Health Action Zones

Health Action Zones (HAZ) were one of the earliest and most prominent area-based initiatives launched by the New Labour government in England soon after it came to power in 1997. Written by members of the team undertaking the national evaluation of HAZ, this book examines the initiative's development and impact from a variety of perspectives. It outlines important features of the social, policy and evaluative environment within which HAZ were established and discusses enduring themes such as building and developing capacity with diverse and unequal partners within complex policy systems. Multidisciplinary in nature, the book provides in-depth analysis of a key policy initiative, offering guidance on how best to design, implement and evaluate future initiatives intended to deal with fundamental social problems.

Marian Barnes is Professor and Director of Social Research in the Institute of Applied Social Sciences, University of Birmingham, and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at South Birmingham Mental Health Trust. Linda Bauld is Senior Lecturer and Director of the MA in Public Policy in the Department of Urban Studies, University of Glasgow. Michaela Benzeval is Research Project Director of the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study, MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, Glasgow. Ken Judge is Head of Public Health and Health Policy and Director of Health Promotion Policy Unit, in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow. Mhairi Mackenzie is Lecturer in Public Health and Health Policy, in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Glasgow. Helen Sullivan is Research Director, Urban Governance in the Cities Research Centre, University of the West of England, Bristol.

1. Introduction: Promoting and Managing Social Change 2. The Legacy of Health Inequalities 3. Partnerships, Participation and Places 4. Evaluation Challenges 5. The Evolution of Health Action Zones 6. Local Strategies for Whole Systems Change 7. Building Capacity for Collaboration 8. Tackling Health Inequalities 9. Assessing the Impact of Health Action Zones 10. Towards a New Approach