Sabina Alkire
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199245796
- eISBN:
- 9780191600838
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245797.003.0003
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Development, Growth, and Environmental
Each of the four chapters of Part I of the book synthesizes one aspect that must be specified in the operationalization of the capability approach, then proposes a framework for doing so. This third ...
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Each of the four chapters of Part I of the book synthesizes one aspect that must be specified in the operationalization of the capability approach, then proposes a framework for doing so. This third chapter considers the kind of ethical rationality that accompanies the capability approach, in which free choice between plural ends is given central place, and the information required to complete rational comparisons of diverse human development initiatives. The chapter proposes ingredients for making substantive and value judgements in dialogue with Amartya Sen's writings and concerns on related subjects. It is argued that the wider conception of rationality identified by Sen and John Finnis offer systematic ways of approaching substantive and value judgements that retain the fundamental incompleteness of the capability approach and do not impose a comprehensive doctrine of good. The different sections of the chapter are: Multidimensionality and Evaluation; Ethical Rationality in Poverty Reduction; Sen's Informational Pluralism; Sen's Principle Pluralism; Finnis's Principle Pluralism; Ethical Rationality Reconsidered; and Operational Considerations.Less
Each of the four chapters of Part I of the book synthesizes one aspect that must be specified in the operationalization of the capability approach, then proposes a framework for doing so. This third chapter considers the kind of ethical rationality that accompanies the capability approach, in which free choice between plural ends is given central place, and the information required to complete rational comparisons of diverse human development initiatives. The chapter proposes ingredients for making substantive and value judgements in dialogue with Amartya Sen's writings and concerns on related subjects. It is argued that the wider conception of rationality identified by Sen and John Finnis offer systematic ways of approaching substantive and value judgements that retain the fundamental incompleteness of the capability approach and do not impose a comprehensive doctrine of good. The different sections of the chapter are: Multidimensionality and Evaluation; Ethical Rationality in Poverty Reduction; Sen's Informational Pluralism; Sen's Principle Pluralism; Finnis's Principle Pluralism; Ethical Rationality Reconsidered; and Operational Considerations.
Peter Evans and Angelika Krüger
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9781447305910
- eISBN:
- 9781447307754
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447305910.001.0001
- Subject:
- Social Work, Communities and Organizations
The current economic crisis with its gloomy implications for lost generations leaves many disadvantaged young people with ever diminishing opportunities. Violent youth protests in many countries have ...
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The current economic crisis with its gloomy implications for lost generations leaves many disadvantaged young people with ever diminishing opportunities. Violent youth protests in many countries have been widely reported and different approaches called for. The Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme (YEPP) is a fully evaluated on-going international programme, funded by a consortium of American and European foundations, that has been operating and developing for over 10 years. The first phase - YEPP I – had a strong focus on evaluating the impact of YEPP in order to determine whether this approach would work in an international context. As a result YEPP's concept of change and structure were implemented in six European countries. YEPP aims to empower young people and the communities in which they live by making them central to new decision-making processes involving partnerships between public, private and independent sectors. Learning from the YEPP I evaluation, YEPP II implemented several measures to improve the approach and methodology and expanded YEPP in more than eight European countries with 18 Local Programme Sites stressing the strengthening of partnerships, sustainability and policy advocacy. Youth and community empowerment in Europe provides the theoretical context for this programme and gives a full account of the process and outcomes of over ten years of joint effort in its unique development and research process. The book also reflects upon the lessons learnt for future policy, including developing effective evaluation strategies. It will appeal to practitioners, researchers, policymakers and decision-makers in foundations.Less
The current economic crisis with its gloomy implications for lost generations leaves many disadvantaged young people with ever diminishing opportunities. Violent youth protests in many countries have been widely reported and different approaches called for. The Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme (YEPP) is a fully evaluated on-going international programme, funded by a consortium of American and European foundations, that has been operating and developing for over 10 years. The first phase - YEPP I – had a strong focus on evaluating the impact of YEPP in order to determine whether this approach would work in an international context. As a result YEPP's concept of change and structure were implemented in six European countries. YEPP aims to empower young people and the communities in which they live by making them central to new decision-making processes involving partnerships between public, private and independent sectors. Learning from the YEPP I evaluation, YEPP II implemented several measures to improve the approach and methodology and expanded YEPP in more than eight European countries with 18 Local Programme Sites stressing the strengthening of partnerships, sustainability and policy advocacy. Youth and community empowerment in Europe provides the theoretical context for this programme and gives a full account of the process and outcomes of over ten years of joint effort in its unique development and research process. The book also reflects upon the lessons learnt for future policy, including developing effective evaluation strategies. It will appeal to practitioners, researchers, policymakers and decision-makers in foundations.
