Providing an introduction to the way health policies are made and who influences them, this book combines a comparative analytical framework for understanding health policy with a wide range of examples of actual policy choices from North and South.

1. Introduction2. How Does Politics Affect Participartion in Health Policy?3. Power and the Policy Process4. Setting the Policy Agenda: Who Influences What?5. The Government Policy Arena: The Heart of Policy-Making6. Can Interest Groups Influence Government Policy?7. The International Arena: Who is Driving Policy?8. Implementation: Do Those Who Implement Decide?9. Evaluation and Research: Feeding Into Policy?10. Power and Process in Shaping Change

'Gill Walt approaches health policy from the perspective of actors and processes. This makes her book extremely useful to health policy makers, administrators, health workers and academics. She provides a well written analysis of how health policies are developed. There is nothing comparable for those teaching on health policy and Walt has done us all a great service by filling this notable gap.' Judith Justice, School of Medicine, Univesity of California at San Francisco 'Anyone who thinks that health policy is simply a matter of finding the best way to improve health should read this thoughtful and readable book which is illustrated with fascinating examples drawn from real life.' Brian Abel-Smith, London School of Economics and Political Science 'Health systems in many countries, both developing and the more developed, are undergoing major reforms. More than ever, all those involved in health need to understand how health policies are being formulated, adopted and implemented. This clearly written book, with its excellent examples and explanatory text, helps us to understand and analyse the complicated processes involved. It should prove equally valuable to health workers, managers and academics.' Patrick Vaughan, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 'Up to now there has been no single book concerning the study of the health policy process. Gill Walt provides the tools with which to analyse it. I shall certainly use her book for teaching health planners and managers from both developed and developing countries.' Carol Barker, Nuffield Institute for Health, Leeds