The study has a limitation. It only considered two policies on HIV/AIDS considered as key policies as turning points in policymaking and impact on the issue of HIV/AIDS. The intervention policy constituted the first action-oriented policy adopted by the South African government since the transition from apartheid and the comprehensive treatment policy constituted the first policy that considered the problem of HIV/AIDS as related to other social problems.
Considering other policies developed after 2003, following the succeeding general assembly meetings in 2005 and 2007 for countries to report on their progress and renew their commitment to the millennium development goals, could further inform the study of the continuing influence of the MDGs on national policymaking in South Africa on HIV/AIDS. This constitutes one area that future research could cover. The recommendations for practice cover two areas.
One is on the part of guideline development groups of international institutions or organisations supporting policymaking at the national level. Due to the influence and important benefits that guidelines from the international community provide to the policy determination at the national level, especially for developing countries, guideline development groups should realise their role and direct the development of guidelines to provide not only principles for action but also alternative perspectives in appraising or judging problems.
This constituted a problem area in the case of HIV/AIDS policymaking in South Africa. Another is on the part of policy development bodies of national governments. International influence usually emerges in the case of collective problems such as HIV/AIDS and the international perspective could aid in appraising these problems in support of effective policy determination. Multiple perspectives, especially from the international community could provide valuable insights into collective problems even if policymaking targets local solutions to these global problems.
The development of effective policies starts with a thorough understanding of the problem and international cooperation fosters the drawing of different perspectives from various country contexts to develop a broader perspective of collectively experienced problems. National governments could develop a broader perspective of problems requiring policy determination as well as gain lessons from the policymaking practices of other countries. A number of lessons emerged in undertaking the study. One is the need for a system of organisation in all stages of the research process.
The planning stage required organisation in setting the pace and time limits for completing the different sections of the paper. The research proper stage required organisation not only of the tasks but also of the bulk of data from existing literature and the documents considered in the policy analysis. During the post-research stage, meeting the technical aspects of the paper also required organisation to have time to address requirements on presentation. Another is the importance of context in conducting research.
It was necessary to pursue a focus because of time constraints and to ensure cohesive results but at the same time investigate a particular issue within its context. Last is the application of theories in actual situations. Theories and concepts achieve greater meaning when investigated and understood in the context of an actual setting such as HIV/AIDS policymaking of the South African government.
References
Alasuutari, P. , 2004. An invitation to social research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Anderson, J. E. , 2005. Public policymaking: an introduction. 6th ed. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. Babbie, E. & Mouton, J. , 2001. The practice of social research. Cape Town: Oxford University Press. Baldwin-Ragaven, L. de Gruchy, J. London, L. , 1999. Health and the apartheid state. In L. Baldwin-Ragaven, J. de Gruchy & L. London, eds. An ambulance of the wrong colour: health professionals, human rights and ethics in South Africa. Cape Town: University of Cape Town Press, Ch. 2. Bardach, E. , 2008. A practical guide for policy analysis: the eightfold path to more effective problem solving. 3rd ed. Washington, DC: CQ Press. Beauchamp, T. L. & Childress, J. F. , 1989. Principles of biomedical ethics. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press.