Yiu Chun Lo, A. Ka Tat Adamson, and John T. S. Lam
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9789888139026
- eISBN:
- 9789888180240
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139026.001.0001
- Subject:
- Education, Educational Policy and Politics
This book is an introductory textbook on Hong Kong’s school curriculum. Written in an approachable style using illustrative case studies, the textbook provides an introduction to the basic concepts ...
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This book is an introductory textbook on Hong Kong’s school curriculum. Written in an approachable style using illustrative case studies, the textbook provides an introduction to the basic concepts and theories of “curriculum” as a field of study. It also discusses how socio-political and economic changes as well as technology advancements help transform teachers’ roles and reshape curriculum policies. The chapters cover a wide range of topics, including curriculum design, planning, implementation and evaluation. These discussions are included to help readers critically reflect on their roles as change agents in curriculum development.Less
This book is an introductory textbook on Hong Kong’s school curriculum. Written in an approachable style using illustrative case studies, the textbook provides an introduction to the basic concepts and theories of “curriculum” as a field of study. It also discusses how socio-political and economic changes as well as technology advancements help transform teachers’ roles and reshape curriculum policies. The chapters cover a wide range of topics, including curriculum design, planning, implementation and evaluation. These discussions are included to help readers critically reflect on their roles as change agents in curriculum development.
Claire Renzetti, Diane Follingstad, and Ann Coker (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781447333050
- eISBN:
- 9781447333104
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447333050.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This book examines critical issues in prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV) at the individual, community, and systems levels. The contributors present an overview of the extant evidence from ...
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This book examines critical issues in prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV) at the individual, community, and systems levels. The contributors present an overview of the extant evidence from current evaluations of promising, innovative prevention programs, including those designed to meet the needs of underserved groups, in the United States and throughout the world, and ways that obstacles to prevention may be overcome. In addition, the contributors, who are researchers in a variety of disciplines along with practitioners in the field, discuss the meaning of "success" in relation to IPV prevention and how successful outcomes may be measured. The contributors present collaborative, interdisciplinary work to identify gaps in knowledge about IPV prevention, and to offer recommendations for future research on and prioritizing of prevention strategies.Less
This book examines critical issues in prevention of intimate partner violence (IPV) at the individual, community, and systems levels. The contributors present an overview of the extant evidence from current evaluations of promising, innovative prevention programs, including those designed to meet the needs of underserved groups, in the United States and throughout the world, and ways that obstacles to prevention may be overcome. In addition, the contributors, who are researchers in a variety of disciplines along with practitioners in the field, discuss the meaning of "success" in relation to IPV prevention and how successful outcomes may be measured. The contributors present collaborative, interdisciplinary work to identify gaps in knowledge about IPV prevention, and to offer recommendations for future research on and prioritizing of prevention strategies.
Pamela Ugwudike, Peter Raynor, and Jill Annison (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781447332961
- eISBN:
- 9781447333005
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447332961.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Law, Crime and Deviance
This book explores how evidence-based skills and practices can reduce re-offending, support desistance, and encourage service user engagement during supervision in criminal justice settings; and how ...
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This book explores how evidence-based skills and practices can reduce re-offending, support desistance, and encourage service user engagement during supervision in criminal justice settings; and how those who work with service users in these settings could apply these skills and practices to their work. This book is the first to bring together international research on skills and practices in probation and youth justice, while exploring the wider contexts that affect their implementation in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Wide-ranging in scope, it also covers effective approaches to working with diverse groups such as ethnic minority service users, women and young people. There are chapters on specific practice in England and Wales, the United States, Canada, Spain, Belgium, Romania and Australia.Less
This book explores how evidence-based skills and practices can reduce re-offending, support desistance, and encourage service user engagement during supervision in criminal justice settings; and how those who work with service users in these settings could apply these skills and practices to their work. This book is the first to bring together international research on skills and practices in probation and youth justice, while exploring the wider contexts that affect their implementation in the public, private and voluntary sectors. Wide-ranging in scope, it also covers effective approaches to working with diverse groups such as ethnic minority service users, women and young people. There are chapters on specific practice in England and Wales, the United States, Canada, Spain, Belgium, Romania and Australia.
William J. Rust
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780813135786
- eISBN:
- 9780813136844
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Kentucky
- DOI:
- 10.5810/kentucky/9780813135786.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter reviews the August 1956 and subsequent agreements between the RLG and the Pathet Lao to establish a neutral, coalition government in Laos. These agreements triggered a concerted U.S. ...
