Juridification processes in the health sector in Norway

Project summary

In the research project Juridification of the health sector we will focus on the significance of the information about patient rights which we find in Lov om Spesialisttjenester og Pasientrettighetsloven (Law regulating special services and patients? rights) and on the consequence of the judicial language and methods entering the arena of healthcare in Norway. Reallocation of power through rights and rules has influence on political decision making on the societal level and on individuals? possibilities for and motivation to participate both in individual and collective action. By focusing on the balance between law and politics we will study how processes e.g. increasing regulation of society through individual rights both can strengthen and weaken political decision making. Important questions are: What are the conditions that decide whether healthcare juridification will strengthen or weaken democratic politics? How will increasing juridification processes affect users? participation and influence? How will the judicial way of thinking and acting influence other professional practises such as medicine and nursing? How does focus on rights influence practice within health care?