The Consequences of Faulty Policy Design: The Case of High School Expansion in Mexico

2020 ◽  
pp. 002205742096942
Author(s):  
Ivania de la Cruz Orozco ◽  
Ana Razo
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
School Expansion ◽  
Rural Mexico ◽  
Coverage Expansion ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Subnational Governments

This article analyzes the strategies used in subnational governments to implement an education policy aimed to increase high school coverage in marginalized communities of rural Mexico. Based on in-depth interviews with responsible for administering the telebachillerato model, findings display the implications of enacting a poorly designed policy failing to match the complex realities of the communities. We observe innovative yet insufficient ways to maneuver a policy that provides scarce funding and generates tensions between levels of government. The findings contribute to the literature about implications of poor policy design and provide evidence for education policy makers working on school coverage expansion.

scholarly journals Aligning the times: Exploring the convergence of researchers, policy makers and research evidence in higher education policy making

2020 ◽  
pp. 003452372092067
Author(s):  
Karen Smith ◽  
Scott Fernie ◽  
Nick Pilcher
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Higher Education Policy ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Research Evidence ◽  
Policy Networks ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Times ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Research And Policy

The complexity of contemporary higher education policy making and the multitude of evidences and actors in policy networks mean that relationships between higher education researchers, policy makers and research evidence are not straightforward. In this article, we use a theoretical lens of time, Adams’ Timescapes, to explore this relationship and better understand why the research and policy worlds are frequently described as divided. Drawing on in-depth interviews with higher education researchers, policy makers and research funders, we show how research and policy have different interpretations of time. We discuss the Timeframes, or lengths, of work and career, the Temporality, or complexity, of ‘evidence’, of networks and relationships, and the importance of elements such as Timing, or synchronisation, and Tempo, or pace. We conclude that policy makers and higher education researchers may be better able to make sense of the problematic nature of aligning their concerns, interests and actions through understanding different Timescapes.

scholarly journals What Can Policy-Makers Get Out of Systems Thinking? Policy Partners’ Experiences of a Systems-Focused Research Collaboration in Preventive Health

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-76
Author(s):  
Abby Haynes ◽  
Kate Garvey ◽  
Seanna Davidson ◽  
Andrew Milat
Keyword(s):  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Research Collaboration ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Preventive Health ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Policy Work ◽  
Policy Problems ◽  
Depth Interviews

Background: There is increasing interest in using systems thinking to tackle ‘wicked’ policy problems in preventive health, but this can be challenging for policy-makers because the literature is amorphous and often highly theoretical. Little is known about how best to support health policy-makers to gain skills in understanding and applying systems thinking for policy action. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 policy-makers who are participating in an Australian research collaboration that uses a systems approach. Our aim was to explore factors that support policy-makers to use systems approaches, and to identify any impacts of systems thinking on policy thinking or action, including the pathways through which these impacts occurred. Results: All 18 policy-makers agreed that systems thinking has merit but some questioned its practical policy utility. A small minority were confused about what systems thinking is or which approaches were being used in the collaboration. The majority were engaged with systems thinking and this group identified concrete impacts on their work. They reported using systems-focused research, ideas, tools and resources in policy work that were contributing to the development of practical methodologies for policy design, scaling up, implementation and evaluation; and to new prevention narratives. Importantly, systems thinking was helping some policy-makers to reconceptualise health problems and contexts, goals, potential policy solutions and methods. In short, they were changing how they think about preventive health. Conclusion: These results show that researchers and policy-makers can put systems thinking into action as part of a research collaboration, and that this can result in discernible impacts on policy processes. In this case, action-oriented collaboration and capacity development over a 5-year period facilitated mutual learning and practical application. This indicates that policy-makers can get substantial applied value from systems thinking when they are involved in extended co-production processes that target policy impact and are supported by responsive capacity strategies.

Documental analysis of educational public policy: foundations of Paul de Bruyne's quadripolar approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
ROSEMARY LOPES SOARES DA SILVA
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Education Policy ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Concepts And Categories ◽  
Research In Education

The present study seeks to explain the techniques and procedures, the concepts and categories with which the interpretation of the object studied, that is - documents related to the High School  Technical Professional Education Policy - implemented in Bahia / Brazil, specifically, the reference regarding Paul de Bryne’s quadripolar approach (1977), which provide the theoretical-methodological density of the object studied in relation to the epistemological, theoretical, technical and morphological poles. In this perspective, it is agreed with Gamboa (1987), in the sense that, the accomplishment of a research is not the fulfilment of ‘methodological ritualism’ with a ‘theoretical fad’ in order not to repeat what commonly happens in research in education, in progressively more intense way, of eclectic attempts that randomly collect techniques, methods and theoretical references without a clear understanding of the epistemological foundations and the philosophical implications of the different paths of knowledge.

