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The nexus between health labour force research and policy
C Selby Smith
Department of Business Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University, VIC
Abstract
The article is concerned with the relationship between social science-based research and decision-making, particularly at the level of Federal, State and Territory health authorities. The relationship is considered in terms of three broad areas: the decisionmaking process itself; the settings in which research and evaluation are undertaken; and the web of linkages between them. It is argued that the factors which can act as barriers to, or promote, the use of research can lie within each of these three broad areas. The arguments are illustrated by reference to a study of health labour force research undertaken in 1991/92 for the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council.
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