scholarly journals Strengthening the Effectiveness of Aid Delivery in Teacher Education: A Fiji Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Donasiano Kalou Ruru
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Development ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
National Development ◽  
International Aid ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Aid Effectiveness ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Paris Declaration ◽  
The Pacific

<p>As a result of increasing development challenges and higher aid allocations to the Pacific, questions of aid effectiveness have become increasingly important. Efforts to professionalise aid delivery tools have been accompanied by debates over whether delivery tools are effective and compatible with more democratic and empowering relationships with beneficiaries. My research examines the effectiveness of international aid to teacher development, using the AusAID funded projects at Lautoka Teachers' College as a case study and the Fiji College of Advanced Education as background study. The conditions governing aid delivery mechanisms are explored, including logical frameworks, participatory processes, and financial probity. These conditions have been drawn from the 'Paris Declaration of Aid Effectiveness' and each is considered to be critical if aid effectiveness is to be enhanced and the investment sustained. Based on participatory research methodology, carried out through 'talanoa sessions', semià à ¢ structured interviews, and analysis of programme documents, the study explored the extent to which aid programmes and management practices are constrained by donor conditions, succeed in meeting their stated aims, and what sort of unintended consequences are generated. Further, the research identified how aid can best improve future aid to the Fiji education system through its delivery, impact and sustainability for national development, as laid out in the Pacific Principles of Aid Effectiveness The study also highlights the growing convergence between the 'aid donors' interests' and 'aid recipients' needs'. The debate on this relationship is necessary to reinvigorate thinking on the effectiveness of aid delivery for Fiji. The study draws up a practical framework, an aid bure designed as a heuristic device to assess the effectiveness of aid delivery for Fiji. The model may also be relevant to the wider Pacific context, and contribute to the global quest for a concrete guide to best practice which above all will continue to foster more sensitive, effective and enduring links between recipient countries and international aid donors.</p>

scholarly journals Strengthening the Effectiveness of Aid Delivery in Teacher Education: A Fiji Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Donasiano Kalou Ruru
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Development ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
National Development ◽  
International Aid ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Aid Effectiveness ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Paris Declaration ◽  
The Pacific

<p>As a result of increasing development challenges and higher aid allocations to the Pacific, questions of aid effectiveness have become increasingly important. Efforts to professionalise aid delivery tools have been accompanied by debates over whether delivery tools are effective and compatible with more democratic and empowering relationships with beneficiaries. My research examines the effectiveness of international aid to teacher development, using the AusAID funded projects at Lautoka Teachers' College as a case study and the Fiji College of Advanced Education as background study. The conditions governing aid delivery mechanisms are explored, including logical frameworks, participatory processes, and financial probity. These conditions have been drawn from the 'Paris Declaration of Aid Effectiveness' and each is considered to be critical if aid effectiveness is to be enhanced and the investment sustained. Based on participatory research methodology, carried out through 'talanoa sessions', semià à ¢ structured interviews, and analysis of programme documents, the study explored the extent to which aid programmes and management practices are constrained by donor conditions, succeed in meeting their stated aims, and what sort of unintended consequences are generated. Further, the research identified how aid can best improve future aid to the Fiji education system through its delivery, impact and sustainability for national development, as laid out in the Pacific Principles of Aid Effectiveness The study also highlights the growing convergence between the 'aid donors' interests' and 'aid recipients' needs'. The debate on this relationship is necessary to reinvigorate thinking on the effectiveness of aid delivery for Fiji. The study draws up a practical framework, an aid bure designed as a heuristic device to assess the effectiveness of aid delivery for Fiji. The model may also be relevant to the wider Pacific context, and contribute to the global quest for a concrete guide to best practice which above all will continue to foster more sensitive, effective and enduring links between recipient countries and international aid donors.</p>

scholarly journals Siutakahe'ahoafā: Navigating the Kingdom of Tonga's national development priorities under international aid.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faka'iloatonga Taumoefolau
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
International Development ◽  
National Development ◽  
International Aid ◽  
Aid Effectiveness ◽  
The Political ◽  
Paris Declaration ◽  
Unique Challenge ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
High Level

