In light of the 2003 outbreak of SARS in China, Chinese health policy has been the focus of much attention. Dr Jane Duckett, of the University of Glasgow's Politics Department, is researching how health policies are created in China, in particular the activity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on these policies.

The outcomes of health policies, particularly the failures, often receive more attention than the policies themselves. However, Dr Duckett is conscious that knowing how policies are made can help us understand why the outcomes are as they are, and, potentially, how policy-making could be improved.

Influential studies of other policy areas in China have seen policy-making as largely 'top-down' and essentially the outcome of bargaining within the bureaucracy. However, recent work on societal NGOs in China has begun to show that they are increasingly active, and can sometimes exert a 'bottom-up' influence on policy implementation. Dr Duckett explains the implications of this: 'Central government ministries and top leaders no longer have a monopoly on agenda-setting in health policy, with international and local NGOs often pushing for policy developments and changes. This may mean that policy is more responsive to certain social needs, and one aim of the research is to identify which needs (and which societal interest groups) benefit most from the enhanced influence of NGOs'.

Kate Richardson (K.richardson@admin.gla.ac.uk)

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First published: 20 July 2005