|
|
Abstract
Community engagement and public policy responses: a comparison of HIV/AIDS and homeless communities
I. Peng1, M. Lettner2
Issues: Although recent research on the HIV/AIDS and homeless communities have had significant impacts on public awareness towards the issues, and as well, contributed to a growing body of evidence pointing to the need for policy action, social policy responses have been highly variable.
Description: Despite the growing research evidence suggesting need for more support for these communities throughout the 1990s, the HIV/AIDS community was able to advocate for policy changes, such as those involving internet pharmacy, drug pricing, catastrophic drug, and common drug reviews, while the homeless communities saw a significant public spending cuts in public housing and social welfare. The different public policy outcomes suggest that the pathway between research and knowledge generation on the one hand; and the translation of research evidence to public policies, on the other, may not be always rational or straightforward. To date, very few studies have examined the process of knowledge translation.
This study examines how the HIV/AIDS and homeless communities in Toronto mobilize their knowledge in the public policy process – how they frame their issues, what evidence they use, how they raise awareness, and how they set policy agenda forward – and in turn, how policy communities engage with community actors in policy making processes.
Lessons learned: Literature review and interviews with community activists and policymakers show that a successful policy mobilization is dependent on effective framing of the issue, characteristics of the community, and potential for interscaler linkages.
Recommendations: Community-based research opportunities exist for knowledge transfer, enhancement, and validation of these findings both with the HIV/AIDS and homeless communities, as well as with broader civil society/social justice communities and policymaking/decisionmaking communities in government around the range of advocacy strategies and outcomes integral to community engagement, public policymaking, and movements for change.
AIDS 2006 - XVI International AIDS Conference
Abstract no.
THPE0902
Suggested Citation
"I.Peng, et al.
Community engagement and public policy responses: a comparison of HIV/AIDS and homeless communities.
Poster discussion:
AIDS 2006 - XVI International AIDS Conference:
Abstract no.
THPE0902"
|
|
|