scholarly journals Principles in practice? Ownership in monitoring and evaluation in Vanuatu

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Martha Geary Nichol
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Current Approach ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Universal Model ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Country Specific

<p>Presently, monitoring and evaluation is an aid practice that does not emphasise Ni-Vanuatu ownership. Despite the current aid agenda’s advocacy for ownership, principles of measuring for results and accountability are given preference in this practice. Eighteen participants working in monitoring and evaluation in NGOs and government departments in Luganville and Port Vila were interviewed for this study in April and May, 2013. Through semi-structured interviews they shared their experiences of the practice. They highlighted issues around capacity, kastom and donors, emphasising monitoring and evaluation’s inability to account for the local context and promote ownership.  It was found that the current approach to monitoring and evaluation follows a universal model, disregarding country specific features of Vanuatu such as kastom, language and land. However, these features embody the identity of Ni-Vanuatu and define Ni-Vanuatu ownership. They should therefore dictate how monitoring and evaluation is carried out. A move for stronger Ni-Vanuatu ownership of aid practices such as monitoring and evaluation will be complicated and messy. However, approaching monitoring and evaluation through a local lens while employing relationship building and flexibility can lead to increased Ni-Vanuatu ownership of the practice.</p>

scholarly journals Principles in practice? Ownership in monitoring and evaluation in Vanuatu

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Martha Geary Nichol
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Current Approach ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Universal Model ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Country Specific

<p>Presently, monitoring and evaluation is an aid practice that does not emphasise Ni-Vanuatu ownership. Despite the current aid agenda’s advocacy for ownership, principles of measuring for results and accountability are given preference in this practice. Eighteen participants working in monitoring and evaluation in NGOs and government departments in Luganville and Port Vila were interviewed for this study in April and May, 2013. Through semi-structured interviews they shared their experiences of the practice. They highlighted issues around capacity, kastom and donors, emphasising monitoring and evaluation’s inability to account for the local context and promote ownership.  It was found that the current approach to monitoring and evaluation follows a universal model, disregarding country specific features of Vanuatu such as kastom, language and land. However, these features embody the identity of Ni-Vanuatu and define Ni-Vanuatu ownership. They should therefore dictate how monitoring and evaluation is carried out. A move for stronger Ni-Vanuatu ownership of aid practices such as monitoring and evaluation will be complicated and messy. However, approaching monitoring and evaluation through a local lens while employing relationship building and flexibility can lead to increased Ni-Vanuatu ownership of the practice.</p>

scholarly journals A qualitative study of organisational response to national quality standards for 7-day services in English hospitals

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Sutton ◽  
Julian Bion ◽  
Russell Mannion ◽  
Janet Willars ◽  
Elizabeth Shaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organisational Culture ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Improvement Strategy ◽  
Senior Staff ◽  
National Quality ◽  
History Of ◽  
Day Services ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background National standards are commonly used as an improvement strategy in healthcare, but organisations may respond in diverse and sometimes negative ways to external quality demands. This paper describes how a sample of NHS hospital trusts in England responded to the introduction of national standards for 7-day services (7DS), from an organisational behaviour perspective. Methods We conducted 43 semi-structured interviews with executive/director level and clinical staff, in eight NHS trusts that varied in size, location, and levels of specialist staffing at weekends. We explored approaches to implementing standards locally, and the impact of organisational culture and local context on organisational response. Results Senior staff in the majority of trusts described a focus on hitting targets and achieving compliance with the standards. Compliance-based responses were associated with a hierarchical organisational culture and focus on external performance. In a minority of trusts senior staff described mobilising commitment-based strategies. In these trusts senior staff reframed the external standards in terms of organisational values, and used co-operative strategies for achieving change. Trusts that took a commitment-based approach tended to be described as having a developmental organisational culture and a history of higher performance across the board. Audit data on 7DS showed improvement against standards for most trusts, but commitment-focused trusts were less likely to demonstrate improvements on the 7DS audit. The ability of trusts to respond to external standards was limited when they were under pressure due to a history of overall poor performance or resource limitations. Conclusions National standards and audit for service-level improvement generate different types of response in different local settings. Approaches to driving improvement nationally need to be accompanied by resources and tailored support for improvement, taking into account local context and organisational culture.

scholarly journals Ugandan stakeholder hopes and concerns about gene drive mosquitoes for malaria control: new directions for gene drive risk governance

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Hartley ◽  
Robert D. J. Smith ◽  
Adam Kokotovich ◽  
Chris Opesen ◽  
Tibebu Habtewold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Malaria Control ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Risk Governance ◽  
Malaria Control Programme ◽  
Gene Drive ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
New Directions ◽  
High Level

