AbstractSince 2000 the Georgian Healthcare Reform has shifted from a set of fragmented programs funded by donor organizations to a coherent policy driven and primarily supported by the government and private investments. Unfortunately, Georgia's goal to provide universal coverage for all its citizens raises several concerns. First, the government is currently subsidizing 1.1 million health insurance policies. Second, while access to healthcare has markedly improved, professional competency has not, because of the lack of adequate postgraduate training opportunities and mandated requirements.
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Business Studies, University of Bedfordshire, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ; Although England and Scotland are two of the countries composing the UK, there are differences and similarities between the structures of education in each country. Teachers often struggle to explain the multi-faceted nature of their work and the general public rarely understands the complexities that educational professionals have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. Teachers of 5 to 8 year olds in England and Scotland are expected to fulfil diverse and complex roles. Since devolution, changes have been implemented in Scotland affecting teachers' workload. Changes in the culture of education in both countries have affected the professional and personal lives of teachers. A larger dehumanisation of education in the name of efficiency and cost effectiveness is affecting the morale of teachers and many are leaving the profession. Historical method and a questionnaire are the main methods used to investigate the extent to which teachers of 5 to 8 year olds in England and Scotland have been affected by government legislation of the 1980s up to the present. The research also seeks to discover what changes teachers have made in order to work within the educational climate that resulted from that legislation. The questionnaire includes demographic data, scales for teachers to rate their ideal vs. actual teaching situations, emotive statements taken from a national survey for Likert scale response in terms of agreement or disagreement, and space for open-ended comments. The data were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS. Two-way ANOVAs with repeated measures and one way ANOVAs were used in the analysis of the questionnaires, in addition to factor analysis. In the discussion of the findings, the historical accounts of the development of education in England and Scotland affecting the teachers of 5 to 8 year olds was used, along with respondents' open ended comments, to inform the results of the statistical analysis of the questionnaire. The findings show a perceived gap between respondents' ideal and actual teaching situations in both countries, and a somewhat negative trend in the overall response to both types of scaled items, with only a few group differences. The pattern of response is interpreted as showing dissatisfaction with managerialism in UK education, and it is argued that this emphasis is affecting the dynamics and cohesiveness of schools. The resulting, increasingly performative culture is perceived to be degrading the quality of early years' education by a process of depersonalisation and restricted implementation of professional expertise.
International audience ; Background In 2014, the government of Togo implemented a pilot unconditional cash transfer (UCT) program in rural villages that aimed at improving children's nutrition, health, and protection. It combined monthly UCTs (approximately US$8.40 /month) with a package of community activities (including behavior change communication [BCC] sessions, home visits, and integrated community case management of childhood illnesses and acute malnutrition [ICCM-Nut]) delivered to mother–child pairs during the first "1,000 days" of life. We primarily investigated program impact at population level on children's height-for-age z-scores (HAZs) and secondarily on stunting (HAZ < −2) and intermediary outcomes including household's food insecurity, mother–child pairs' diet and health, delivery in a health facility and low birth weight (LBW), women's knowledge, and physical intimate partner violence (IPV).Methods and findings We implemented a parallel-cluster–randomized controlled trial, in which 162 villages were randomized into either an intervention arm (UCTs + package of community activities, n = 82) or a control arm (package of community activities only, n = 80). Two different representative samples of children aged 6–29 months and their mothers were surveyed in each arm, one before the intervention in 2014 (control: n = 1,301, intervention: n = 1,357), the other 2 years afterwards in 2016 (control: n = 996, intervention: n = 1,035). Difference-in-differences (DD) estimates of impact were calculated, adjusting for clustering. Children's average age was 17.4 (± 0.24 SE) months in the control arm and 17.6 (± 0.19 SE) months in the intervention arm at baseline. UCTs had a protective effect on HAZ (DD = +0.25 z-scores, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01–0.50, p = 0.039), which deteriorated in the control arm while remaining stable in the intervention arm, but had no impact on stunting (DD = −6.2 percentage points [pp], relative odds ratio [ROR]: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.51–1.06, p = 0.097). UCTs positively ...
