Top-Down Policy Risk Assessment

The primary aim of the Risk Assessment from Policy to Impact Dimension (RAPID) 2009–2012 EU project was to develop a methodological guidance for policy risk assessment. The main idea was that the systematic analysis of complex impact schemes requires the description of the “full chain” of causal pathways considering all levels of causality in an integrated manner. The analysis should proceed from the top to the bottom of the causal chain, i.e. from the cause, that is the policy, through health determinants and risk factors to the effect that are health outcomes. The top-down risk assessment approach follows a logical structure that can be readily applied in the risk appraisal phase of policy health impact assessments.