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This chapter reviews the August 1956 and subsequent agreements between the RLG and the Pathet Lao to establish a neutral, coalition government in Laos. These agreements triggered a concerted U.S. effort to undermine Prime Minister Souvanna Phouma. Ambassador J. Graham Parsons, the Eisenhower administration official most closely identified with Laos, is just one of many U.S. officials whose roles in this effort are discussed. In addition to examining the CIA political action campaign against Souvanna, the chapter discusses the agency's conspicuous presence in Laos. Other significant topics are the Programs Evaluation Office (PEO), the quasi-covert agency overseeing U.S. military assistance to the RLG, initially led Brig. Gen. Rothwell H. Brown (retired); and the notoriously dysfunctional U.S. economic aid program in Laos.Less
This chapter reviews the August 1956 and subsequent agreements between the RLG and the Pathet Lao to establish a neutral, coalition government in Laos. These agreements triggered a concerted U.S. effort to undermine Prime Minister Souvanna Phouma. Ambassador J. Graham Parsons, the Eisenhower administration official most closely identified with Laos, is just one of many U.S. officials whose roles in this effort are discussed. In addition to examining the CIA political action campaign against Souvanna, the chapter discusses the agency's conspicuous presence in Laos. Other significant topics are the Programs Evaluation Office (PEO), the quasi-covert agency overseeing U.S. military assistance to the RLG, initially led Brig. Gen. Rothwell H. Brown (retired); and the notoriously dysfunctional U.S. economic aid program in Laos.
Leonard A. Jason
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199841851
- eISBN:
- 9780199315901
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199841851.001.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
Principles of Social Change offers a comprehensive guide to the development of community interventions and provides the tools and resources to initiate and sustain progress. I examine ...
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Principles of Social Change offers a comprehensive guide to the development of community interventions and provides the tools and resources to initiate and sustain progress. I examine various strategies developed by community activists, coalitions, and social scientists to break down what motivates people. What worked and why? What can be applied to other scenarios? I also discuss practical solutions to complicated issues, such as protecting children’s well-being, combating abuses of power, providing affordable housing, and cleaning up the environment. These ideas are designed to bring about enduring systemic changes at all levels of community life. Although activists such as Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Saul Alinsky, Jane Addams, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. have effected transformational change, everyday citizens and social entrepreneurs have also made tremendously important and sustainable contributions. The five principles reviewed in this book can be used by anyone who wants to bring comprehensive, structural solutions to some of our most vexing social issues. These principles and strategies demonstrate that there is, in fact, a tangible way to achieve change—ordinary people throughout history have done it. This guide is intended for anyone with a desire to improve his or her community. It is expressly for activists with a wide range of causes, from changing environmental regulations to helping disadvantaged children, or other complicated social problems. The five principles described in this book are essential to solving these problems, and they carry the potential to influence new generations of engaged citizens, community activists, and students of psychology and related social sciences. By understanding these principles, community leaders and activists will be poised to bring about a more just and humane society.Less
Principles of Social Change offers a comprehensive guide to the development of community interventions and provides the tools and resources to initiate and sustain progress. I examine various strategies developed by community activists, coalitions, and social scientists to break down what motivates people. What worked and why? What can be applied to other scenarios? I also discuss practical solutions to complicated issues, such as protecting children’s well-being, combating abuses of power, providing affordable housing, and cleaning up the environment. These ideas are designed to bring about enduring systemic changes at all levels of community life. Although activists such as Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Saul Alinsky, Jane Addams, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. have effected transformational change, everyday citizens and social entrepreneurs have also made tremendously important and sustainable contributions. The five principles reviewed in this book can be used by anyone who wants to bring comprehensive, structural solutions to some of our most vexing social issues. These principles and strategies demonstrate that there is, in fact, a tangible way to achieve change—ordinary people throughout history have done it. This guide is intended for anyone with a desire to improve his or her community. It is expressly for activists with a wide range of causes, from changing environmental regulations to helping disadvantaged children, or other complicated social problems. The five principles described in this book are essential to solving these problems, and they carry the potential to influence new generations of engaged citizens, community activists, and students of psychology and related social sciences. By understanding these principles, community leaders and activists will be poised to bring about a more just and humane society.
Ed Bates
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199207992
- eISBN:
- 9780191728440
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199207992.003.0012
- Subject:
- Law, Human Rights and Immigration, EU Law
This chapter begins by discussing the crisis of workload that has faced the new European Court of Human Rights since 1998. It then identifies new trends in the case law since that year, serious ...