Abstract Background The African Union’s High-Level Panel on Emerging Technologies identified gene drive mosquitoes as a priority technology for malaria elimination. The first field trials are expected in 5–10 years in Uganda, Mali or Burkina Faso. In preparation, regional and international actors are developing risk governance guidelines which will delineate the framework for identifying and evaluating risks. Scientists and bioethicists have called for African stakeholder involvement in these developments, arguing the knowledge and perspectives of those people living in malaria-afflicted countries is currently missing. However, few African stakeholders have been involved to date, leaving a knowledge gap about the local social-cultural as well as ecological context in which gene drive mosquitoes will be tested and deployed. This study investigates and analyses Ugandan stakeholders’ hopes and concerns about gene drive mosquitoes for malaria control and explores the new directions needed for risk governance. Methods This qualitative study draws on 19 in-depth semi-structured interviews with Ugandan stakeholders in 2019. It explores their hopes for the technology and the risks they believed pertinent. Coding began at a workshop and continued through thematic analysis. Results Participants’ hopes and concerns for gene drive mosquitoes to address malaria fell into three themes: (1) ability of gene drive mosquitoes to prevent malaria infection; (2) impacts of gene drive testing and deployment; and, (3) governance. Stakeholder hopes fell almost exclusively into the first theme while concerns were spread across all three. The study demonstrates that local stakeholders are able and willing to contribute relevant and important knowledge to the development of risk frameworks. Conclusions International processes can provide high-level guidelines, but risk decision-making must be grounded in the local context if it is to be robust, meaningful and legitimate. Decisions about whether or not to release gene drive mosquitoes as part of a malaria control programme will need to consider the assessment of both the risks and the benefits of gene drive mosquitoes within a particular social, political, ecological, and technological context. Just as with risks, benefits—and importantly, the conditions that are necessary to realize them—must be identified and debated in Uganda and its neighbouring countries.

scholarly journals “What is the actual goal of the pathway?”: examining emergency department physician and nurse perspectives on the implementation of a pediatric concussion pathway using the theoretical domains framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anh Ly ◽  
Roger Zemek ◽  
Bruce Wright ◽  
Jennifer Zwicker ◽  
Kathryn Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Clinical Pathways ◽  
Theoretical Domains Framework ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Emergency Department Physician ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Pediatric Concussion

Abstract Background Multiple evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) exist to guide the management of concussion in children, but few have been translated into clinical pathways (CP), which operationalize guidelines into accessible and actionable algorithms that can be more readily implemented by health care providers. This study aimed to identify the clinical behaviours, attitudinal factors, and environmental contexts that potentially influence the implementation of a clinical pathway for pediatric concussion. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted from October 2017 to January 2018 with 42 emergency department clinicians (17 physicians, 25 nurses) at five urban emergency departments in Alberta, Canada. A Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF)-informed interview guide contained open-ended questions intended to gather feedback on the proposed pathway developed for the study, as well as factors that could potentially influence its implementation. Results The original 14 domains of the TDF were collapsed into 6 clusters based on significant overlap between domains in the issues discussed by clinicians: 1) knowledge, skills, and practice; 2) professional roles and identity; 3) attitudes, beliefs, and motivations; 4) goals and priorities; 5) local context and resources; and 6) engagement and collaboration. The 6 clusters identified in the interviews each reflect 2–4 predominant topics that can be condensed into six overarching themes regarding clinicians’ views on the implementation of a concussion CP: 1) standardization in the midst of evolving research; 2) clarifying and communicating goals; 3) knowledge dissemination and alignment of information; 4) a team-oriented approach; 5) site engagement; and 6) streamlining clinical processes. Conclusion Application of a comprehensive, evidence-based, and theory-driven framework in conjunction with an inductive thematic analysis approach enabled six themes to emerge as to how to successfullly implement a concussion CP.

scholarly journals Understanding Pasifika Educational Aspirations and Conceptions of Development in Wainuiomata

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Holly McLeod
Keyword(s):  
Educational Aspirations ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Educational Experiences ◽  
Alternative Conceptions ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Academic Context ◽  
Education And Development ◽  
Time And Energy ◽  
The Way

