Stream Two: Investigate the political economy of health workforce policy design
In Australia, oversight of HWF policy lies with the Health Ministers Meeting (HMM) of the National Cabinet, which convenes state Health Ministers and is complemented by various advisory committees. Nonetheless, the stakeholder landscape for HWF policy is much more complex, with numerous entities at national, state and territory levels. This includes governments, departments of health and education, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and associated boards, medical colleges, universities, labour unions, peak bodies in the Aboriginal Community Controlled sector, and professional groups. Although each entity brings distinct perspectives and priorities, exploration of these interests, and the political and economic contexts in which they are formed and impact on HWF policy design, remains an uncharted area of research.
To address this, our research focuses on identifying the political and economic drivers, and stakeholder interests, roles and influence in the design of HWF (supply, distribution, performance) policies. This political economic analysis enables us to develop a framework that capture the interests and influences of different types of stakeholders in each policy domain (supply, distribution, and performance) and implications for future policy and planning.
