| Abstract: | The transitional period in South Africa, coupled with the general societal context of uncertainly, poses several challenges to policy researchers. While policies which address the inequities of apartheid are urgently needed, the time and resources available for policy formulation are limited. These policies often have to accommodate the views of a range of stakeholders who, at best, have had little prior contact with one another or, at worst, are openly hostile. This article describes our experience as health policy researchers in employing research techniques to partially address these problems. The article makes use of examples from several large studies which were conducted over the past 5 years. All of the studies evaluated primary health care services in disadvantaged communities and were unusual in the extent to which they involved community representatives and health authorities at local, regional and national levels in the formulation of recommendations. The first section of the article describes the process we follow in achieving participation, the second highlights the advantages of this approach and the last section describes the difficulties associated with the approach. We conclude by emphasizing the facilitatory role which may be played by independent researchers in times of transition. |