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This chapter begins by discussing the crisis of workload that has faced the new European Court of Human Rights since 1998. It then identifies new trends in the case law since that year, serious violations of human rights, post ‘enlargement’ case law, and repetitive violations of the Convention. The third part of the chapter assesses how the Strasbourg Court has adapted to meet these new challenges, which includes an analysis of its general working methods, and of new initiatives such as the pilot judgment procedure. It discusses the process of formal reform of the Convention, the relevant section chronicling the work of the Evaluation Group, the drafting of Protocol 14, the 2004 ‘reform package’, and the Group of Wise Persons. Russia's delayed ratification of Protocol 14 is discussed. Finally, the Interlaken Declaration of 2010 is examined.Less
This chapter begins by discussing the crisis of workload that has faced the new European Court of Human Rights since 1998. It then identifies new trends in the case law since that year, serious violations of human rights, post ‘enlargement’ case law, and repetitive violations of the Convention. The third part of the chapter assesses how the Strasbourg Court has adapted to meet these new challenges, which includes an analysis of its general working methods, and of new initiatives such as the pilot judgment procedure. It discusses the process of formal reform of the Convention, the relevant section chronicling the work of the Evaluation Group, the drafting of Protocol 14, the 2004 ‘reform package’, and the Group of Wise Persons. Russia's delayed ratification of Protocol 14 is discussed. Finally, the Interlaken Declaration of 2010 is examined.
Leonard A. Jason
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199841851
- eISBN:
- 9780199315901
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199841851.003.0005
- Subject:
- Psychology, Social Psychology
Our last principle of social change, covered in Chapter 5, involves measuring success in terms of what has been accomplished and what is still to be achieved. Multiple methods are needed to analyze ...
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Our last principle of social change, covered in Chapter 5, involves measuring success in terms of what has been accomplished and what is still to be achieved. Multiple methods are needed to analyze both the nature of a social problem and its possible solutions. These methods include documenting changes in policy, observing changes in practice, and gathering self-reported data from people within the community. Chapter 5 also examines how these types of methods have been successfully used on an array of policy issues, including litter abatement, handicapped parking, and media-based studies. No matter what the different strategies, types of measurements must be developed to define and detect when, and if, change has occurred. In determining how and what to measure, we go straight to the source, working with community members who are directly affected by the environments being altered.Less
Our last principle of social change, covered in Chapter 5, involves measuring success in terms of what has been accomplished and what is still to be achieved. Multiple methods are needed to analyze both the nature of a social problem and its possible solutions. These methods include documenting changes in policy, observing changes in practice, and gathering self-reported data from people within the community. Chapter 5 also examines how these types of methods have been successfully used on an array of policy issues, including litter abatement, handicapped parking, and media-based studies. No matter what the different strategies, types of measurements must be developed to define and detect when, and if, change has occurred. In determining how and what to measure, we go straight to the source, working with community members who are directly affected by the environments being altered.
Teun Zuiderent-Jerak
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262029384
- eISBN:
- 9780262329439
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262029384.003.0006
- Subject:
- Sociology, Health, Illness, and Medicine
Sociological interventions in national improvement programs are the topic of this chapter. It deals with a sociological evaluation of a large improvement program for care of older adults. This was a ...
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Sociological interventions in national improvement programs are the topic of this chapter. It deals with a sociological evaluation of a large improvement program for care of older adults. This was a patient safety quality improvement collaborative that presented a narrow definition of ‘useful’ research in which social scientists are supposed to discover the factors that support or hamper the implementation of existing policy agendas. Such definitions are unfortunate, since they undo the capacity to complexify the taken-for-granted conceptualizations of the object of study that is crucial for situated intervention research. As an alternative to this definition of ‘usefulness’, this chapter explores a focus on multiple ontologies in the making when studying patient safety. Through this focus, social scientists become involved in refiguring the problem space of patient safety, the relations between research subjects and objects, and the existing policy agendas. This role gives social scientists the opportunity to focus on which practices of ‘effective care’ and ‘participation’ are enacted through different approaches to dealing with patient safety and what their consequences are for the care practices under study. Such a focus on multiple ontologies of safety opens up new ways for intervention in quality improvement collaborative, but also points to the limitations of evaluation as intervention.Less
Sociological interventions in national improvement programs are the topic of this chapter. It deals with a sociological evaluation of a large improvement program for care of older adults. This was a patient safety quality improvement collaborative that presented a narrow definition of ‘useful’ research in which social scientists are supposed to discover the factors that support or hamper the implementation of existing policy agendas. Such definitions are unfortunate, since they undo the capacity to complexify the taken-for-granted conceptualizations of the object of study that is crucial for situated intervention research. As an alternative to this definition of ‘usefulness’, this chapter explores a focus on multiple ontologies in the making when studying patient safety. Through this focus, social scientists become involved in refiguring the problem space of patient safety, the relations between research subjects and objects, and the existing policy agendas. This role gives social scientists the opportunity to focus on which practices of ‘effective care’ and ‘participation’ are enacted through different approaches to dealing with patient safety and what their consequences are for the care practices under study. Such a focus on multiple ontologies of safety opens up new ways for intervention in quality improvement collaborative, but also points to the limitations of evaluation as intervention.
