Lockett B A
J Health Polit Policy Law. 1984 Spring;9(1):63-80. doi: 10.1215/03616878-9-1-63.
This article describes the creation of the National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health, as a case study in "agenda-building" (a theoretical concept used to explain why some issues receive official attention from the public and its leaders, while others, often equally critical, do not). The issue of federal support for research on aging, which led to a specific demand for a separate institute, was initiated by a small group of biomedical scientists. But it reached agenda status only after an effective coalition of lay and professional groups gave support to the issue. This coalition was interested not only in biomedical, behavioral, and social aspects of aging, but also in socioeconomic concerns related to the rapidly increasing elderly population. The nature and purpose of the institute was greatly influenced by the political forces and social conditions which brought it into existence. This case study illustrates how biomedical research policy evolves when the federal government fails to take the lead in developing an overall strategy, not only for research on aging, but also for all areas of biomedical research.
本文描述了美国国立卫生研究院下属国立衰老研究所的创建过程，以此作为“议程构建”（一个理论概念，用于解释为何有些问题能得到公众及其领导人的官方关注，而其他问题，往往同样关键，却得不到关注）的一个案例研究。联邦政府对衰老研究的支持这一问题，最初是由一小群生物医学科学家提出的，这一问题进而引发了对设立一个独立研究所的具体需求。但只有在一个由非专业人士和专业团体组成的有效联盟对该问题给予支持之后，它才进入议程状态。这个联盟不仅关注衰老的生物医学、行为学和社会学方面，还关注与迅速增长的老年人口相关的社会经济问题。该研究所的性质和宗旨受到促使其成立的政治力量和社会状况的极大影响。这个案例研究说明了当联邦政府未能带头制定一个不仅针对衰老研究，而且针对生物医学研究所有领域的总体战略时，生物医学研究政策是如何演变的。
