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PLANNING: LESSONS FROM THE U.S.S.R.
Author(s) -
Deber Raisa B.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
policy studies journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1541-0072
pISSN - 0190-292X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-0072.1980.tb02205.x
Subject(s) - operationalization , dilemma , plan (archaeology) , outcome (game theory) , health care , business , actuarial science , service (business) , public economics , public relations , psychology , operations management , process management , political science , economics , economic growth , marketing , geography , microeconomics , philosophy , archaeology , epistemology
Evaluation of the success of a plan requires the collection of statistics and indicators for monitoring purposes. In the health care field, outcomes are notoriously difficult to measure. To the extent that a successful program of prevention should result in providing less of a service, a conflict exists between planning and prevention: in the absence of outcome measures, success will be indistinguishable from failure, as in both cases, planned targets would not be met. To avoid this dilemma, an indicator‐oriented planning system would be predicted to operationalize prevention in countable terms requiring increased inputs, or increased numbers of processes, regardless of the payoffs in health benefits. Screening, check‐ups, and one‐on‐one contacts with health professionals would be emphasized at the expense of group‐oriented activities or societal changes. Planning can thus have counter‐productive policy implications. This theory is illustrated by reference to the current health care system in the U.S.S.R., including their anti‐smoking and anti‐alcoholism programmes.