A method for cross-sector priority setting. Gaps and hypotheses in malaria research: Tanzania.

This study proposes a new priority setting method for identifying critical information gaps in a multisector system. The method uses graph-theoretical concepts and principles of systems theory in characterizing the underlying information structure of the system. Its application is illustrated in the context of malaria control in Tanzania, drawing on the findings of a workshop held in October 2003 in Dar es Salaam. The workshop identified two critical pathways, EVHA and EVHPA, which warrant better understanding. The first suggests that the malaria research should generate information on the effects of environmental changes (E) on vector ecology (V) and then on the effects of V on human health (H) and then on the effects of H on agriculture (A). Interpreted likewise, the second pathway additionally points to the need for information on the effects of socioeconomic conditions (P) on A.