Gender; Policymaking; Equity; Equality; Neoliberal; Social justice

Journal
Policy & Politics: Volume 50, Issue 3

StatusPublished
FundersEuropean Commission (Horizon 2020)
Publication date31/07/2022
Publication date online26/04/2022
Date accepted by journal31/03/2022
URLhttp://hdl.handle.net/1893/35649
PublisherBristol University Press
ISSN0305-5736
eISSN1470-8442

People (3)

Professor Paul Cairney

Professor Paul Cairney

Professor, Politics

Dr Sean Kippin

Dr Sean Kippin

Senior Lecturer, Politics

Mrs Heather Labhart

Mrs Heather Labhart

PhD Researcher, Institute for Social Marketing