scholarly journals Welfare reform and the street level bureaucrat in homelessness services

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 359-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Louise Alden
Keyword(s):  
Welfare Reform ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Baseline Survey ◽  
Implementation Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reform Agenda ◽  
Street Level ◽  
North East ◽  
Service Outcomes ◽  
Housing Options

Purpose – Lipsky’s street level bureaucrat conceptual framework is employed to assist in understanding the ways in which statutory frontline homelessness practitioners are engaging with the current welfare reform agenda. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Draws the street level bureaucrat framework. A national baseline survey of homelessness practitioners was followed by targeted qualitative interviews involving 12 local authorities in England. Findings – Homelessness practitioners are facing a twofold crisis due to an increase in service users and corresponding decrease in feasible housing options or resources to tackle this. It was reported that effective service provision for all who required it was becoming increasingly difficult, which in turn fostered an environment in which unlawful gatekeeping practices could thrive. Further, it was found that a service user’s position may be additionally weakened due to the new powers conferred in the Localism Act. Research limitations/implications – Qualitative data were limited to North East Authorities due to limited research resources. Social implications – The current austere climate is negatively impacting upon the delivery of statutory homelessness provision. Differing implementation of the Localism Act will lead to inequitable service outcomes. Originality/value – Application of the street level bureaucrat implementation framework to English homelessness services, a national survey of English frontline service delivery in an austere climate.

scholarly journals The Social Union after the Coalition: Devolution, Divergence and Convergence

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARK SIMPSON
Keyword(s):  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Social Security ◽  
Welfare Reform ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Coalition Government ◽  
Reform Agenda ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Future ◽  
Scottish Independence ◽  
The Uk

AbstractIn 2009, the UK government emphasised that it was ‘deeply committed’ to the maintenance of the state's social union, embodied in a single social security system. Five years later, the future of this social union appeared less certain than at any time since the 1920s. Dissatisfaction with the ‘welfare reform’ agenda of the coalition government was a driver of support for Scottish independence in the 2014 referendum campaign. Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland Assembly failed to pass legislation to mirror the Welfare Reform Act 2012, normally a formality due to the convention of parity in social security. Despite Westminster's subsequent extension of the 2012 reforms to the region, divergence in secondary legislation and practice remains likely. This article draws on the findings of qualitative interviews with politicians and civil servants in both regions during a period covering the conclusion of the Smith Commission's work on the future of Scottish devolution and the height of a political impasse over Northern Ireland's Welfare Reform Bill that threatened a constitutional crisis. It considers the extent to which steps towards divergence in the two devolved regions have altered the UK's social union and to which the two processes have influenced one another.

scholarly journals User engagement with political “facts” in the context of the fake news phenomenon

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 1082-1099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Marcella ◽  
Graeme Baxter ◽  
Agnieszka Walicka
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Information Quality ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Government Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Subject Knowledge ◽  
Perceived Credibility ◽  
North East ◽  
Run Up ◽  
Quality Awareness

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a study that explored human behaviour in response to political “facts” presented online by political parties in Scotland. Design/methodology/approach The study consisted of interactive online interviews with 23 citizens in North-East Scotland, in the run-up to the 2017 UK General Election. Findings Participants demonstrated cognitive and critical responses to facts but little affective reaction. They judged facts swiftly and largely intuitively, providing evidence that facts are frequently consumed, accepted or rejected without further verification processes. Users demonstrated varying levels of engagement with the information they consume, and subject knowledge may influence the extent to which respondents trust facts, in previously unanticipated ways. Users tended to notice facts with which they disagreed and, in terms of prominence, particularly noted and responded to facts which painted extremely negative or positive pictures. Most acknowledged limitations in capacity to interrogate facts, but some were delusionally confident. Originality/value Relatively little empirical research has been conducted exploring the perceived credibility of political or government information online. It is believed that this and a companion study are the first to have specifically investigated the Scottish political arena. This paper presents a new, exploratory fact interrogation model, alongside an expanded information quality awareness model.