Seth Jacobs
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801445477
- eISBN:
- 9780801464041
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801445477.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This chapter looks at U.S.-Lao relations from 1954 to 1958. Along with establishing the U.S. Operations Mission (USOM) in Vientiane to administer economic assistance, Washington created a thinly ...
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This chapter looks at U.S.-Lao relations from 1954 to 1958. Along with establishing the U.S. Operations Mission (USOM) in Vientiane to administer economic assistance, Washington created a thinly disguised training organization—the Programs Evaluation Office (PEO)—within USOM to handle military aid. A U.S. Information Service (USIS) unit responsible for propaganda was also established in the Lao capital. Operatives of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) also began carrying out a variety of enterprises, from information gathering to providing arms. However, all attempts to institute in Laos what had been built in South Vietnam had failed. According to the U.S. legation in Vientiane, the Lao premier “totally failed to show [the] expected energy,” his advisers were “falling down on the job,” and every day American officials “discover[ed] new fields in which the Lao are incompetent.”Less
This chapter looks at U.S.-Lao relations from 1954 to 1958. Along with establishing the U.S. Operations Mission (USOM) in Vientiane to administer economic assistance, Washington created a thinly disguised training organization—the Programs Evaluation Office (PEO)—within USOM to handle military aid. A U.S. Information Service (USIS) unit responsible for propaganda was also established in the Lao capital. Operatives of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) also began carrying out a variety of enterprises, from information gathering to providing arms. However, all attempts to institute in Laos what had been built in South Vietnam had failed. According to the U.S. legation in Vientiane, the Lao premier “totally failed to show [the] expected energy,” his advisers were “falling down on the job,” and every day American officials “discover[ed] new fields in which the Lao are incompetent.”
Ian Shaw
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780231166409
- eISBN:
- 9780231541602
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231166409.003.0008
- Subject:
- Social Work, Research and Evaluation
In mapping the range of scientific allegiances to social justice, I draw on the evaluation field to distinguish nonpartisan, multipartisan, reformist, and critical theory positions. I then go on to ...
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In mapping the range of scientific allegiances to social justice, I draw on the evaluation field to distinguish nonpartisan, multipartisan, reformist, and critical theory positions. I then go on to ask how positions on social justice are related to methodological choices, consider ways in which we should think of citizens and service users as having scientific knowledge about social work that shapes the justice agenda, and conclude the chapter with an exploration of arguments about insider and outsider status, standpoint theory, and feminist social work science.Less
In mapping the range of scientific allegiances to social justice, I draw on the evaluation field to distinguish nonpartisan, multipartisan, reformist, and critical theory positions. I then go on to ask how positions on social justice are related to methodological choices, consider ways in which we should think of citizens and service users as having scientific knowledge about social work that shapes the justice agenda, and conclude the chapter with an exploration of arguments about insider and outsider status, standpoint theory, and feminist social work science.
Fred Wulczyn, Bridgette Lery, and Lonnie Snowden
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199973729
- eISBN:
- 9780199386703
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199973729.003.0006
- Subject:
- Social Work, Children and Families
The Multisite Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs represents the first attempt to evaluate independent living programs for children aging out of care using experimental methods. The chapter describes ...
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The Multisite Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs represents the first attempt to evaluate independent living programs for children aging out of care using experimental methods. The chapter describes the study and its findings. Based on lessons learned from this evaluation, the authors argue that the study demonstrated that experimental methods can be used to rigorously evaluate a wide range of child welfare. At the same time, the authors describe some of the challenges of learning from experimental evaluation in complex areas of human services delivery. Challenges identified include: changes in policy context that lead to changes in the intervention or the counterfactual condition; limited external validity reflecting the unique characteristics of service delivery systems; distinguishing between the impact of “programs” and “practice”; and, limitations of experimental designs for assessing the impact of policy change.Less
The Multisite Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs represents the first attempt to evaluate independent living programs for children aging out of care using experimental methods. The chapter describes the study and its findings. Based on lessons learned from this evaluation, the authors argue that the study demonstrated that experimental methods can be used to rigorously evaluate a wide range of child welfare. At the same time, the authors describe some of the challenges of learning from experimental evaluation in complex areas of human services delivery. Challenges identified include: changes in policy context that lead to changes in the intervention or the counterfactual condition; limited external validity reflecting the unique characteristics of service delivery systems; distinguishing between the impact of “programs” and “practice”; and, limitations of experimental designs for assessing the impact of policy change.
