The Determinants of Program Success and Failure

1981 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 433-464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold Wolman
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Evaluation Research ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Program Performance ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Program Success ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTRecent social science research – particularly evaluation research and cost-benefit analysis – has produced a substantial and very useful literature on the impact of public policy and on the relationship of program inputs to outputs and outcomes. However, the explicit focus of these analytic techniques on impacts and outcomes does not systematically yield useful information on why programs have been successes or failures. Policy-makers faced with an evaluation of program success or failure obviously need to know something about the why question if they are to make needed adjustments in the program or carry the lessons of one program to other areas. This article attempts to present a comprehensive framework for explaining and understanding program performance. It is meant to have two uses and to serve two clienteles. First, it presents for social scientists a set of research questions to guide research into the determinants of program performance. Second, it provides public policy-makers with a set of action questions which should be asked and answered appropriately in the actual formulating and carrying out of public policy, as a means of enhancing the chances of program success. The framework is divided into two parts, the formulating process and the carrying out process, although these two processes may overlap considerably, both in time and in terms of substantive concerns. Program success may be impeded by problems or inadequacies in one or more of the components in either the formulating stage or the carrying out stage or in both.

Policy analysis by academics

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen Brans ◽  
David Aubin ◽  
Valérie Smet
Keyword(s):  
Policy Making ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Relevant Research ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Research Programmes ◽  
Structural Interfaces ◽  
Policy Problems ◽  
The Impact

Through their policy relevant research outputs and integration in policy networks, Belgian academics ‘speak truth to power’ (Wildavsky 1979) or ‘make sense together’ (Hoppe 1999) in political and public debates about policy problems and options. At the turn of the millennium, the federal and regional governments have moved to institutionalizing policy relevant research in what are called interuniversity research pillars, and middle to long term research programmes, thematically organised along the priorities decided by the respective governments. Next to these structural interfaces, there are other access points for academics to bring their expertise to policy-making. Sectoral academic experts maintain multiple relationships with knowledge brokers. They are welcome guests in opinion sections of the written and spoken media and hold positions in the strategic advisory bodies of different governments. Several of them are also active in think tanks, or act themselves as consultants in commercial university spin-offs. This chapter analyses the structural and individual access of academics to policy-making in Belgium. The empirical material is based upon documents analysis and budget information, on a study of knowledge utilisation in labour market and education policies in Belgium, and on a recent survey on the impact of social science research on Flemish policy-makers.

Estimation of the Impact of Comprehensive COVID-19 Testing in South Korea: A Cost-Benefit Analysis Using the Extended SEIR Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-168
Author(s):  
Kilkon Ko ◽  
Minjun Hong
Keyword(s):  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
Diagnostic Testing ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Seir Model ◽  
Net Benefits ◽  
Costbenefit Analysis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Comprehensive COVID-19 diagnostic testing is regarded as a critical in preventing the spread of the virus, but only a few studies thus far have sought to assess the net benefits that sustained testing might offer, despite the importance accorded by researchers to evidence-based policy making. We performed a costbenefit analysis using the extended SEIR model to assess whether maintaining the current level of COVID-19 testing is an economically rational choice compared with counterfactual scenarios. Our results suggest that the relationship between the net benefits and the level of testing assumes an inverted-U shape, which means that comprehensive diagnostic testing is effective in flattening the infection curve, but it is a financial burden to society. This study provides evidence that comprehensive diagnostic testing would not be a good strategy for countries with scant financial and medical resources, considering the costs. Furthermore, undertaking comprehensive diagnostic testing without implementing other strategies is a limited approach to preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Therefore, this study suggests that policy makers should find ways to improve the effectiveness of tests, not just increase the level of tests.

