Theories and Models of Policymaking for Doing Health Policy Analysis

Making sound decisions requires awareness of the mechanisms which lead to the most effective policy process. Understanding policymaking models and theories helps better policy analysis and comprehensive understanding of relationships and influential factors on policy outcomes. Theories and models are especially important in health system context due to its unique nature and effect on public health. This study aimed to review the most important and practical models and theories of policymaking for doing comprehensive policy analysis. In this review article, various categorizations of analytical models were mentioned. The models and theories of policymaking used in public and health sectors were explained. Related local and global websites were searched through the selected keywords. Authors’ analysis and critiques to the models and theories were included. Various categorizations have been done for the models and theories of policymaking. Categorizations based on the content, actors, processes and context of policy options were more popular. The comprehensive rational model, bounded rationalism, increamental, mixed-scanning model, garbage can model and streams model were often used for policy content analysis. The elite-mass model, principal-agent theory, group, network, advocacy coalition framework, systems, social interaction for policy actors and stakeholders analysis, and phases model were used to analyze functional policy stages or phases. Understanding components of the policy including content, context, process and actors/stakeholders, and related analytical models and theories, increases understanding of a policy and its outcomes. There is no definite boundary in placing analytical models in mentioned categorization. None of the models and theories is comprehensive for policy analysis. Intrinsic value of each model and theory depends on how to ease the path to dealing with the problem under the consideration and making sound decision.