<p><b>The title of this thesis - Siutaka he ‘aho afā – is interpreted as ‘Day storm voyager’. This title encapsulates the journeys undertaken by the Kingdom of Tonga as it navigates the ocean of international development and the frequent challenges or ‘storms’ it encounters. This research seeks to understand better how Tonga articulates and pursues its national development priorities in the context of international aid. It focuses in particular on Country Programmable Aid to Tonga from Australia and New Zealand in the years 2013-17 and how the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness Principles are applied to Tonga. The main research question addressed is: ‘To what extent are the national development priorities of Tonga shaped or supported by international aid?’ </b></p><p>The research is qualitative in approach and is composed of two sources of data: from in-depth interviews with a range of both Tongan and donor officials; and analysis of key aid and development documents. It examines the political and administrative context of Tonga, highlighting the political environment, changing leadership and the direction set by its strategic goals for development. It then looks in detail at the aid activities of, respectively, Australia and New Zealand, and analyses their various priorities and ways of operating. </p><p>The research uses the five Paris Declaration principles for aid effectiveness as a framework to analyse the way aid relationships and interactions occurred in Tonga over the period. There was generally high-level support for the Paris principles and these supported the idea that the Government of Tonga should ‘own’ its development, by drafting and implementing its development priorities and strategies. This was supported by agreement to abide by the principles of alignment with Tongan systems and Harmonisation amongst donors as well as pursuing practices which enhanced results-based management and accountability. However, in the details of daily interactions and practices, we also saw how these high-level agreements were often diluted or confused. Although Tonga had its own set of priorities, donors continued to choose which of these they would fund, according to their own strategic goals and concerns. Furthermore, given significant issues of capacity to operate effectively in the aid environment, with much onus on Tongan officials and agencies to provide data, report on progress, consult with the public and engage closely with donors, we saw how Tonga often struggled to exert strong and consistent leadership and control of aid-supported development. </p><p>In drawing broader conclusions, the Paris Declaration is found to be a step in the right direction for improving the effectiveness of foreign aid to Tonga. However, what determines the likelihood of effectiveness is multifaceted, and dependent on will, need, and, perhaps most importantly, on Tonga’s leadership. It is found that the most fundamental factor for Tonga – both a unique challenge and a strength - is the enduring resilience of our culture together with our leadership code. </p>

scholarly journals Siutakahe'ahoafā: Navigating the Kingdom of Tonga's national development priorities under international aid.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faka'iloatonga Taumoefolau
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
International Development ◽  
National Development ◽  
International Aid ◽  
Aid Effectiveness ◽  
The Political ◽  
Paris Declaration ◽  
Unique Challenge ◽  
Strategic Goals ◽  
High Level

<p><b>The title of this thesis - Siutaka he ‘aho afā – is interpreted as ‘Day storm voyager’. This title encapsulates the journeys undertaken by the Kingdom of Tonga as it navigates the ocean of international development and the frequent challenges or ‘storms’ it encounters. This research seeks to understand better how Tonga articulates and pursues its national development priorities in the context of international aid. It focuses in particular on Country Programmable Aid to Tonga from Australia and New Zealand in the years 2013-17 and how the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness Principles are applied to Tonga. The main research question addressed is: ‘To what extent are the national development priorities of Tonga shaped or supported by international aid?’ </b></p><p>The research is qualitative in approach and is composed of two sources of data: from in-depth interviews with a range of both Tongan and donor officials; and analysis of key aid and development documents. It examines the political and administrative context of Tonga, highlighting the political environment, changing leadership and the direction set by its strategic goals for development. It then looks in detail at the aid activities of, respectively, Australia and New Zealand, and analyses their various priorities and ways of operating. </p><p>The research uses the five Paris Declaration principles for aid effectiveness as a framework to analyse the way aid relationships and interactions occurred in Tonga over the period. There was generally high-level support for the Paris principles and these supported the idea that the Government of Tonga should ‘own’ its development, by drafting and implementing its development priorities and strategies. This was supported by agreement to abide by the principles of alignment with Tongan systems and Harmonisation amongst donors as well as pursuing practices which enhanced results-based management and accountability. However, in the details of daily interactions and practices, we also saw how these high-level agreements were often diluted or confused. Although Tonga had its own set of priorities, donors continued to choose which of these they would fund, according to their own strategic goals and concerns. Furthermore, given significant issues of capacity to operate effectively in the aid environment, with much onus on Tongan officials and agencies to provide data, report on progress, consult with the public and engage closely with donors, we saw how Tonga often struggled to exert strong and consistent leadership and control of aid-supported development. </p><p>In drawing broader conclusions, the Paris Declaration is found to be a step in the right direction for improving the effectiveness of foreign aid to Tonga. However, what determines the likelihood of effectiveness is multifaceted, and dependent on will, need, and, perhaps most importantly, on Tonga’s leadership. It is found that the most fundamental factor for Tonga – both a unique challenge and a strength - is the enduring resilience of our culture together with our leadership code. </p>

scholarly journals Power, the Pacific Islands, and the Prestige Press: A Case Study of How Climate Reporting is Influenced by UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Summits