<p>Education is good for development. This positive relationship between education and development is often stated without challenge, resulting in education being posited at the forefront of global development strategies. Yet, within the subject of Development Studies, postdevelopment theorists have questioned the very basis of ‘development’, not only its definition but also the inherent assumption that it is necessarily desirable and positive. Instead, they point to examples such as Buen Vivir and argue that we should explore different ways of conceptualising what is a good life.  The present research has sought to examine the way the Pasifika community in Wainuiomata, Aotearoa perceives and engages with education to fulfil its own vision of development. Some 30 research participants contributed their valuable time and energy to this project through semi-structured interviews, offering insight into their own educational experiences and aspirations. Through employing a methodological approach informed by the ethos of talanoa and participatory research, this research has privileged the narratives of participants, giving voice to their experiences within an academic context.  This research has identified that while the experiences of these families within Aotearoa’s education system have been frustrating and challenging, such adversity has not served to disenfranchise Pasifika families from engaging within this educational system. Rather, it has served as motivation to create better educational experiences for youth in this community today. Furthermore, the vision of development aspired toward by this community is one that draws both similarities and contrasts with mainstream conceptions of development. The existence of alternative conceptions of development supports post-development’s call for development practise to examine local context and community aspirations, and to value community knowledge and action. In examining the way this community has engaged with education to progress their own vision of development, it was found that Pasifika families in Wainuiomata are taking ownership of their own development, and are actively involved in creating better educational outcomes for their youth.</p>

scholarly journals Harmonization of medical products regulation: A key factor for improving regulatory capacity in the East African Community

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margareth Ndomondo-Sigonda ◽  
Jacqueline Miot ◽  
Shan Naidoo ◽  
Nelson Enos Masota ◽  
Brian Ng'andu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Good Manufacturing Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
East African ◽  
East African Community ◽  
Medical Products ◽  
Inspection Systems ◽  
African Community ◽  
Regulatory Harmonization

Abstract Background: Limited capacity to regulate medical products is associated with circulation of products which do not meet standards of quality, safety and efficacy with negative public health and economic outcomes. This study focused on assessing the effect of the East African Community (EAC) medicines regulatory harmonization initiative on the capacity of national medicines regulatory agencies, with a focus on registration and inspection systems. Methods: An exploratory mixed-method design using both qualitative and quantitative data, was employed. Data was collected from six national medicines regulatory authorities (NMRAs) and the EAC Secretariat through a combination of semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and checklists for the period 2010/11-2015/16 whereas 2010/11 data served as baseline. Interviews were conducted with heads of NMRAs, regulatory and monitoring and evaluation experts, and the EAC Secretariat Project Officer. A set of 14 indicators grouped into 6 categories were used to measure NMRAs performance. Results: Policy and legal frameworks provide a foundation for effective regulation. Collaboration, harmonization, joint dossier reviews and inspections of manufacturing sites, reliance and cooperation are key factors for building trust and capacity among NMRAs. Five out of six of the EAC Partner States have comprehensive medicines laws with autonomous NMRAs. All the NMRAs have functional registration and good manufacturing practice inspection systems supported by regional harmonised guidelines for registration, inspection, quality management and information management systems with four NMRAs attaining ISO 9001:2015 certification.Conclusions: The EAC regulatory harmonization initiative has contributed to improved capacity to regulate medical products. The indicators generated from this research can be replicated for evaluation of similar initiatives across and beyond the African continent and contribute to public health policy.

scholarly journals Institutional Barriers to Climate Change Adaptation in Burkina Faso: How could We Go around Them?

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Fiacre Basson ◽  
Djibril S. Dayamba ◽  
Joel Korahire ◽  
Jean M. Dipama ◽  
Francois Zougmore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Climate Change Adaptation ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Political Support ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Institutional Barriers ◽  
Strategic Objectives ◽  
Key Stakeholders

Despite the existence of a National Adaptation Plan to climate change (NAP) in Burkina Faso, operationalizing adaptation still face a number of challenges. The current study focused on identifying institutional barriers to the strategic objectives of climate change adaptation (CCA) using a literature review and semi-structured interviews conducted with key stakeholders / resource persons involved in the implementation of the NAP. The results revealed a weak collaboration between the NAP steering institution and the ministerial departments covered by the NAP. This situation, first, hampers the implementation of adaptation actions and secondly, the monitoring reporting and verification of adaptation initiatives. Further, the analysis revealed that lack of financial resources poses constraints to many actions that were to be taken by the steering institution and therefore creates poor ownership of the NAP by the main stakeholders that should be actively involved in the NAP process. To cope with the various constraints, it is necessary to have strong political support in many aspects. For instance, it was judged that institutionalizing the role of climate change (CC) focal point within the ministries and embedding NAP monitoring and evaluation (M&amp;E) objectives and indicators with existing functional M&amp;E systems in the sectorial ministries will ease CCA actions integration in operational plans, their implementation and documentation. Moreover, it is relevant to have a continuous capacity building plan to keep stakeholders updated on climate change issues as this will support them in their mandate of mainstreaming CC into ministerial operational plans and lead to optimal CCA implementation and monitoring.

