Health workforce crisis: understanding political capacity for policy change (2025-2028)

This project aims to investigate a chronic national and global crisis: critical shortages of health workers. It expects to generate new knowledge of the political factors that constrain and enable health workforce policymaking, in Australia, Canada, England and New Zealand. It will utilise an innovative approach focusing on three forms of political capacity: communication, procedure and agenda management. Expected outcomes include new data on policy responses to the crisis and an improved understanding of the strategies and resources required for policy innovation and stakeholder collaboration. The project should benefit Australian health leaders and policymakers by providing recommendations on capacity building for future reform efforts.