Werner Jann and Bastian Jantz
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781447306252
- eISBN:
- 9781447310983
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447306252.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Politics, Social Movements and Social Change
The chapter provides an inventory of key issues and results in policy analysis research in Germany. It outlines main trends (e.g. planning, implementation, networks, ideas and institutions), ...
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The chapter provides an inventory of key issues and results in policy analysis research in Germany. It outlines main trends (e.g. planning, implementation, networks, ideas and institutions), discusses relations to the international debate, to other areas of political science, other disciplines, and to political and administrative practice. In the early ‘planning euphoria’, policy analysis was part of a ‘reform coalition’ engaged in developing tools and methods for identifying and formulating more effective and cost-efficient policies. Soon, however, the disillusionment with technocratic planning turned the attention to empirical studies of implementation and evaluation. The basic paradigm shifted from hierarchical top-down assumptions of policy development by government and implementation by administrative agencies, towards a bottom-up perspective, emphasizing characteristics of target groups and their reactions, a general loss of importance of hierarchical steering and the importance of networks and coordination mechanism between state and societal actors. Policy analysis has gained considerable influence in German political science due to its truly interdisciplinary nature, its broad empirical base and its combination of new theoretical approaches with pressing practical problems.Less
The chapter provides an inventory of key issues and results in policy analysis research in Germany. It outlines main trends (e.g. planning, implementation, networks, ideas and institutions), discusses relations to the international debate, to other areas of political science, other disciplines, and to political and administrative practice. In the early ‘planning euphoria’, policy analysis was part of a ‘reform coalition’ engaged in developing tools and methods for identifying and formulating more effective and cost-efficient policies. Soon, however, the disillusionment with technocratic planning turned the attention to empirical studies of implementation and evaluation. The basic paradigm shifted from hierarchical top-down assumptions of policy development by government and implementation by administrative agencies, towards a bottom-up perspective, emphasizing characteristics of target groups and their reactions, a general loss of importance of hierarchical steering and the importance of networks and coordination mechanism between state and societal actors. Policy analysis has gained considerable influence in German political science due to its truly interdisciplinary nature, its broad empirical base and its combination of new theoretical approaches with pressing practical problems.
Carol M. Ashton and Nelda P. Wray
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199968565
- eISBN:
- 9780199346080
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199968565.003.0003
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health
The principles of design, conduct, analysis and reporting of clinical trials, including trials conducted for regulatory purposes, are sufficiently advanced that drugs and other therapeutic ...
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The principles of design, conduct, analysis and reporting of clinical trials, including trials conducted for regulatory purposes, are sufficiently advanced that drugs and other therapeutic interventions can be put to fair tests that provide valid evidence of efficacy and safety. However, clinical research—especially research that can make a product a winner or a loser—is not a value-free human endeavor. The rosiglitazone story exemplifies how medical product manufacturers can manipulate regulatory evidence by designing trials to ensure certain answers are—or are not—obtained, how companies can try to intimidate scientists whose research yields unfavorable evidence about a product, and how ambiguous can be the evidence from clinical trials. Federally-mandated comparative effectiveness research does not generate evidence used in product regulation, but it generates evidence that has market implications. It therefore will always be at risk for the same kinds of manipulation observed in the rosiglitazone saga.Less
The principles of design, conduct, analysis and reporting of clinical trials, including trials conducted for regulatory purposes, are sufficiently advanced that drugs and other therapeutic interventions can be put to fair tests that provide valid evidence of efficacy and safety. However, clinical research—especially research that can make a product a winner or a loser—is not a value-free human endeavor. The rosiglitazone story exemplifies how medical product manufacturers can manipulate regulatory evidence by designing trials to ensure certain answers are—or are not—obtained, how companies can try to intimidate scientists whose research yields unfavorable evidence about a product, and how ambiguous can be the evidence from clinical trials. Federally-mandated comparative effectiveness research does not generate evidence used in product regulation, but it generates evidence that has market implications. It therefore will always be at risk for the same kinds of manipulation observed in the rosiglitazone saga.
Philip J. Cook, Stephen Machin, Olivier Marie, and Giovanni Mastrobuoni (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780262019613
- eISBN:
- 9780262314633
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262019613.001.0001
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Public and Welfare
This volume includes 10 original papers on various aspects of the economics of crime, together with an introductory essay by the editors that characterizes the intellectual agenda and approach of the ...
