Premium
Framing health inequalities for local intervention: comparative case studies
Author(s) -
Blackman Tim,
Harrington Barbara,
Elliott Eva,
Greene Alex,
Hunter David J.,
Marks Linda,
McKee Lorna,
Williams Gareth
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
sociology of health and illness
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1467-9566
pISSN - 0141-9889
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2011.01362.x
Subject(s) - framing (construction) , audit , politics , narrative , inequality , intervention (counseling) , public administration , thematic analysis , sociology , local government , local authority , public relations , political science , qualitative research , social science , medicine , geography , nursing , law , management , economics , mathematical analysis , linguistics , philosophy , mathematics , archaeology
This article explores how health inequalities are constructed as an object for policy intervention by considering four framings: politics, audit, evidence and treatment. A thematic analysis of 197 interviews conducted with local managers in England, Scotland and Wales is used to explore how these framings emerge from local narratives. The three different national policy regimes create contrasting contexts, especially regarding the different degrees of emphasis in these regimes on audit and performance management. We find that politics dominates how health inequalities are framed for intervention, affecting their prioritisation in practice and how audit, evidence and treatment are described as deployed in local strategies.