Mr.Joseph Nii Otoe Dodoo, Policy Analysis Unit, Ghana Ministry of Health (BA,MPH, Dr.PH)
works in the Policy Analysis Unit of Ghana’s Ministry of Health as a Health Policy Analyst. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with philosophy and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Ghana. Joseph is currently pursuing a doctorate degree in public health at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Joseph has over seven years research experience in health policy and health systems research. His research interest is around the convergence of health policy and systems research and political science.

Summary of current project:
Policies are likely to be pursued, altered, reversed or sustained in implementation. Notwithstanding the important role of frontline actors in implementation, this project postulates that central level policy actors play a critical role in influencing the continuous implementation of policies. This is because, central level policy actors play a role in deciding which policies to support and which ones to oppose. The project further postulates that central level policy actors’ role in supporting health policy implementation is likely to be influenced by government alternation. This is because health policy-making processes, which include supporting policy implementation over time and across government alternation, are embedded within a political context. Government alternation is likely to lead to (or not lead to) policy reversals – and specifically, to stalling or halting or impeding the implementation of previously approved policies by erstwhile governments.
His project will explore whether, how and why central level policy actors support for maternal health policy implementation is sustained over time and across the multi-party democratic governance context of multiple changes in governing political party (government alternations).
This project when completed will provide lessons on sustaining support for priority health policies within the context of government changes.