The actions of big business shape public health, so local authorities need to consider carefully how to govern their relationships with them. New research published in Public Health in Practice describes how one team set out to build a tool to help, and shares what they learned along the way.
Co-authored by Local Health and Global Profits (LHGP) member Anna Brook (University of Bath) and Katherine Körner (Lewisham Council), the paper describes the development of the Good Governance Toolkit, published by the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), with report design paid for by the Spectrum research consortium and the University of Stirling. The toolkit is what researchers call a research-derived actionable tool, built to help local authorities govern their commercial interactions, relationships and influence in ways that maximise benefits and minimise harm to public health.
The team combined published evidence and grey literature with expert input from researchers, practitioners and colleagues from non-governmental organisations.
Four principles for translating evidence into practice
Four principles guided the toolkit's development throughout:
- Only material that directly helps local authority colleagues tackle local issues should be included.
- It is better to produce a timely output that can be improved through practice than to wait for something perfect.
- The toolkit should guide local authorities towards the right policy for their own context, not direct them towards a single answer.
- And every recommendation should be grounded in existing evidence on harms and how to address them.
What is in the toolkit, and what comes next?
The resulting toolkit is made up of seven sections and includes a set of flowcharts covering everything from the case for good governance through to practical guidance, evidence, frequently asked questions, and a glossary. Its modular structure means local authorities can pick and choose the parts most relevant to their needs, whether developing new policy, building a case for change, informing training, or supporting ad hoc decisions.
The authors are clear that the toolkit had not been fully implemented at the time of publication, so its real-world feasibility is not yet proven. An evaluation of its implementation and impact is now underway, led by LHGP.
Read the full paper: Developing the good governance toolkit: a research-derived actionable tool - ScienceDirect
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