Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

My PhD research project will be a comparative analysis of Canadian and Finnish public policies that promote health equality and tackle health inequalities. I will focus on governmental strategies, policy formation processes, and barriers against policy implementation. The theoretical background for this study will be based on existing research literature on policy analysis, social determinants of health, and health inequalities. This study can help to identify best practices to improve individual and population health in Canada. My study is divided into three stages. First, I will identify how health equity and various strategies to tackle health inequalities are represented in Canadian and Finnish policy papers. I will carry out systematic analysis of official and public documents produced by governments, ministries, and national research institutes in Canada and Finland over the past decades. Second, I will look at how the World Health Organization's recommendations on health equity have disseminated in national policies and research priorities in Canada and in Finland. Third, I will interview Canadian and Finnish government officials, researchers, and policy advocates (N=20, total 10 informants each nation) to find out what barriers they see in the implementation of policies that promote higher levels of health equity among population groups. My research data will consist of both 1) policy documents, and 2) supporting interviews with Canadian and Finnish government officials, researchers, and policy advocates (N=20). The policy documents of this study will consist of papers produced by the Canadian and Finnish governments and research institutions. In my analysis, I will utilize frameworks and methods derived from the literature on policy processes and the qualitative content analysis of textual materials.