LIST OF PANELS

The aim of this panel is to discuss and understand what health care systems around the world have learnt from dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and how this experience has affected/is affecting the development of health systems reform.

The panel focuses in particular on the health policymaking process (the role of different actors, their interaction, the relation with other areas of public policies, the decision-making process, the impact of contextual factors, etc.) in order to understand and investigate which elements and actors drove these processes and which lessons have been learnt to improve health systems’ resilience and health systems’ governance around the world. The panel is also aimed at discussing and sharing experiences of health systems’ reforms that have been developed to improve health care systems and health policymaking in the light of the lessons learnt from the pandemic.

While the panel is open to discuss the multiple dimensions of these lessons and experiences, its main focus is on their ‘policy’ implications and it is aimed at addressing the following questions:

-          How institutional settings and health systems’ organizational models affected or have been affected by the way in which different countries responded to the challenges posed by the pandemic?

-          Which has been the role of different actors in shaping, developing and implementing specific policies (like vaccine rollouts, restrictions, organization of health services delivery, reduction of health inequalities)?

-          Do lessons that have been learnt led to rethinking and reforming health care systems? Which are the key aims of these reforms (for example, better integration between different actors of levels of the system, better use of available resources, better organization of services, etc.)?

This panel will provide public policy scholars from all over the world with the opportunity to share and discuss experiences, challenges and lessons on the health policymaking process (from its formulation to its implementation) and on its impact on health systems improvement and health systems reforms.

The panel welcomes papers with both a ‘single country’ or a comparative perspective, in order to facilitate reciprocal learning between different countries and to offer a contribution to the policy, societal and academic debate concerning health systems developments and health systems reforms. Papers focused on both developed and developing countries are welcome.

This panel will consider papers in both formats (in person/online)

This panel has a multidisciplinary approach and it offers the opportunity to bring together people with different disciplinary backgrounds and professional experiences to share results of their research and possible lessons to be learnt from dealing with the pandemic and on recent health systems reforms.

In order to address its research questions, the panel welcomes paper from different disciplines like (but not limited to) health policy, social policy, health economics and health management and with different focuses (theoretical, empirical, policy oriented).

The panel accepts papers based on both primary and secondary data a well as literature reviews and case studies.

Contributions could focus on areas like (but not limited to) the following:

-          Models of governance and health policymaking process

-          The role of different actors within the policymaking process

-          The relation between policymakers, healthcare professional and scientific advisors in the decision making process

-          The rationale, goals and challenges of health systems reforms

-          The role of communication and public health campaign

-          Experiences of addressing key health systems’ challenges (like resource allocation and reducing health inequalities)

-          The impact of the lessons learnt from the pandemic is driving and shaping health systems reform

-          The role of supranational organizations (like the EU) and international organizations (like WHO) in driving health systems reform and their relation with policymakers and other relevant actors at country level

-          Roles, relationships and coordination between different stakeholders 

-          Rationale and development of the decision making process

The panel especially welcomes papers that could help making a step further in the theoretical and empirical understanding of the role of key factors and actors in shaping and influence the health policymaking process and in fostering health systems’ reforms.

Papers with an international/comparative perspective are particularly welcome but papers focused on a single country case study are also welcome.