2021 ◽  
pp. 194016122110180
Author(s):  
Meghan M. Shea ◽  
James Painter ◽  
Shannon Osaka
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Emotional Appeals ◽  
Issue Attention ◽  
Quantitative Results

While studies have investigated UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meetings as drivers of climate change reporting as well as the geopolitical role of Pacific Islands in these international forums, little research examines the intersection: how media coverage of Pacific Islands and climate change (PICC) may be influenced by, or may influence, UNFCCC meetings. We analyze two decades of reporting on PICC in American, British, and Australian newspapers—looking at both volume and content of coverage—and expand the quantitative results with semi-structured interviews with journalists and Pacific stakeholders. Issue attention on PICC increases and the content changes significantly in the periods around UNFCCC meetings, with shifts from language about vulnerability outside of UNFCCC periods to language about agency and solutions. We explore the implications of these differences in coverage for both agenda setting and the amplification of emotional appeals in UNFCCC contexts.

Information culture: a perspective from Mainland China

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-125
Author(s):  
Zhiying Lian ◽  
Gillian Oliver
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Organizational Setting ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Information Culture ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Concept Of Information ◽  
Chinese And English

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of information culture in Mainland China and apply the information culture framework to an organizational setting. Design/methodology/approach The foundation for the research is provided by a review of Chinese and English language literature and a case study of a university library was conducted, involving semi-structured interviews. Findings The information culture framework facilitated identification of factors not recognized in previous information culture research, including uniquely Chinese factors of egocentrism, guanxi (relationships), mianzi (face), hexie (harmony) and renqing (mutual benefit). A further finding highlighted the profound differences between archives and library institutions in China. Originality/value The paper provides the first step toward further exploring features of Chinese organizational culture which will not only influence information management practices but also highlight the issues relating to collaboration between libraries and archives in China.

A Framework for Improving Knowledge Management Practices in Namibian Software Companies

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (01) ◽  
pp. 1650003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Ejehiohen Iyawa
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Software Developers ◽  
Management Framework ◽  
Software Developer ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Software Companies ◽  
Km Strategy

Software development (SD) companies employ, train and provide software developers with the platform to improve their skills. Unfortunately, these investments are lost when a software developer resigns from the company or is not physically available to carry out work activities. This is a major problem experienced in Namibian SD companies. This paper investigates how knowledge is transferred and retained by software developers in Namibian SD companies. Using a case study approach, five software developers were purposively selected from five software companies in the city of Windhoek, Namibia. Data were collected using structured interviews. The findings revealed that Namibian SD companies do not have a formal knowledge management (KM) strategy in place, management is not involved in KM practices and experienced software developers are not willing to participate in the KM process as a result of job insecurities. The findings also revealed that knowledge gaps are created in Namibian SD companies when an experienced software developer resigns from the company, and this consequently hampers the SD process. Based on the findings, the study therefore proposes a knowledge management framework (KMF) for Namibian SD companies, which incorporates the needs of each software developer as well as the needs of the SD company to create an effective KM for Namibian SD companies. The KMF for Namibian SD companies were presented to five experts in the field of Software Engineering. The experts validated the KMF for Namibian SD companies and found it useful within the context of Namibian SD companies. The KMF for Namibian SD companies is expected to improve the way KM processes are carried out in Namibian software companies, providing a realistic approach to improving KM practices.

STIMULATING SUPPLIER INNOVATION IN A COMPLEX AND REGULATED BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT — A DYADIC CASE STUDY

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (03) ◽  
pp. 1850027 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARIKA MAKKONEN ◽  
ANNA AMINOFF ◽  
KATRI VALKOKARI
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
External Resources ◽  
Business Environments ◽  
Embedded Case Study ◽  
Willingness To Contribute

Suppliers have been recognised as critical sources for innovation in the literature. However, less consideration has been given to the suppliers’ viewpoint on what motivates them to share their best knowledge with the buying company. Here, we empirically identified ways to increase suppliers’ willingness to contribute to the buyer’s innovation process, in complex and regulated business environments, where the buyer is highly innovation oriented, but simultaneously reliant on external resources in R&D. The paper is based on an in depth embedded case study, with dyadic data collection. The data was collected during 18 semi-structured interviews at the case company, in the nuclear power industry, and its three key suppliers of mechanical engineering and manufacturing. The results show that mutual understanding of each counterparts’ interests and business, systematic project and knowledge management practices, a proper balance between project control and freedom to innovate and buyer’s sufficient technical know-how are decisive for successful supplier innovation. Furthermore, suppliers can be highly committed to collaboration event though they are not fully satisfied with the buyer. Six propositions are presented based on the empirical findings and the enfolding theory.

