Effective Evidence-Informed Policy: A Partnership among Government, Implementers, and Researchers

Evidence matters for the effectiveness of public policies,but important informational frictions—that is, resistanceto obtaining or using information on the subject at hand—sometimes prevent it from shaping policy decisions.Hjort et al. (2021) showed that reducing those frictionscan change not only political leaders’ beliefs but alsothe policies they implement. One-way information, fromresearch to policy, may sometimes be insufficient, though.Policymakers may be agnostic about the effectiveness ofan intervention, or they may not know which of its featuresrequire adjustment. A process of policy experimentationmay be needed (Duflo 2017), in which policies arerigorously evaluated at a small scale, the findings of those evaluations inform the policy design, and a new evaluation determines the effectiveness of a fine-tuned version of the intervention, with the assessment continuing until the program is ready to be scaled up. This process requires very close collaboration among government, implementers, and researchers. The means by which evidence is produced is also important. A frequent criticism of researcher-designed interventions is that results may not be relevant. One reason is that pilot programme’s participants or circumstances may be atypical, with the result that the experimental treatment, even if implemented with fidelity, may not achieve similar outcomes in other settings (Al Ubaydli et al. 2017; Vivalt 2017). A second reason is that governments may lack the capability to implement with fidelity interventions tested in randomized control trials. A partnership between policymakers and researchers can help attenuate these concerns. A recent experience in Colombia provides a good example of such a partnership at work. “Let’s All Learn to Read” is an ambitious programme to improve literacy skills among elementary schoolchildren (Grades K–5). Spearheaded by the Luker Foundation, a local nongovernmental organisation, in collaboration with the Secretary of Education of Manizales (Colombia), the programme began with a systematic data collection effort in the municipality’s public primary schools to understand why students were failing to acquire the most basic academic skills. This led to several interventions over many years during which multidisciplinary teams of researchers working in close collaboration with local stakeholders and policymakers designed and evaluated different features of the programme.

Relationship configurations for procuring from social enterprises

PurposeThis paper explores how the procurement function initiates and develops relationships with social enterprises that are intended to induce social impact in the supply networks of for-profit firms.Design/methodology/approachThe paper utilises an in-depth case study involving a focal company, first-tier supplier, nongovernmental organisation and four social enterprises.FindingsTension mitigation that arises between social and commercial logics occurs via individual relationships through building trust, dependency manipulation, monitoring and supplier development activities. Deeper insights are revealed when triadic relationships are viewed within a quadratic relationship configuration that enables better capturing the essence of supply networks.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is based on a single case study, limiting empirical generalisability. Future research could consider multiple case studies to reveal different types of relationship configurations that induce social impact in supply networks.Practical implicationsSocietal goals can be met while maintaining supply network economic performance if procurement involves a trusted third party such as a nongovernmental organisation and helps to develop social enterprises as suppliers.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the sustainable supply chain management literature by reporting on a novel procurement approach for enhancing social sustainability through cooperation with social enterprises. The paper also contributes to supply network theory by demonstrating how exploring quadratic relationships can reveal novel relationship configurations within supply networks.

Development and Peace Through Traditional, Cultural, Islamic Mediation

In a world filled with conflict, competition, and war, those who work for peace shape the character of human existence at the local level. The lives and petitions of individuals who work to reduce the ravages of conflict create profound effects and deserve attention and study. In the last two decades of international politics, violence in Islamic societies in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, and elsewhere has gained global public attention. However, the international media frequently does see the local-level initiatives to promote peace in traditional Islamic societies. Many people, whether in humanitarian nongovernmental organisation operations, or as part of a military-led reconstruction team, have worked and poured treasure into promoting stability in traditional societies suffering from insecurity. Understanding the resources for peace offered in Islam and the way in which Muslims work for peace in their communities can empower those who seek to help and protect them from strategic errors.

Trafficking Twin Terror: Mysterious Madam and Voodoo Victimisation in the Case of Nigeria

The trafficking in human beings has turned out to be a menace that is difficult to eliminate, in spite of the significant policies, organisations, protective, preventable and prosecutable measures in place. Nevertheless, mysterious madam and voodoo victimisation are trafficking twin terror and two critical exploitative phenomena that had persisted and sustained international prostitution. There is little scholarly research which contributed to the said research area. This research utilises a multiple of qualitative research method of semi-structured one on one interviews, written documents, and observations with participants from government officials, nongovernmental organisation representatives and academics who are individuals indirectly or directly involved in trafficking for international prostitution in Nigeria. The study calls on the federal government to commit the village, ward, district heads, community and religious leaders in their respective communities actively.

An Obstacle to Overcome: Problematic Issues Concerning Early Childhood Film and Media Education in Poland. The New Horizons Association Model as a Solution

Film and media education in the case of preschool-age-children is a particularly complicated matter. There are many different factors, including the question of methodology, challenges which stem from the learning abilities and skills of young children that should be discussed. The article on the one hand tries to indicate the main obstacle that preschool audiovisual education in Poland deals with. But on the other hand it presents and describes as a case study the New Horizons Association projects dedicated to children age 3–7. As the New Horizons are a nongovernmental organisation, the kind of solution they propose does not solve all the problems and is limited and restricted. In the final part of the article I critically try to refer to, what is still for many, an exceptional proposition.

Voluntary Cooperation Between NGOs and Corporations From the Perspective of German Trade Unions: A Micropolitical Analysis

The article gives a micropolitical analysis of the position of German trade unions on voluntary agreements between nongovernmental organisation (NGOs) and corporations, mostly subsumed under the label CSR (corporate social responsibility). In the German system of industrial relations, trade unions have a hybrid character: On the one hand, they are part of the company through their members and especially through unionised works councils and share similar goals with the company. On the other hand, trade unions also merge political positions of society, keep an eye on companies’ actions, and share similar goals with NGOs. The micropolitical analysis of their positions towards voluntary agreements as well as their interaction raises general questions on how cooperation between firms and NGOs can secure decent working conditions and environmental protection.

Exclusion and contests over wetlands used for farming in Zimbabwe: a case study of broad-ridge and broad-furrow tillage system on Zungwi Vlei

In Zimbabwe, a broad-ridge and broad-furrow tillage system was promoted by the state, scientists and a nongovernmental organisation for its presumed agronomic and environmental viability and economic returns for small farmers. Zungwi vlei, a wetland of value to the community was transformed from a common use natural resource into a limited access broad-ridge and broad-furrow irrigation landscape that benefited a small number of people. Our study sought to understand conflicts over natural resources access, use and management arising from this land use change. The study adopted mixed methods combining qualitative and quantitative data collection tools. The results indicated the presence of a wide range of internal and external conflicts following the transformation of the landscape. Prior to the transformation, low levels of conflict were noted. We concluded that despite the ability of the broad-ridge and furrow tillage system to boost agricultural productivity per square meter, it triggered considerable resource use conflicts as fewer families directly benefited from the innovation.Key words: Development, vlei, agricultural technology, resources conflict, political ecology, Zimbabwe