title: [Regionalization and access to healthcare in Brazilian states: historical and political-institutional conditioning factors].
abstract: This article examines the healthcare regionalization process in the Brazilian states in the period from 2007 to 2010, seeking to identify the conditions that favor or impede this process. Referential analysis of public policies and especially of historical institutionalism was used. Three dimensions sum up the conditioning factors of regionalization: context (historical-structural, political-institutional and conjunctural), directionality (ideology, object, actors, strategies and instruments) and regionalization features (institutionality and governance). The empirical research relied mainly on the analysis of official documents and interviews with key actors in 24 states. Distinct patterns of influence in the states were observed, with regionalization being marked by important gains in institutionality and governance in the period. Nevertheless, inherent difficulties of the contexts prejudice greater advances. There is a pressing need to broaden the territorial focus in government planning and to integrate sectorial policies for medium and long-term regional development in order to empower regionalization and to overcome obstacles to the access to healthcare services in Brazil.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Administração e Planejamento em Saúde, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, R. Leopoldo Bulhões 1480/Prédio da ENSP/715, Manguinhos, 21041-210 Rio de Janeiro RJ, Brazil. luciana@ensp.fiocruz.br
authors.forename: Luciana Dias
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: de Lima
authors.forename: Ana Luiza d'Ávila
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Viana
authors.forename: Cristiani Vieira
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Mariana Vercesi
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: de Albuquerque
authors.forename: Roberta Gondim
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Fabíola Lana
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Iozzi
authors.forename: João Henrique Gurtler
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Scatena
authors.forename: Guilherme Arantes
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Mello
authors.forename: Adelyne Maria Mendes
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Ana Paula Santana
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Coelho
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D006076:Government; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D009938:Organizations; D011057:Politics