Personal to political
Subtitle: the changing relationship of the OHA and the state in Ontario.
Published: 2004
Language: eng
Number of pages: 313
Description: It is argued that the relationship evolved through three stages: a transition from personal to political. In the first stage (1924--1959) an "old boy's network" developed from personal relationships as the state relied on the OHA's expertise to guide the implementation of hospital insurance. The relationship began to experience change in the second stage (1959--1972) as state concern with costs of the system began to override personal relations. After 1972 the relationship moved to a political level as the state assumed management of the system.The data for the study were collected from public and archival documents and published material. These were combined with key informant interviews. Key informants included bureaucrats, politicians, and former and current high-ranking individuals in the hospital system, including the OHA. The data were analyzed to construct a chronology of events and to identify key issues in the relationship.Across Canada, within the last decade there have been major changes in the organization and government of hospitals and health organizations. Regional governance structures have replaced most hospital and health boards. Despite these changes, Ontario has managed to preserve the autonomy of its hospitals and its hospital association---the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA). The purpose of this research was to analyze the social history of the OHA, from its establishment in 1924, to the defeat of the NDP government in 1995. The role and functioning of the OHA in relation to the state is the main focus of the study.On a theoretical level, the research was designed to understand and contextualize the OHA-state relationship over an extended period of time. Three levels of theory were used to achieve this goal: pluralist, institutional and political economy theories. It is argued that since each of the theories has a different explanatory domain, a multi-level approach is required to fully explain the relationship. Interest group and institutional levels of analysis facilitated description of the context in which the two groups interacted, but class-based theory was necessary to understand the relationship within the broader context of a changing capitalist society.
Notes: Adviser:  David Coburn.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2004.

Electronic version licensed for access by U. of T. users.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 65-10, Section: A, page: 4011.