From Ossau and Iraty to PDO Ossau-Iraty

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (12) ◽  
pp. 3062-3075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgane Millet
Keyword(s):  
Local Development ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Farm Production ◽  
Protected Designation Of Origin ◽  
Summer Pasture ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Term Analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand how a geographical indication (GI) is built through time and how its (non)appropriation by local producers shapes it. The reciprocity of such process is also considered: how the creation of a GI changes local relationships between producers, within the GI and out of it? The case of Ossau-Iraty is relevant: in south-west of France, this protected designation of origin (PDO) has been based on two distinct regions: Bearn (Ossau) and Pays Basque (Iraty). Since then, most producers of Bearn have rejected this PDO. Design/methodology/approach The author adopts a diachronic perspective: the trajectory of the local dairy ewe sector is described, focusing on the trajectory of on-farm cheese makers from Bearn and Pays Basque and the trajectory of Ossau-Iraty. Based on different methods (qualitative interviews and archive research), this paper aims at analyzing the interactions within such heterogeneous networks. Findings When the PDO was created (1980), the opposition between producers of Bearn and Pays Basque was based on strong senses of place, which would be translated in a different perception of tradition: to Bearn producers, PDO Ossau-Iraty would be an industrial cheese, in which they did not recognize their product and themselves. With time, the producers who have been involved in the PDO worked on its specifications. The recognition of symbolic practices such as on-farm production or Summer pasture production, the recognition of differences between Basque cheese and Bearn cheese are changes that contribute to the evolution of perceptions within the local producers’ community. The author observes a recent convergence between Basque producers and Bearn producers, as their distinct products share common and strong qualifications within PDO Ossau-Iraty that contribute to their respective valorization. However, it seems to occur at an institutional level and the adhesion of the local producers might still be at stakes. Research limitations/implications A statistical study could reinforce the author’s exploratory and historical research. Furthermore, it would have been relevant to take local inhabitants and local consumers into account, as they have participated in the products’ qualifications as well. Originality/value A long-term analysis (40 years) contributes to better understand how cheeses are valorized and how such process is based on controversial processes. It contributes to root GIs into local histories, which are nor as consensual neither as uniform as we would primarily think, and to identity levers for sustainable local development.

“There is still a perception that homelessness is a housing problem”: devolution, homelessness and health in the UK

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Whiteford ◽  
Glenn Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Issue Salience ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Healthcare Provision ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Comparative Policy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an exploratory account of the links between devolution, homelessness and health in the UK. Specifically, it focusses on the policy context and governance structures that shape the systems of healthcare for homeless people in London, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach Empirically the paper draws on semi-structured interviews with a small sample of policy and practice actors from the devolved territories. Qualitative interviews were supplemented by a comparative policy analysis of the homelessness and health agenda within the devolved regions. Theoretically, it takes inspiration from Chaney’s concept of the “issue salience of homelessness” and explores the comparative character of healthcare as pertains to homeless people across the devolved territories. Findings The paper provides clear evidence of areas of divergence and convergence in policy and practice between the devolved regions. These features are shown to be strongly mediated by the interplay of two factors: first, the scope and scale of national and local homelessness prevention strategies; and second, intra-national variation in public health responses to homelessness. Originality/value The paper offers considerable insight from a comparative policy perspective into the nature of healthcare provision for homeless people in the devolved regions.

The use and non-use of the government financial report by Maltese Members of Parliament

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 1124-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josette Caruana ◽  
Brady Farrugia
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Report ◽  
Members Of Parliament ◽  
The Government ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Questionnaire Research

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the use and non-use of the Government Financial Report by Maltese Members of Parliament (MPs). It refers to information overload theory to analyse the gap between financial reports and their relevance for decision making. Design/methodology/approach A mix of qualitative (interviews) and quantitative (questionnaire) research tools are applied, with the Maltese MPs being the research participants. This method is acclaimed to be comprehensive, but this study highlights certain disadvantages when applied in the political arena. Findings The characteristics of the information itself could be the main cause of information overload, resulting in the non-use of the financial report for decision making. Politicians refer to financial data for their decision making, but not to the data presented in the financial report. Irrespective of the politician’s professional background, the data in the financial report is perceived as incomplete and outdated. Practical implications The cause of information overload and its effects are important considerations for preparers of financial information and accounting standard setters, if they wish that their production is relevant for decision makers. Originality/value There is an increase in research concerning politicians’ use of budgetary and performance information, at local and regional levels of government. This study investigates exclusively the use of the financial report by politicians at central level, in a politically stable environment.