International audience ; Background In 2014, the government of Togo implemented a pilot unconditional cash transfer (UCT) program in rural villages that aimed at improving children's nutrition, health, and protection. It combined monthly UCTs (approximately US$8.40 /month) with a package of community activities (including behavior change communication [BCC] sessions, home visits, and integrated community case management of childhood illnesses and acute malnutrition [ICCM-Nut]) delivered to mother–child pairs during the first "1,000 days" of life. We primarily investigated program impact at population level on children's height-for-age z-scores (HAZs) and secondarily on stunting (HAZ < −2) and intermediary outcomes including household's food insecurity, mother–child pairs' diet and health, delivery in a health facility and low birth weight (LBW), women's knowledge, and physical intimate partner violence (IPV).Methods and findings We implemented a parallel-cluster–randomized controlled trial, in which 162 villages were randomized into either an intervention arm (UCTs + package of community activities, n = 82) or a control arm (package of community activities only, n = 80). Two different representative samples of children aged 6–29 months and their mothers were surveyed in each arm, one before the intervention in 2014 (control: n = 1,301, intervention: n = 1,357), the other 2 years afterwards in 2016 (control: n = 996, intervention: n = 1,035). Difference-in-differences (DD) estimates of impact were calculated, adjusting for clustering. Children's average age was 17.4 (± 0.24 SE) months in the control arm and 17.6 (± 0.19 SE) months in the intervention arm at baseline. UCTs had a protective effect on HAZ (DD = +0.25 z-scores, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01–0.50, p = 0.039), which deteriorated in the control arm while remaining stable in the intervention arm, but had no impact on stunting (DD = −6.2 percentage points [pp], relative odds ratio [ROR]: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.51–1.06, p = 0.097). UCTs positively ...
International audience ; Background In 2014, the government of Togo implemented a pilot unconditional cash transfer (UCT) program in rural villages that aimed at improving children's nutrition, health, and protection. It combined monthly UCTs (approximately US$8.40 /month) with a package of community activities (including behavior change communication [BCC] sessions, home visits, and integrated community case management of childhood illnesses and acute malnutrition [ICCM-Nut]) delivered to mother–child pairs during the first "1,000 days" of life. We primarily investigated program impact at population level on children's height-for-age z-scores (HAZs) and secondarily on stunting (HAZ < −2) and intermediary outcomes including household's food insecurity, mother–child pairs' diet and health, delivery in a health facility and low birth weight (LBW), women's knowledge, and physical intimate partner violence (IPV).Methods and findings We implemented a parallel-cluster–randomized controlled trial, in which 162 villages were randomized into either an intervention arm (UCTs + package of community activities, n = 82) or a control arm (package of community activities only, n = 80). Two different representative samples of children aged 6–29 months and their mothers were surveyed in each arm, one before the intervention in 2014 (control: n = 1,301, intervention: n = 1,357), the other 2 years afterwards in 2016 (control: n = 996, intervention: n = 1,035). Difference-in-differences (DD) estimates of impact were calculated, adjusting for clustering. Children's average age was 17.4 (± 0.24 SE) months in the control arm and 17.6 (± 0.19 SE) months in the intervention arm at baseline. UCTs had a protective effect on HAZ (DD = +0.25 z-scores, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01–0.50, p = 0.039), which deteriorated in the control arm while remaining stable in the intervention arm, but had no impact on stunting (DD = −6.2 percentage points [pp], relative odds ratio [ROR]: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.51–1.06, p = 0.097). UCTs positively ...
International audience ; Background In 2014, the government of Togo implemented a pilot unconditional cash transfer (UCT) program in rural villages that aimed at improving children's nutrition, health, and protection. It combined monthly UCTs (approximately US$8.40 /month) with a package of community activities (including behavior change communication [BCC] sessions, home visits, and integrated community case management of childhood illnesses and acute malnutrition [ICCM-Nut]) delivered to mother–child pairs during the first "1,000 days" of life. We primarily investigated program impact at population level on children's height-for-age z-scores (HAZs) and secondarily on stunting (HAZ < −2) and intermediary outcomes including household's food insecurity, mother–child pairs' diet and health, delivery in a health facility and low birth weight (LBW), women's knowledge, and physical intimate partner violence (IPV).Methods and findings We implemented a parallel-cluster–randomized controlled trial, in which 162 villages were randomized into either an intervention arm (UCTs + package of community activities, n = 82) or a control arm (package of community activities only, n = 80). Two different representative samples of children aged 6–29 months and their mothers were surveyed in each arm, one before the intervention in 2014 (control: n = 1,301, intervention: n = 1,357), the other 2 years afterwards in 2016 (control: n = 996, intervention: n = 1,035). Difference-in-differences (DD) estimates of impact were calculated, adjusting for clustering. Children's average age was 17.4 (± 0.24 SE) months in the control arm and 17.6 (± 0.19 SE) months in the intervention arm at baseline. UCTs had a protective effect on HAZ (DD = +0.25 z-scores, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01–0.50, p = 0.039), which deteriorated in the control arm while remaining stable in the intervention arm, but had no impact on stunting (DD = −6.2 percentage points [pp], relative odds ratio [ROR]: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.51–1.06, p = 0.097). UCTs positively ...
