Developing Health Management Research in France: Strengths and Challenges

Abstract

Research on the management of organizations and healthcare systems has been developing in France for many years. It encompasses all segments of this sector (sanitary, medico-social, promotion and prevention, public health, etc.) and is driven by a variety of researchers and teams, most of whom are affiliated with the ARAMOS Association. These researches serve as a source of inspiration and engagement for academic researchers, fostering a sense of contributing to social challenges for the benefit of patients and users. However, the research is struggling to gain visibility in the media, influence on public policy development, and, to a lesser extent, on the implementation of strategic or managerial policies within organizations. This article is based on 14 interviews conducted with 14 academic researchers to try to understand this situation and suggest ways to remedy it. The first finding was to document the variety of situations faced by researchers, the challenges they encounter, and the resources they draw upon. The second finding highlights two models of organizing teaching and research activities in relation to fieldwork and resource access: the institutionalized research-teaching model and the personal network model aimed at collective action. Based on these results, we propose avenues to strengthen health management research in France.