Identifying Barriers to Integration of Technology into Traditional Approach of Teaching: A Case Study of Mathematics Teachers in Former Transkei in the Eastern Cape

10.31355/12 ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 063-071
Author(s):  
Agyei Fosu
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
High School Education ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
High School Mathematics ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Integration Of Technology ◽  
Teaching Of Mathematics

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED WITH THE INFORMING SCIENCE INSTITUTE. Aim/Purpose................................................................................................................................................................................................. The main aim of the study is to identify some of the barriers to the integration of technology into the teaching of mathematics in high schools. Background................................................................................................................................................................................................. Writing on chalkboards as a method of transferring knowledge is a key feature of traditional approach to teaching may have been successful in the past, but the minds of the current generation vary from those of the previous generation. Today’s students are immersed in technology. They are much more up-to-date on the latest technology and gadgets. Technology has certainly changed how students access and integrate information, so it plausible that technology has also changed the way students thinks. Growing up with cutting-edge technologies has left them thinking differently than students of past generations. This call for new innovative approaches to teaching that will cater to the students of today. Of course it is not wise to discard the traditional way of teaching that the past teachers have painstakingly created because of its past and some current success. This is why it is recommended to use this approach as a base for the new ones. Thus, if there is a way to transfer the advantages of this approach of teaching to new innovative approach then teachers should do everything in their power to merge the past and the present into one innovative teaching approach. Methodology................................................................................................................................................................................................. Purposeful sampling was used to survey a total of 116 high school mathematics teachers in the former Transkei Homelands. But only 97 questionnaires were deemed usable because of the way they have answered the questions. Microsoft excel was used in the descriptive statistics Contribution................................................................................................................................................................................................. To identify some barriers that need to be addressed by stakeholders, policy makers in high school education so that high school mathematics teachers will be able to integrate technology into their classroom teaching to meet today students’ learning needs. Findings...................................................................................................................................................................................................... The results indicated that the participating teachers need to be trained and supported in the use of the new technologies applicable to teaching mathematics. Recommendations for Practitioners.......................................................................................................................................................... The Eastern Cape department of education needs to consider the lacked of technology training as a barrier to the integration of technology into the teaching of mathematics and take necessary steps to address it. Recommendation for Researchers........................................................................................................................................................... There is the need to explore in depth whether the factors of gender and age also act as barriers. Impact on Society....................................................................................................................................................................................... The research will assist stakeholders, policy makers of high school education to identify the needs of mathematics teachers. That is to say, the skill sets, experience and expertise, as well as teaching equipment and classroom design and environment required by mathematics teachers. Future Research........................................................................................................................................................................................... More work needs to be done to check whether gender, age of the teachers have some effects on their attitude towards technology integration as well as evaluate the role played by choice of teaching methodology and teaching objectives.

scholarly journals What Prompts Small and Medium Enterprises to Implement CSR? A Qualitative Insight from an Emerging Economy

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zengming Zou ◽  
Yu Liu ◽  
Naveed Ahmad ◽  
Muhammad Safdar Sial ◽  
Alina Badulescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Customer Behavior ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Management Commitment ◽  
Top Management Commitment ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Depth Interviews

The topic of corporate social responsibility (henceforth referred to as CSR) has been a central topic during the last decade, but the majority of the existing literature discusses CSR relationship with large organizations. Whereas, its contribution in small and medium enterprises (henceforth referred to as SME) sector has received little attention. There have been some studies that focused on CSR activities in SME sector quantitatively in the context of developing economies like Pakistan, but the fact is, to date, SME sector of Pakistan is not participating actively in CSR-related activities due to some constraints. The present study is a pioneer attempt, to explore CSR barriers that restrict SME sector of Pakistan from practicing CSR initiatives. For this reason, the present study explores these barriers qualitatively in order to gain in-depth knowledge of different CSR barriers. In doing so, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews from 9 SMEs in Lahore city of Pakistan. We performed thematic analysis, which produced five relevant themes of CSR barriers, including: Lack of resources, lack of regulations, lack of top management commitment, lack of CSR knowledge, and passive customer behavior. Our analysis further showed that lack of resources is the most related barrier that hinder SMEs to be engaged in CSR activities. This paper contributes to CSR literature in emerging economies’ context. Through an increased awareness of barriers, policy makers and practitioners may take necessary steps to improve CSR practices in SMEs.

