Governing TVET in Federal Nepal: Centralized or Decentralized Management ?

With the increasing recognition of the need for skilled human resources in developing countries, the role of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has been an important part of the education system. However, in spite of such a vital role of TVET, challenges exist in designing, planning and implementing it while governing effectively. Such context has raised the issue of governing TVET among educationists, policy makers and all stakeholders to achieve its intended goals. The TVET governing issue has been of serious concern to its stakeholders in Nepal with the introduction of the federal structure in 2015. Hence this paper aims to explore the governing issue of TVET in the context of federal governance of Nepal. For this, this paper employs qualitative research approach in analyzing policy and practice of TVET in Nepal. This paper explores that the process of governing TVET in Nepal has remained highly centralized in spite of rhetoric of decentralization as the main agenda of governing development over the decades. Arguably, there is a reluctant tendency in devolving TVET as per the new structure of federal governance. Instead, conflicts among three levels of governments – federal, provincial and local – are emerging in the case of TVET similar to other development sectors. Hence, for sustainable operation and management of TVET this paper argues that the policy and practice of the TVET need to be guided by the concept of multilevel governance with collaboration among the three levels of government as envisaged by the new federal constitution.

Monitoring volcanoes in Mexico

Mexico has at least 46 volcanic centers (including monogenetic volcanic fields) that are considered active or potentially active. Due to the federal governance of the country, the Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres (CENAPRED) is the entity responsible for monitoring natural hazards. Individual Mexican states also monitor active volcanoes within their territoryand through local universities. Specific observatories exist for Colima, Citlaltépetl (Pico de Orizaba), San Martín Tuxtla, El Chichón, and Tacaná volcanoes, which are considered among the volcanoes with the highest hazard potential in the country. Details on instrumentation, data acquisition, hazard management, information dissemination and outreach are given for each volcano and observatory. The creation of a National Volcanological Service, based at CENAPRED and in full cooperation with local university-based observatories, would help consolidate all monitoring data and official information on active volcanoes at a single institution, procure and distribute resources, and allocate those resources according to the relative risk posed by the different volcanoes. México tiene al menos 46 centros volcánicos que podrían considerarse activos o potencialmente activos (incluyendo campos volcánicos monogenéticos). Debido al carácter federal del país, el Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres (CENAPRED) es la entidad responsable de monitorear los fenómenos naturales. Individualmente, algunos estados mexicanos también monitorean los volcanes activos dentro de su territorio, a través de las universidades locales, por lo que existen observatorios específicos para Colima, Citlaltépetl (Pico de Orizaba), San Martín Tuxtla, El Chichón y Tacaná; todos estos considerados entre los volcanes de mayor riesgo relativo del país. Se proporcionan detalles sobre instrumentación, adquisición de datos, gestión de riesgos y difusión y divulgación de información para cada volcán y observatorio. La creación de un Servicio Vulcanológico Nacional, con sede en CENAPRED, y en cooperación plena con los observatorios universitarios locales, ayudaría a concentrar todos los datos de monitoreo e información oficial sobre los volcanes activos en una sola institución, así como a adquirir y asignar recursos, de acuerdo con el riesgo relativo que representan los diferentes volcanes.

How Can Health Systems Better Prepare for the Next Pandemic? Lessons Learned From the Management of COVID-19 in Quebec (Canada)

The magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic challenged societies around our globalized world. To contain the spread of the virus, unprecedented and drastic measures and policies were put in place by governments to manage an exceptional health care situation while maintaining other essential services. The responses of many governments showed a lack of preparedness to face this systemic and global health crisis. Drawing on field observations and available data on the first wave of the pandemic (mid-March to mid-May 2020) in Quebec (Canada), this article reviewed and discussed the successes and failures that characterized the management of COVID-19 in this province. Using the framework of Palagyi et al. on system preparedness toward emerging infectious diseases, we described and analyzed in a chronologically and narratively way: (1) how surveillance was structured; (2) how workforce issues were managed; (3) what infrastructures and medical supplies were made available; (4) what communication mechanisms were put in place; (5) what form of governance emerged; and (6) whether trust was established and maintained throughout the crisis. Our findings and observations stress that resilience and ability to adequately respond to a systemic and global crisis depend upon preexisting system-level characteristics and capacities at both the provincial and federal governance levels. By providing recommendations for policy and practice from a learning health system perspective, this paper contributes to the groundwork required for interdisciplinary research and genuine policy discussions to help health systems better prepare for future pandemics.

Barriers to Advancing Evidence-Based Practice in Domestic Violence Perpetrator Treatment in the United States: Ideology, Public Funding, or Both?

Though usually framed in the context of ideological and political processes, the failure of domestic violence perpetrator programs to embrace research-supported practice may also be influenced by a widespread unwillingness to use public funds for that purpose. This policy analysis examines the links among federal policy, state implementation, organizational structure, and funding sources of perpetrator service-providing organizations. Those links reveal reciprocal relationships among conservative and ostensibly feminist views of domestic violence within an implied policy framework justifying public underfunding of perpetrator treatment programs. Placed within the current hyper-politicized context of US Federal governance and policy, this analysis identifies advancements in perpetrator treatment in several state governments as harbingers of potential movement toward research-supported practice.

The prevention of – and first response to – injuries in Nepal: a review of policies and legislation

BackgroundInjuries, the cause of an estimated 4.5 million deaths annually and many more disabilities worldwide each year, are the predictable outcome of particular circumstances. One of the most effective ways to prevent injuries is through policy and legislation. The aim of this research study was to identify and critically review all policy and legislation in Nepal that had the potential to prevent injuries.MethodsWe identified legislation and policy that met inclusion criteria through a stakeholder meeting, networks and contacts, and websites and electronic resources. Each included document was critically reviewed to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. We compared the included documents against WHO’s recommendations of known effective interventions.ResultsSixty-two documents met the inclusion criteria for this review. Of these, 24 (38.7%) were exclusively related to road injuries, 11 (17.7%) to occupational injuries, 6 (9.7%) to injuries in the home and 5 (8.1%) to injuries at school; 30 (48.4%) documents included text related to the first response to injuries. Of 127 strategic recommendations by WHO that provided an area for policy or legislative focus, 21 (16.5%) were considered adequately met by Nepali policy and legislation, 43 (33.9%) were considered partially met and 63 (49.6%) were not met.ConclusionWe drew five conclusions from this critical policy review, which we have related to recommendations as follows: widening the scope of legislation and policy for injury prevention to emphasize injuries occurring at home or school; addressing the causes of injuries and promoting proven preventive measures; greater clarity on both individual and institutional roles and responsibilities; trustworthy data and quality evidence to inform decision-making; and financial investment and capacity-strengthening for injury prevention and first response. The current system of federal governance in Nepal has potential for strengthening injury prevention and first response at the central, provincial and local levels.

Book Reviews

John D. Wilson of Michigan State University reviews “Democratic Federalism: The Economics, Politics, and Law of Federal Governance” by Robert P. Inman and Daniel L. Rubinfeld. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Analyzes the contemporary arguments for the democratic federal state, investigating how best to design the institutions of federal governance to achieve economic efficiency, democratic participation, and the protection of individual rights and liberties.”