Conclusion

2020 ◽  
pp. 217-230
Author(s):  
Lise Butler
Keyword(s):  
Political Thought ◽  
Research Council ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
British History ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Conservative Policy ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Science Research Council

The conclusion describes how the Social Science Research Council, and in particular the discipline of sociology, came under increasing attack by Conservative policy makers in the 1970s and 1980s. It briefly outlines Young’s biography and career after 1970, and summarizes the key arguments of the book as a whole. The conclusion cautions against populist and communitarian arguments which idealize nostalgic visions of community, pointing out that Young’s portrayals of the East London working class were ideologically and politically motivated, and did not fully account for changing gender norms or the impact of immigration. The book concludes by re-emphasizing the importance of the social sciences in twentieth-century politics and political thought, and argues that historians should continue to take their role in modern British history seriously.

scholarly journals Reflections on the concepts of "politics," public policy and education policy

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Oscar Espinoza
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Critical Theory ◽  
Policy Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Educational Policies ◽  
Poor People ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Secondary Sources

The purpose of this article is to shed light on three key issues: a) the concepts of policy, public policy and educational policy and the interrelations that those concepts have when conducting policy analysis; b) some procedures to conduct policy analysis; and c) some trends observed during the development of educational policies based on the assumptions of critical theory and functionalist theory. Methodologically, this is a qualitative study which uses secondary sources (based on in depth literature review). The study concludes that the design and the implementation of educational policies are framed in different ways by policy makers and other stakeholders adopting the critical and the functionalist paradigm. Policy makers using critical theory as their main framework emphasize the necessity of linking the analysis, design and implementation of educational policies to the demands of those actors that usually are not the target of public policies, that is, poor people and minorities. On the other hand, policy makers that work with functionalist-positivist frameworks use to consider in their analyses technical factors, privileging in that sense, cost-benefit analysis, cost-efficiency analysis, and social indicators.

Application of a Tax to E-Commerce Deliveries in Barcelona

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110124
Author(s):  
Genís Majoral ◽  
Francesc Gasparín ◽  
Sergi Saurí
Keyword(s):  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Environmental Tax ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Demand Side ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
Revenue Collection ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
The Impact

The number of e-commerce transactions is increasing worldwide. Deliveries of goods purchased online generate externalities throughout the whole supply chain and, particularly, the increasing concern about the last-mile distribution of goods. The escalating presence of vans in cities contributes to poor air quality, climate change, noise, and congestion. So far, the majority of solutions to address this issue are based on the supply side, such as electric vans, optimizing the routing and pick-up-points, and so forth. Even in other transport sectors, pricing solutions are well known, yet they have not been extended to e-commerce delivery. This paper aims to propose an environmental tax falling on the demand side and equaling the externalities from this activity. The analysis has been particularized for the case of Barcelona. A cost–benefit analysis to assess the impact of such a tax has been carried out. When revenue collection is reinvested in the logistics sector, and for subsidizing electric distribution vehicles, the results indicate that the levying of the tax can generate positive outcomes.

scholarly journals Modelling the impact of rapid diagnostic tests on Plasmodium vivax malaria in South Korea: a cost–benefit analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e004292
Author(s):  
Jung Ho Kim ◽  
Jiyeon Suh ◽  
Woon Ji Lee ◽  
Heun Choi ◽  
Jong-Dae Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Plasmodium Vivax ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Malaria Incidence ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Medical Costs ◽  
Rapid Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundRapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are widely used for diagnosing Plasmodium vivax malaria, especially in resource-limited countries. However, the impact of RDTs on P. vivax malaria incidence and national medical costs has not been evaluated. We assessed the impact of RDT implementation on P. vivax malaria incidence and overall medical expenditures in South Korea and performed a cost–benefit analysis from the payer’s perspective.MethodsWe developed a dynamic compartmental model for P. vivax malaria transmission in South Korea using delay differential equations. Long latency and seasonality were incorporated into the model, which was calibrated to civilian malaria incidences during 2014–2018. We then estimated averted malaria cases and total medical costs from two diagnostic scenarios: microscopy only and both microscopy and RDTs. Medical costs were extracted based on data from a hospital in an at-risk area for P. vivax malaria and were validated using Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data. We conducted a cost–benefit analysis of RDTs using the incremental benefit:cost ratio (IBCR) considering only medical costs and performed a probabilistic sensitivity analysis to reflect the uncertainties of model parameters, costs and benefits.ResultsThe results showed that 55.3% of new P. vivax malaria cases were averted, and $696 214 in medical costs was saved over 10 years after RDT introduction. The estimated IBCR was 2.5, indicating that RDT implementation was beneficial, compared with microscopy alone. The IBCR was sensitive to the diagnosis time reduction, infectious period and short latency period, and provided beneficial results in a benefit over $10.6 or RDT cost under $39.7.ConclusionsThe model simulation suggested that RDTs could significantly reduce P. vivax malaria incidence and medical costs. Moreover, cost–benefit analysis demonstrated that the introduction of RDTs was beneficial over microscopy alone. These results support the need for widespread adoption of RDTs.