Psychiatric symptoms among migrants to Malaysia from the southernmost provinces of Thailand

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402198973
Author(s):  
Kathleen Ford ◽  
Aree Jampaklay ◽  
Aphichat Chamatrithirong
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Self Reporting Questionnaire ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Migrant Groups

Aim: The objective of this paper is to examine the level of psychiatric symptoms and associated factors among Thai migrants from the southernmost Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala, and Narithiwat who are working in Malaysia. Comparisons will be made with the sending population in the southernmost provinces of Thailand. Methods: Data are drawn from survey and in-depth interviews with Thai migrants who are working in Malaysia. Comparisons are made with a probability sample of working age adults in Thailand. The twenty item Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) was the measure of mental health. Results: The study found that the migrants, on average, have normal levels of psychiatric symptoms. However, although about 24% of migrants reported more eight or more symptoms that may indicate a need for evaluation. There are many stressors in their lives including distance from families, reduced social support, legal matters surrounding immigration, and discrimination/exploitation of migrant groups. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for policy makers and non-governmental organizations to give attention to migrants’ mental health, well-being and sustainable livelihoods.

scholarly journals School Choice in Guangzhou: Why High-Scoring Students Are Protected?

Games ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Yuanju Fang
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Middle School ◽  
School Choice ◽  
Standardized Test ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Protection Policy ◽  
Serial Dictatorship

Each year, millions of middle school graduates in China take a standardized test and compete for high school positions. Unlike other cities, Guangzhou still uses the immediate acceptance mechanism but implements a policy that students in the high-scoring group receive their allocations before those in the low-scoring group. In this paper, we study a class of the Guangzhou mechanisms, including the immediate acceptance (IA) and the serial dictatorship (SD) mechanism. We show that, if a collection of groups is refined by splitting its groups into a larger number of smaller subgroups, then the Guangzhou mechanism will perform more stably and less manipulable than before. This result provides a tool for policy makers to improve the allocation outcome of the IA mechanism under homogeneous priorities and justifies the use of a high-scoring student protection policy in Guangzhou’s high school admission.

scholarly journals Policy-relevant insights for regional renewable energy deployment

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla De Laurentis ◽  
Peter J. G. Pearson
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Geographical Differences ◽  
Governance Capacity ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background The paper explores how regional actors engage with energy systems, flows and infrastructures in order to meet particular goals and offers a fine-tuned analysis of how differences arise, highlighting the policy-relevant insights that emerge. Methods Using a novel framework, the research performs a comparative case study analysis of three regions in Italy and two of the devolved territories of the UK, Wales and Scotland, drawing on interviews and documentary analysis. Results The paper shows that acknowledging the socio-materialities of renewable energy allows a fine-tuned analysis of how institutions, governance and infrastructure can enable/constrain energy transitions and policy effectiveness at local and regional levels. The heuristic adopted highlights (i) the institutions that matter for renewable energy and their varied effects on regional renewable energy deployment; (ii) the range of agencies involved in strategically establishing, contesting and reproducing institutions, expectations, visions and infrastructure as renewable energy deployment unfolds at the regional level and (iii) the nature and extent of infrastructure requirements for and constraints on renewable energy delivery and how they affect the regional capacity to shape infrastructure networks and facilitate renewable energy deployment. The paper shows how the regions investigated developed their institutional and governance capacity and made use of targets, energy visions and spatial planning to promote renewable energy deployment. It shows that several mediating factors emerge from examining the interactions between regional physical resource endowments and energy infrastructure renewal and expansion. The analysis leads to policy-relevant insights into what makes for renewable energy deployment. Conclusion The paper contributes to research that demonstrates the role of institutional variations and governance as foundations for geographical differences in the adoption of renewable energy, and carries significant implications for policy thinking and implementation. It shows why and how policy-makers need to be more effective in balancing the range of goals/interests for renewable energy deployment with the peculiarities and specificities of the regional contexts and their infrastructures. The insights presented help to explain how energy choices and outcomes are shaped in particular places, how differences arise and operate in practice, and how they need to be taken into account in policy design, policy-making and implementation.

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