scholarly journals ‘There is nothing there’: Deindustrialization and loss in a coastal town

2021 ◽  
pp. 102452942110113
Author(s):  
Luke Telford
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Economic Security ◽  
Economic Decline ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Seaside Resort ◽  
The Social ◽  
Post War ◽  
Stable Employment ◽  
The Town

Based on 52 qualitative interviews with working-class individuals, this paper explores the social and economic decline of a coastal locale referred to as High Town in Teesside in the North East of England. First, the paper outlines how the locality expanded as a popular seaside resort under capitalism’s post-war period. It then assesses how the seaside existed together with industrial work, offering stable employment opportunities, economic security and a sense of community. Next, the article documents the shift to neoliberalism in the 1980s, specifically the decline of High Town’s seaside resort, the deindustrialization process and therefore the 2015 closure of High Town’s steelworks. It explicates how this exacerbated the locale’s economic decline through the loss of industrial work’s ‘job for life’, its diminishing popularity as a coastal area and the further deterioration of the town centre. The paper concludes by suggesting that High Town has lost its raison d’être under neoliberalism and faces difficulties in revival.

Remote Follow-up of Self-isolating COVID-19 Patients with a Patient Portal: Protocol for a Mixed-method Pilot Study (The Opal-COVID Study) (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lessard ◽  
Kim Engler ◽  
Yuanchao Ma ◽  
Adriana Rodriguez Cruz ◽  
Serge Vicente ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Sociodemographic Characteristics ◽  
Patient Portal ◽  
Implementation Outcomes ◽  
Service Outcomes ◽  
Qualitative Analyses

BACKGROUND Individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 are instructed to self-isolate at home. However, during self-isolation, they may experience anxiety and insufficient care. Some patient portals can allow patients to self-monitor and share their health status with healthcare professionals for remote follow-up, but little data is available on the feasibility of their use. OBJECTIVE This manuscript presents the protocol of the Opal-COVID Study which has four objectives: 1) assess the implementation of using the Opal patient portal for distance monitoring of COVID-19 patients self-isolating at home; 2) identify influences on the intervention’s implementation; and describe 3) service and 4) patient outcomes of this intervention. METHODS This mixed-method pilot study aims to recruit 50 COVID-19 patient participants tested at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC, Montreal, Canada) for 14 days of remote follow-up. With access to questionnaires through the Opal patient portal smartphone app, configured for this study, patients will complete a daily self-assessment of symptoms, vital signs, and mental health, monitored by a nurse, and receive subsequent teleconsultations, as needed. Study questionnaires will be administered to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, medical background, implementation outcomes (acceptability, usability, and respondent burden) and patient satisfaction. Coordinator logbook entries will inform on feasibility outcomes, namely, recruitment/retention rates and fidelity, as well as on the frequency and nature of contacts with healthcare professionals via Opal. The statistical analyses for Objectives 1 (implementation outcomes), 3 (service outcomes), and 4 (patient outcomes) will evaluate the effects of time and sociodemographic characteristics on the outcomes. For Objectives 1 (implementation outcomes) and 4 (patient outcomes), the statistical analyses will also examine the attainment of predefined success thresholds. As to the qualitative analyses, for Objective 2 (influences on implementation), semi-structured qualitative interviews will be conducted with four groups of stakeholders (i.e., patient participants, healthcare professionals, technology developers and study administrators) and submitted to content analysis, guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to help identify barriers and facilitators of implementation. For Objective 3 (service outcomes), reasons for contacting healthcare professionals through Opal will also be submitted to content analysis. RESULTS Between December 2020 and March 2021, 51 patient-participants were recruited. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 39 involved stakeholders, from April to September 2021. Delays in the study process were experienced due to implemented measures at the MUHC to address COVID-19 but the quantitative and qualitative analyses are currently underway. CONCLUSIONS This protocol is designed to generate multidisciplinary knowledge on the implementation of a patient portal-based COVID-19 care intervention and will lead to a comprehensive understanding of feasibility, stakeholder experience, and influences on implementation that may prove useful for scaling up similar interventions. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04978233.