scholarly journals On the Discursive and Methodological Categorisation of Islam and Muslims in the West: Ontological and Epistemological Considerations

Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 501
Author(s):  
Fethi Mansouri
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Religion And Politics ◽  
The West ◽  
Research Agendas ◽  
Muslims In The West ◽  
The Impact

This article reflects on the ethical and epistemological challenges facing researchers engaged in contemporary studies of Islam and Muslims in the West. Particularly, it focuses on the impact of the constructions and categorisations of Muslims and Islam in research. To do this, it considers the entwinement of public discourses and the development of research agendas and projects. To examine this complex and enmeshed process, this article explores ideological, discursive and epistemological approaches that it argues researchers need to consider. In invoking these three approaches alongside an analysis of a collection of recent research, this article contends that questions of race, religion and politics have been deployed to reinforce, rather than challenge, certain essentialist/orientalist representations of Islam and Muslims in the West in research. As this article shows, this practice is increasingly threatening to compromise, in a Habermasian communicative sense (i.e., the opportunity to speak and be heard for all concerned), the ethical and epistemological underpinnings of social science research with its emphasis on inclusion and respect.

scholarly journals CHANGES IN THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT FAMILY 2003–2014: IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSIDERING ACHIEVEMENTS, GAPS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
pp. 1550003 ◽  
Author(s):  
FRANK VANCLAY
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Proportional Change ◽  
The Impact

Over 150 forms of impact assessment can be identified using Google searches, with several new forms appearing since 2003. Since then, the popularity of the various members of the impact assessment family has changed, partly in response to legislative and regulatory changes, and general trends in society. The information explosion and expansion of the internet has resulted in a 32 fold increase in the number of hits for "impact assessment", now over 12 million. The conventional methods most frequently mentioned in 2003 had relatively low proportional change over the last 10 years but remain amongst the most frequently mentioned in 2014: risk assessment, public participation, cost-benefit analysis, public involvement, environmental monitoring, and project evaluation. The terms with highest proportional change (i.e. the super-hot topics) were primarily social concerns, including: equality impact assessment, welfare impact assessment, mental health impact assessment, disability impact assessment, human impact assessment, social impact assessment, and social risk assessment. Other terms that had high proportional change included life cycle impact assessment. Information about the relative popularity of the various forms of impact assessment is used in this paper to discuss issues and trends in the broad field of impact assessment.

Yamuna Action Plan-III: Impact on Water Quality of River Yamuna, India

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Ankit Srivastava ◽  
Prathna T.C.
Keyword(s):  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Pollutant Load ◽  
River Ganges ◽  
The World ◽  
River Yamuna ◽  
The Impact

Water is indispensable to sustain life and livelihood, and rivers serve as major reservoirs of water in manyparts of the world. River Yamuna is the major tributary of the River Ganges in India and is considered to be among the most polluted rivers of the world. The Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) is one of the largest river restoration projects in India and is initiated to clean the river. YAP is a bilateral arrangement between the governments of India and Japan, and consists of three Actions Plans-I, II and III. YAP-III is currently under execution with some of the major projects being the construction of the new Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) at Okhla, rehabilitation and upgrading of WWTPs at Kondli and Rithala in the Delhi region. The impact of YAP-III with regard to these major projects on the reduction of the pollutant load reaching the river and cost-benefit has been evaluated in the current study. Findings from the study indicated that major projects such as construction of a new WWTP at Okhla (124 MGD) can effectively reduce the pollutant load by 283 kg/MGD of wastewater at a cost of Rs. 1161 crores while the rehabilitation project at Rithala (Phase I) can reduce the pollutant load by 92.5 kg/MGD wastewater at a cost of Rs. 300 crores. The present study indicates the need to evaluate projects in terms of cost-benefit analysis in addition to the economic and environmental evaluation for effective action. A holistic approach towards treatment of pollutant load in the river and prevention of further pollutants from reaching the river is required in addition to community awareness and participation for sustainable river water management.

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