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Methodological approach Identification of stakeholders influencing and participating in
particular strategy or policy. Stakeholder analysis enables policy makers to interact more effectively with key stakeholders and to increase their support for a particular strategy or policy (Schmeer 1999). The analysis also helps to detect potential misunderstandings about the strategy or policy and to identify actions to prevent opposition to it. international experience shows that the development of multisectoral national plans requires building and implementing cross-sectoral and multistakeholder networks that can provide a synergistic, concerted, and coherent approach to preventing NCDs and their risk factors (Hunter et al. 2019). A major challenge in the process is to ensure that diverse organizations, agencies, and groups develop meaningful partnerships to tackle shared goals—this effort is necessary because, traditionally, organizations are used to working within a single sector rather than across sectors.
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH
Eight broad steps in the analytical process, suggested by Schmeer (1999), were followed in preparing and conducting the stakeholder analysis.
Step 1. Plan the analysis process
The first step entailed (1) defining the purpose of the analysis (to inform setting up a participatory, consensus-building process for developing the master plan and its implementation); (2) identifying the intended uses of the results of the analysis (to conceive approaches for engaging stakeholders and increasing their support of the master plan, to identify alliances among stakeholders and build on them, and to guide the identification of sectors for which implementation plans are required); and (3) establishing a timeline for the analysis (from october 2019 to April 2020). Two consultative workshops were held to involve representatives of various stakeholders in the analysis process.
Step 2. Select the focus of the master plan
The analysis focused on the three behavioral risk factors and four biological ones, presented in chapter 9 of this book.
Step 3. Identify stakeholders
Stakeholders were initially identified from the results of a stakeholder analysis recently conducted as part of the process of developing a public health strategy (SCDC 2019). The list of stakeholders identified during the review of existing strategies, policies, and programs (chapter 6) was then used to narrow down the analysis and focus it on the stakeholders with a mandate or interest in influencing or participating in tackling selected NCD risk factors, regardless of the sector to which they belong. The comprehensive list of stakeholders was discussed with participants at a consultative workshop held in February 2020 and refined on the basis of the feedback received.
Step 4. Select three mapping tools
Then, the power-interest matrix (DFiD 2003) was adapted to consider the advantages or disadvantages that implementation of the master plan might bring to them. Determining the stakeholders’ vested interest helps in understanding their position and addressing their concerns about the master plan. Power was examined by looking at the ability of a stakeholder to affect implementation of the plan. based on the degree of power and intensity of interest, stakeholders were divided into four groups, which were mapped to four fields in the power-interest matrix. Finally, the power table was used to map the power sources of key stakeholders (Heydari et al. 2018).
Five sources of power were analyzed for key stakeholders in health and other sectors: (1) stakeholders’ ability to affect mobilization of financial resources needed to implement the master plan (financial power); (2) stakeholders’ ability to influence political decisions affecting development or implementation of the master plan (political power); (3) in-house availability of technical knowledge needed to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate the master plan (knowledge power); (4) stakeholders’ ability to affect the enacting or enforcement of regulations relevant to NCD prevention (legal power); and (5) stakeholders’ mandate to lead or participate in making decisions that could facilitate or block implementation of the master plan (decision-making power).
Step 5. Collect information on stakeholders
The information previously collected by the Saudi Public Health Authority (SCDC 2019), as part of the public health strategy development process, was supplemented with information contained in existing strategies, official documents, regulations, and official websites. information was collected on four major attributes: the stakeholders’ position on NCD prevention, the level of power they hold, the level of interest they have in NCD prevention, and the existence of their alliances and dependencies with other stakeholders. As PHA staff proved to be knowledgeable about many stakeholders, it was not necessary to conduct structured interviews with each of the stakeholders identified. instead, meetings were held with some of the key stakeholders to obtain missing information on their position or on ongoing and planned NCD prevention activities.
Step 6. Use the information collected to fill in the mapping tools
While mapping the stakeholders’ interests to the risk factors, the approach of the Foundation for Advanced Studies on international Development was used to categorize stakeholders into decision-makers, funding agencies, implementing agencies, potential opponents, and likely supporters (FASiD 2008). The power-interest matrix was applied separately to stakeholders interested in efforts to modify unhealthy diet, tobacco use, insufficient physical activities, and biological risk factors (as a group). The power-interest matrix provided the basis for identifying key health and nonhealth stakeholders and completing the power tables for them.