Imperfect produce: retailer actions and service outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atmadeep Mukherjee ◽  
Amaradri Mukherjee ◽  
Pramod Iyer
Keyword(s):  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Societal Implications ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Outcomes ◽  
Patronage Intention ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Food waste is a big problem where millions of pounds of produce are discarded every year because they are imperfect or unattractive. Despite the societal implications of selling unattractive produce, limited research has been directed toward understanding the effect of imperfect produce on consumers’ evaluations of the produce and retailer outcomes. This paper aims to investigate why consumers tend to discard imperfect produce and how retailer interventions (i.e. anthropomorphized signage and packaging) can alleviate these negative effects. Design/methodology/approach Three experiments were conducted to examine the postulations. Study 1 highlights the role of consumers’ embarrassment in the purchase decision of imperfect produce and retailer patronage intention. Studies 2 and 3 provide managerially relevant boundary conditions of anthropomorphic signage and opaque packaging. Findings Convergent results across three studies (n = 882) indicate that imperfect produce increases purchase embarrassment and reduces purchase intention and retailer patronage intention. Retailer interventions (i.e. anthropomorphic signage and opaque packaging) can allay this feeling of embarrassment and lead to an increased retailer patronage intention and higher service satisfaction. Practical implications This research provides guidance to retailers for effectively promoting imperfect produce. Social implications Retailers’ actions can benefit the well-being of farmers, suppliers, customers and the overall environment. Originality/value This research adds to the literature on unattractive produce by identifying new moderators, namely, anthropomorphic signages and opaque packaging. The research also shows that purchase embarrassment is a key process mechanism.

Reading routines: strategies of recall in graduate education

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Alan Fine ◽  
Hannah Wohl ◽  
Simone Ispa-Landa
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Graduate Program ◽  
Graduate Training ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Note Taking ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Purpose This study aims to explore how graduate students in the social sciences develop reading and note-taking routines. Design/methodology/approach Using a professional socialization framework drawing on grounded theory, this study draws on a snowball sample of 36 graduate students in the social sciences at US universities. Qualitative interviews were conducted to learn about graduate students’ reading and note-taking techniques. Findings This study uncovered how doctoral students experienced the shift from undergraduate to graduate training. Graduate school requires students to adopt new modes of reading and note-taking. However, students lacked explicit mentorship in these skills. Once they realized that the goal was to enter an academic conversation to produce knowledge, they developed new reading and note-taking routines by soliciting and implementing suggestions from advanced doctoral students and faculty mentors. Research limitations/implications The specific requirements of the individual graduate program shape students’ goals for reading and note-taking. Further examination of the relationship between graduate students’ reading and note-taking and institutional requirements is warranted with a larger sample of universities, including non-American institutions. Practical implications Graduate students benefit from explicit mentoring in reading and note-taking skills from doctoral faculty and advanced graduate students. Originality/value This study uncovers the perspectives of graduate students in the social sciences as they transition from undergraduate coursework in a doctoral program of study. This empirical, interview-based research highlights the centrality of reading and note-taking in doctoral studies.

Challenges of Street-Level Child Welfare Reform and Technology Transfer: The Case of Team Decisionmaking

2008 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 512-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Crampton ◽  
Thomas M. Crea ◽  
Anne Abramson-Madden ◽  
Charles L. Usher
Keyword(s):  
Technology Transfer ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Welfare Reform ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Community Partners ◽  
Street Level ◽  
Diverse Communities ◽  
Child Welfare Reform

Team Decisionmaking (TDM) involves a meeting of community representatives, family members, and social workers who review every decision to remove children from their parents or change of placement, including reunification or adoption. Even when the leadership of child welfare organizations mandates the use of TDM, implementing TDM is very challenging. To understand these challenges, a research team visited five diverse communities and conducted 74 focus groups and interviews involving 180 administrators, caseworkers, community partners, supervisors, and TDM facilitators. This article reviews the findings of this TDM study through previous research on street-level bureaucracy and technology transfer. The results suggest successful TDM implementation requires attention to the discretion of street-level caseworkers and the organizational constraints they face.

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