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This volume includes 10 original papers on various aspects of the economics of crime, together with an introductory essay by the editors that characterizes the intellectual agenda and approach of the economists in this field. The papers cover a number of substantive topics, including both reviews and original research. There are review articles on the consequences of drug prohibition (John Donohue), on “mechanism experiments” for crime policy (Jens Ludwig, Jeff Kling, and Sendhil Mullainathan), on the relationship between crime and immigration (Brian Bell and Stephen Machin), on what works in reducing recidivism (Aurėlie Ouss), and on policy experiments for reducing football hooliganism (Mikael Priks). The original empirical research reported in the other papers include (1) the effect of police hiring on arrest volume (Emily Owens); (2) the effect of crime on police hiring in the U.S. and Italy (Paolo Buonanno and Giovanni Mastrobuoni); (3)the consequences of a change in the structure of policing in a Brazilian state (Rodrigo Soares and Igor Viveiros); (4) the surprising effect of processing older adolescents in adult courts in Germany (Stefan Pichler and Daniel Rőmer); AND (5) the effect of organized crime on the quality of political candidates in Italy (Paolo Pinotti). This book is part of the CESifo Seminar Series. The papers were presented and discussed at a CESifo conference in Venice.Less
This volume includes 10 original papers on various aspects of the economics of crime, together with an introductory essay by the editors that characterizes the intellectual agenda and approach of the economists in this field. The papers cover a number of substantive topics, including both reviews and original research. There are review articles on the consequences of drug prohibition (John Donohue), on “mechanism experiments” for crime policy (Jens Ludwig, Jeff Kling, and Sendhil Mullainathan), on the relationship between crime and immigration (Brian Bell and Stephen Machin), on what works in reducing recidivism (Aurėlie Ouss), and on policy experiments for reducing football hooliganism (Mikael Priks). The original empirical research reported in the other papers include (1) the effect of police hiring on arrest volume (Emily Owens); (2) the effect of crime on police hiring in the U.S. and Italy (Paolo Buonanno and Giovanni Mastrobuoni); (3)the consequences of a change in the structure of policing in a Brazilian state (Rodrigo Soares and Igor Viveiros); (4) the surprising effect of processing older adolescents in adult courts in Germany (Stefan Pichler and Daniel Rőmer); AND (5) the effect of organized crime on the quality of political candidates in Italy (Paolo Pinotti). This book is part of the CESifo Seminar Series. The papers were presented and discussed at a CESifo conference in Venice.
John T. S. Lam
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9789888139026
- eISBN:
- 9789888180240
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Hong Kong University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5790/hongkong/9789888139026.003.0008
- Subject:
- Education, Educational Policy and Politics
This chapter first states that the purpose of curriculum evaluation is to improve a curriculum and measure its effectiveness in achieving its intended objectives. How these purposes will have bearing ...
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This chapter first states that the purpose of curriculum evaluation is to improve a curriculum and measure its effectiveness in achieving its intended objectives. How these purposes will have bearing on the format and model of curriculum evaluation will be elucidated. That is, whether an objective or process model of curriculum evaluation should be used will depend on what we want our curriculum evaluation to achieve. Essential questions to address in any curriculum evaluation will be highlighted (e.g. What is/are to be evaluated? Who are the right people to do the evaluation? What are the general methods of collecting data for evaluating a curriculum?) Two genres of curriculum evaluation representing the objectives model and the process model will be introduced: the traditional model of evaluation and the new wave model. The four generations of evaluation are also introduced, along with the features, strengths, and limitations of each. The procedural tasks of a common evaluation process are outlined for easy reference. In the end, the importance of metaevaluation (the evaluation of an evaluation process) is depicted as crucial to any evaluation process and to the best interests of all concerned.Less
This chapter first states that the purpose of curriculum evaluation is to improve a curriculum and measure its effectiveness in achieving its intended objectives. How these purposes will have bearing on the format and model of curriculum evaluation will be elucidated. That is, whether an objective or process model of curriculum evaluation should be used will depend on what we want our curriculum evaluation to achieve. Essential questions to address in any curriculum evaluation will be highlighted (e.g. What is/are to be evaluated? Who are the right people to do the evaluation? What are the general methods of collecting data for evaluating a curriculum?) Two genres of curriculum evaluation representing the objectives model and the process model will be introduced: the traditional model of evaluation and the new wave model. The four generations of evaluation are also introduced, along with the features, strengths, and limitations of each. The procedural tasks of a common evaluation process are outlined for easy reference. In the end, the importance of metaevaluation (the evaluation of an evaluation process) is depicted as crucial to any evaluation process and to the best interests of all concerned.