scholarly journals Ownership, Decentralization and Development in Papua New Guinea: Sub National Participation in Aid Effectiveness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Edward Kapi
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Aid Effectiveness ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Paris Declaration ◽  
Decentralized System ◽  
International Agencies ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
High Level

<p><b>The debate on aid effectiveness and ineffectiveness continues to remain as a core issue for international development. The endorsement of the Paris Declaration on the principles of aid effectiveness in March 2005 by states and international agencies was a significant milestone in this regard. This declaration involved specific commitments for donors and partner countries and marked a paradigm shift for improving aid effectiveness. The overall aim was to improve the quality of aid and its impact on development and, in particular, recipient countries taking ownership of their development. The ownership principle has been echoed and reaffirmed in the subsequent series of high level forums on aid effectiveness.</b></p> <p>This thesis provides a critical examination of Papua New Guinea’s commitment to aid effectiveness. It examines and analyses aid and development effectiveness at the subnational levels of government. It finds that there is a substantial disjunction between national and subnational levels of government with regard to development ownership. This is demonstrated in current policies and practices, and it largely echoes studies elsewhere in the Pacific region on aid and development. However, in this wider literature, there is little evidence on important policy issues regarding leadership and effective aid and development coordination in a decentralized system of government, and this is where Papua New Guinea (PNG) offers some important new insights. This thesis argues that the subnational levels of government continue to remain isolated from the aid effectiveness discussion despite development ownership efforts and government objectives to practice ownership and leadership through all tiers of government.</p>

scholarly journals Cultivating Ownership of Development Aid: The Role of Civil Society in the Pacific

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Pedram Pirnia
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Pacific Islands ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Development Aid ◽  
Aid Effectiveness ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Paris Declaration ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Donor States

<p>The principle of ownership and the idea that development aid should be owned by recipients has emerged within the last two decades in key statements from a series of international meetings between major donors and partners, most prominently since the 2005 Paris Declaration when ‘ownership of development aid’ became the first Principle of Aid Effectiveness. The principle was applauded particularly by the governments of rich donor states, but also by their specialist aid agencies and representatives of civil society. However, despite the endorsement and praise of the principle of ownership by all donors and stakeholders, confusion and lack of clarity remains as to what exactly ownership of development aid means especially in terms of policy and practice in the work of development actors.  The core proposal of this thesis is that the principle of recipient ownership of development aid, apparently so important at the highest international levels of discussion, must be defined, broken down into relevant ingredients, taken into consideration in terms of policy and practice, and measured. Otherwise, the principle is nothing but empty rhetoric. It is logical to suggest that to have any policy value political concepts should be definable and measureable. Hence, the thesis argues that if one can formulate the relevant ingredients of ownership, one can carefully investigate factors that increase or decrease those ingredients. This is the focus of this thesis.  Field research in the Pacific Islands used a mixed methodology that included gathering data on completed development projects and interviewing government officials, major donor officials, other deliverers of aid – particularly the civil society organisations (CSOs) – and especially the project beneficiaries at the grassroots. Projects where CSOs demonstrated particularly close engagement with the communities and beneficiaries were chosen as case studies. Analysing and deconstructing these mechanics and ingredients of ownership produced a new definition for ‘ownership of development aid’ and a range of variables for an Ownership Index and for Ownership Guidelines. These combined tools presented in this research should assist professionals to promote, cultivate and measure ownership of development outcomes that project beneficiaries will maintain, protect and improve over time.</p>

Managing Collaborative Research Networks

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrina Dimitrova ◽  
Emmanuel Koku
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Managerial Practices ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Communication Practices ◽  
Collaborative Research Networks

This paper explores how management practices shape the way dispersed communities of practice (CoPs) function. The analysis is a case study of a dispersed community engaged in conducting and managing collaborative research. The analysis uses data from a social network survey and semi-structured interviews to capture the management practices in the community and demonstrate how they are linked to the patterns of information flows and communication.This analysis is a test case for the broader issue of how distributed communities function. It shows that even highly distributed CoPs may have a dual life: they exist both online and offline, in both face-to-face meetings and email exchanges of their participants. The study examines a dispersed community engaged in conducting and managing collaborative research. The analysis uses data from a social network survey and interviews to examine its managerial practices, information exchanges and communication practices.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document