Barriers and Openings for Transforming Swedish Planning Practice – Examples of Landscape and Health Policy Integration

Abstract

This paper examines how key actors think and act in everyday planning practice when new policies are introduced. Drawing on frame theory, an analytical lens is developed for explaining mechanisms that restrain and promote policy-driven transformation in practice. The analysis focuses on current practice and Swedish planning practitioners' experience of the integration of recently introduced policies on landscape and health. A key finding is that well-established perceptions of responsibility can hamper policy integrationeven in cases where practitioners see benefits to planning outcomes of acting differently. Another key finding is that policies reframing landscape and health as holistic and relational can make individual practitioners question current practice, thereby opening the way for transformation. ARTICLE HISTORY

Mental health policy and system preparedness to respond to COVID-19 and other health emergencies: a case study of four African countries

“…Needs analyses were done through community engagement and these were then incorporated in the policy. However, most of the community’s ideas may not be taken into consideration, as they are usually seen by the policy implementers as having ‘overly optimistic expectations’ ( Kagstrom & Dovlen, 2019 ), and because of that, health services remain ‘alien’ to the general public.…”

“…Looking at the four countries, it appears that the historical legacies of colonialism and apartheid have continued to have a negative impact on the implementation of mental health legislation and policies. Some of the common problems in all these countries are inaccessibility of mental health services due to lack of prioritisation of mental health services and the failure to implement what is articulated in the policies and Acts ( Kagstrom & Dovlen, 2019 ; Liang et al, 2016 ), as well as low budgets for mental health services ( Kidia et al, 2017 ; Mangezi & Chibanda, 2010 ; WHO, 2014 , 2017 ). In South Africa, for example, the current funding formula for mental health services has been found to be significantly inadequate, resulting in a lack of psychological services more especially in schools, and at clinic and community mental health care levels ( Docrat et al, 2019 ).…”