The results of the study addressed the aim of evaluating the HIV/AIDS policies of South Africa in light of the millennium development goals by using policy analysis. The purpose of the study is to investigate international influence on national policymaking and the outcomes of policies by considering the empirical case of HIV/AIDS policies in South Africa as influenced by the millennium development goals. Results pointed to the areas for improvement in the health public policymaking of South Africa to achieve better outcomes.
In using three methods of conducting policy analysis, these showed that the millennium development goals influenced changes in the HIV/AIDS policies of South Africa through the adoption of a broad and long-term perspective. This finds support from the narrower perspective of the intervention policy developed prior to the formal adoption of the millennium development goals by the UN general assembly that includes South Africa and the comprehensive treatment policy developed after the commitment to the millennium development goals.
The adoption of the broader perspective in the comprehensive treatment program led to the greater accommodation and participation of the different stakeholders, although the effective consolidation of the stakeholder roles remains a problem area. The adoption of this perspective into national HIV/AIDS policy determination meant a more comprehensive understanding of the problem of HIV/AIDS as a problem strongly linked to other social problems such as poor nutrition and low levels of education.
This led to the consideration of multi-level policy options, multi-dimensional objectives, a larger but justified budget, and broader measurable targets that should in turn translate into better outcomes in combating HIV/AIDS and the other related problems by 2015. Problem appraisal comprised another area for improvement. While international influence could benefit national policymaking, this requires changes in the policymaking perspectives and processes of governments.
The method utilised in the study focused only on qualitative data from the documents released by the South African government and documents from the United Nations and World Health Organization as the international institutions concerned with monitoring state commitment to the millennium development goals based on the adopted of these goals in national policymaking.
The use of other qualitative methods to derive primary data through observations or interviews could provide insight into policymaking based on the accounts of the people directly involved in the process on the aspects covered by study. While the use of the qualitative approach was able to address the aim of the study, including quantitative data could provide data measuring the impact of international influence on national policies in terms of changes in policy outcomes, such as the change in the rate of HIV infection and other quantitative data.
The study has contributed empirical results to the body of knowledge, which comprise a knowledge gap based on existing literature. The role played by the millennium development goals in influencing the broader perspective of policymaking on HIV/AIDS in South African exemplifies the importance of international influence in the national policymaking, especially of developing countries or countries experiencing challenges in policy determination for serious problems such as HIV/AIDS.
The influence works both ways. National governments can improve their policy determination mechanisms to achieve better outcomes while the international community benefits from the achievement of collective goals through the successes of governments in dealing with global problems such as HIV/AIDS.