Kevin Albertson, Katherine Albertson, Chris Fox, and Dan Ellingworth
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781447300359
- eISBN:
- 9781447311706
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447300359.003.0018
- Subject:
- Social Work, Crime and Justice
Economic theory seeks to determine the most effective use of scarce resources in achieving a given goal. This chapter discusses evaluation of criminal justice interventions with a view to increasing ...
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Economic theory seeks to determine the most effective use of scarce resources in achieving a given goal. This chapter discusses evaluation of criminal justice interventions with a view to increasing efficiency of service provision. Such analyses support evidence informed policy by comparing measured costs with benefits of interventions. However, in a political climate that promotes an increasing reliance on the private sector through marketisation, the very choice of intervention studied, and the costs and benefit to be measured, are based on value judgements. This chapter highlights the distinction between the positivist (value-neutral) values of economics and the normative (values-based) choice of the way economics is used.Less
Economic theory seeks to determine the most effective use of scarce resources in achieving a given goal. This chapter discusses evaluation of criminal justice interventions with a view to increasing efficiency of service provision. Such analyses support evidence informed policy by comparing measured costs with benefits of interventions. However, in a political climate that promotes an increasing reliance on the private sector through marketisation, the very choice of intervention studied, and the costs and benefit to be measured, are based on value judgements. This chapter highlights the distinction between the positivist (value-neutral) values of economics and the normative (values-based) choice of the way economics is used.
Peter Evans and Angelika Krüger
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9781447305910
- eISBN:
- 9781447307754
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447305910.003.0005
- Subject:
- Social Work, Communities and Organizations
YEPP I showed that YEPP works when fully implemented and the lessons learnt were built into YEPP II. Difficulties in implementing the research design were overcome by routinising the active ...
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YEPP I showed that YEPP works when fully implemented and the lessons learnt were built into YEPP II. Difficulties in implementing the research design were overcome by routinising the active participation of Local Teams in the evaluation process and simplifying it by focusing more on changes taking place on the ground. To improve partnerships with the public and private sectors, it was agreed to engage the public sector from the outset in selecting Local Programme Sites and requiring commitment to take on certain responsibilities e.g. giving staff time for coordination and evaluation. However, involving the private sector still remains a challenge. Transnational work was one of the successes of YEPP I but to engage all sites more fully this element was adapted to meet the needs of young people more meaningfully. Strategies to increase sustainability, youth participation and partnerships and create new funding channels were adopted. New approaches to impact more on public policy included expansion of YEPP by involving new partners and countries and adopting improved communication and advocacy strategies. The role of youth in pressing for change was seen as crucial and led young people to write their own ‘Golden Rules of Participation in Decision-making Processes’.Less
YEPP I showed that YEPP works when fully implemented and the lessons learnt were built into YEPP II. Difficulties in implementing the research design were overcome by routinising the active participation of Local Teams in the evaluation process and simplifying it by focusing more on changes taking place on the ground. To improve partnerships with the public and private sectors, it was agreed to engage the public sector from the outset in selecting Local Programme Sites and requiring commitment to take on certain responsibilities e.g. giving staff time for coordination and evaluation. However, involving the private sector still remains a challenge. Transnational work was one of the successes of YEPP I but to engage all sites more fully this element was adapted to meet the needs of young people more meaningfully. Strategies to increase sustainability, youth participation and partnerships and create new funding channels were adopted. New approaches to impact more on public policy included expansion of YEPP by involving new partners and countries and adopting improved communication and advocacy strategies. The role of youth in pressing for change was seen as crucial and led young people to write their own ‘Golden Rules of Participation in Decision-making Processes’.
Stephan Klasen
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781447332497
- eISBN:
- 9781447332534
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447332497.003.0006
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
Inclusive growth has been proposed as another approach to ensuring that economic growth promotes well-being for all. At the same time, the precise definition of inclusive growth, its relation to ...
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Inclusive growth has been proposed as another approach to ensuring that economic growth promotes well-being for all. At the same time, the precise definition of inclusive growth, its relation to related concepts, such as pro-poor growth, social exclusion, or inequality, is not very clear. This chapter proposes a way to define inclusive growth, differentiate from related concepts, and propose particular indicators that can be used to monitor inclusive growth in developing and developed countries.Less
Inclusive growth has been proposed as another approach to ensuring that economic growth promotes well-being for all. At the same time, the precise definition of inclusive growth, its relation to related concepts, such as pro-poor growth, social exclusion, or inequality, is not very clear. This chapter proposes a way to define inclusive growth, differentiate from related concepts, and propose particular indicators that can be used to monitor inclusive growth in developing and developed countries.