scholarly journals COVID-19 guidance in humanitarian settings: The need for dynamic guidelines adapted to changing humanitarian crisis contexts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Odlum ◽  
Rosemary James ◽  
Audrey Mahieu ◽  
Karl Blanchet ◽  
Chiara Altare ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiences ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Humanitarian Crisis ◽  
Humanitarian Settings ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Global Guidance ◽  
Guidance Documents ◽  
Context Specific

Abstract Background: For humanitarian organisations to respond effectively to complex crises, they require access to up-to-date evidence-based guidance. In addition, the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the importance of adapting and updating global guidance to context-specific and evolving needs in fragile and humanitarian settings. Our study aimed to understand the use of evidence in humanitarian responses during COVID-19.Methods: We collected and analysed COVID-19 guidance documents, and conducted semi-structured interviews remotely with a variety of humanitarian organisations responding and adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic. We used the COVID-19 Humanitarian platform, a website established by three universities in March 2020, to solicit, collate and document these experiences and knowledge.Results: We collected 180 guidance documents, and after excluding those that did not meet our inclusion criteria, analysed 131. We conducted 80 interviews with humanitarian organisations in the field, generating 61 published field experiences. Although COVID-19 guidance was quickly developed and disseminated in the initial phases of the crisis (from January to May 2020), updates or ongoing revision of the guidance has been limited. Interviews conducted between April and September 2020 showed that humanitarian organisations have responded to COVID-19 in innovative and context-specific ways, but have often had to adapt existing guidance to inform their operations in complex humanitarian settings.Conclusion: Experiences from the field indicate that adopting guidance to respond and adapt to COVID-19 is a complex process requiring innovation and collaboration based on the local context and resource availability. Global guidance aimed at humanitarian actors could be improved through responsive incorporation of contextualised field experiences in a timely manner using real-time feedback loops through online platforms like the COVID-19 Humanitarian platform.

scholarly journals Localizing international education agendas: Boys (still) underachieving in Jamaica’s secondary education

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Everton Ellis ◽  
Edward Thomas
Keyword(s):  
International Education ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Rural High Schools ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Neoliberal Restructuring

The literature on basic education emphasizes the need to improve enrollment and access to girls’ education in poorer countries. In Jamaica, the problem is not merely access to basic education but rather the quality of education outcomes, particularly for boys. Setting my research findings within the context of globalization and basic education, this paper explores the underachievement of boys within the contexts of international education policies at the domestic/national scale in Jamaica. Using a combination of participants’ responses drawn from semi-structured interviews conducted with teachers across two rural high schools in Jamaica, an analysis of secondary sources and (to a lesser extent) participant observations, we put forward a few claims regarding the process of ‘localizing’ ‘international’ education. It appears that global discourses in education (education for all) place demands on the local context – privilege girls, and the problem of lack of access to education and the overall the quality of experience. And therefore, the Jamaican state can ‘evade’ or palliatively address the ongoing problem of boys’ underachievement. The paper also highlights the effects of neoliberal restructuring in education as well as the inconsistencies between domestic/national and international education policies.

scholarly journals Fraud in overseas aid and the challenge of measurement

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Button ◽  
Chris Lewis ◽  
David Shepherd ◽  
Graham Brooks
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
International Development ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges of measuring fraud in overseas aid. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on 21 semi-structured interviews with key persons working in the delivery of aid in both the public and voluntary sectors. It uses the UK Department for International Development as a case study to applying more accurate measures of fraud. Findings – This paper shows there are significant challenges to using fraud loss measurement to gauge fraud in overseas aid. However, it argues that, along with other types of measures, it could be used in areas of expenditure in overseas governments and charities to measure aid. Given the high risk of such aid to fraud, it argues helping to develop capacity to reduce aid, of which measuring the size of the problem is an important part; this could be considered as aid in its own right. Research limitations/implications – The researchers were not able to visit high-risk countries for fraud to examine in the local context views on the challenges of measuring fraud. Practical implications – The paper offers insights on the challenges to accurately measuring fraud in an overseas context, which will be useful to policy-makers in this context. Social implications – Given the importance of as much aid as possible reaching recipients, it offers an important contribution to helping to reduce losses in this important area. Originality/value – There has been very little consideration of how to measure fraud in the overseas aid context, with most effort aimed at corruption, which poses some of the same challenges, as well as some very different challenges.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document