Perspectives and challenges of the "new" National Health Promotion Policy: to which political arena does management point?

• Published in: Ciência & saude coletiva Vol. 21; no. 6; pp. 1695 - 1706
• Main Authors: Albuquerque, Tales Iuri Paz E, Sá, Ronice Maria Pereira Franco de, Araújo, Júnior, José Luiz do Amaral Correia de
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Brazil Associação Brasileira de Saúde Coletiva 01-06-2016
• Subjects: Brazil; Conflicts; Decision making; Health Policy - trends; Health promotion; Health Promotion - organization & administration; Health Promotion - trends; Humans; Public policy; Brazil
• ISSN: 1413-8123; 1678-4561
• DOI: 10.1590/1413-81232015216.07672016

The "new" National Health Promotion Policy opens up prospects and challenges for the political arena. This is the space where agreements and disagreements relating to decision-making, which will underpin its implementation, are established. This study sought to understand these questions, seeking to reflect upon the formation of arenas, in order to contribute with strategies coherent with the policy. It is a qualitative study, based on the theory of justification and its 'polities' according to Boltanski and Thévenot. Those interviewed were social actors involved with management of this policy. The analysis verified the presence of the polities such as: civic -vision and concepts; project -execution; and industrial - imposed limits. These polities define the arenas where the designated prospects and challenges appear. The configurations arising from the intersection points of these polities reveal arenas established through interests and issues resulting from agreements. It further highlights the grandeur of polities that may be found in controversies or conflicts, especially among the subcategories present in more than one polity. Critical awareness and the establishment of a clear political game are required of the social actors involved in promoting agreements and/or disagreements related to the new policy.