| This study is the result of combining different theoretical bodies of inquiry aimed at analyzing the politics of medicine in all its complexity. It is a study of the Spanish medical profession, its structural transformation as public profession, and its changing political role. It is also a study of the new democratic system, in which I focus on the dynamics of the political system regarding the representation of medical and health care interests and the process of elaboration of health policy. And finally, it is an analysis of the construction of the SNS, focusing on the laws and policies which have shaped it.;My work aspires to contribute with an original analysis of the Spanish democracy by studying how sectorial/partial social interests are represented in the political process and the mechanisms created by the democratic system in order to integrate those political interested not properly represented by the formal mechanisms of political representation. The construction of the SNS, as an important piece of social engineering, offers an excellent opportunity for its political analysis. It is especially interesting to look at the new forces shaping health policy and how they influence the policy making process.;To analyze the structure of the profession, and the ideological and political positions of physicians I have used the latest survey on the Spanish medical profession (Centro de Investigaciones Sociologicas, 1983). It is a national survey of 1192 individual physicians not previously exploited. The analysis of the representation of interests, the political views of interest organizations, and their role in the political process required the elaboration and undertaking of an original survey (N = 166) of leaders of medical interest organizations and members of the medical elite regarding their health care ideology and their participation in the political process. |
