Applying a model of policy design to analyze Norwegian and Swiss policy documents on global health

National policies on global health are country-level strategies for coordinating global health action across government sectors. Their design is the output of a policy process. This presentation aims to show how analyzing national policy documents on global health, informed by a policy design model, is useful for two purposes: 1) categorizing policy content and 2) providing a framework to compare national policy on global health from two countries.

Two policy documents were used as data: the Norwegian White Paper on Global Health and Development and the Swiss Health Foreign Policy. They were formally adopted in their respective countries in 2012.

Both documents were coded manually using the six categories of Schneider and Ingram’s core components of policy design. In subsequent rounds of coding, expert consultation and analysis, the components and sub-categories were adapted.

The results highlight notable differences in both countries’ techniques for acting on global health and in their justifications for taking such action. However, both policies do not target individuals or populations for interventions, but rather the systems of global health actors. They aim to effect change in diverse policy venues, networks, multilateral arrangements, institutions and partnership structures.

Using theory from the policy sciences in public health research provides a basis to critically appraise the internal logic of each country’s policy but also to compare similarities and differences between the countries’ policies. This raises questions about how the national policy context influenced each country’s preferences for action on global health.