International audience ; Background In 2014, the government of Togo implemented a pilot unconditional cash transfer (UCT) program in rural villages that aimed at improving children's nutrition, health, and protection. It combined monthly UCTs (approximately US$8.40 /month) with a package of community activities (including behavior change communication [BCC] sessions, home visits, and integrated community case management of childhood illnesses and acute malnutrition [ICCM-Nut]) delivered to mother–child pairs during the first "1,000 days" of life. We primarily investigated program impact at population level on children's height-for-age z-scores (HAZs) and secondarily on stunting (HAZ < −2) and intermediary outcomes including household's food insecurity, mother–child pairs' diet and health, delivery in a health facility and low birth weight (LBW), women's knowledge, and physical intimate partner violence (IPV).Methods and findings We implemented a parallel-cluster–randomized controlled trial, in which 162 villages were randomized into either an intervention arm (UCTs + package of community activities, n = 82) or a control arm (package of community activities only, n = 80). Two different representative samples of children aged 6–29 months and their mothers were surveyed in each arm, one before the intervention in 2014 (control: n = 1,301, intervention: n = 1,357), the other 2 years afterwards in 2016 (control: n = 996, intervention: n = 1,035). Difference-in-differences (DD) estimates of impact were calculated, adjusting for clustering. Children's average age was 17.4 (± 0.24 SE) months in the control arm and 17.6 (± 0.19 SE) months in the intervention arm at baseline. UCTs had a protective effect on HAZ (DD = +0.25 z-scores, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.01–0.50, p = 0.039), which deteriorated in the control arm while remaining stable in the intervention arm, but had no impact on stunting (DD = −6.2 percentage points [pp], relative odds ratio [ROR]: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.51–1.06, p = 0.097). UCTs positively ...
CONTEMPORARY WEST GERMAN FEDERALISM IS FACING A DILEMMA generated by the transformation of the party system after the second world war. Since the late nineteenth century highly complex political and administrative structures have developed in Germany and for most of the time federalism has been one of their important elements. Because of their complexity effective policy-making depended largely upon strategies of accommodation, bargaining and repartition of influence between rival groups and organizations. This has been the rationale of federalism as well as of multi-party coalition government.
Fil: Alonso, Paula. University of San Andrés. Department of Humanities; Argentina. ; Fil: Alonso, Paula. Universidad de San Andrés. Departamento de Humanidades; Argentina.
Статья посвящена изучению института государственного заказа с точки зрения его применимости в качестве инструмента государственного регулирования экономики. В настоящее время в свете кризисных явлений в мировой экономике назрела потребность в инструментах государственного регулирования экономики нового качества. Такие инструменты должны основываться на кооперации, взаимодополняемости общественного и частного секторов. Одним из таких инструментов является государственный заказ. В современных сложных социально-экономических системах деятельность по созданию общественных благ осуществляется частным сектором по заказу общественного и оплачивается средствами государственных бюджетов. При этом государственный заказ, с одной стороны, является рядовой сделкой купли-продажи на рынке, с другой обладает нерыночной природой, выполняя ряд дополнительных регулятивных функций социальную, структурную, ценового регулирования. Таким образом, применение государственного заказа позволяет расширить государственное влияние на экономику, кардинально не нарушая рыночных принципов. ; In this paper the author studies procurement as government policy toll, which can be used to stimulate the development of industrial enterprises, scientific and technical progress and innovations. Today neoclassical approach to government role in the economy is dominated. It pays insufficient attention to the cooperation of economic actors.There is a need for tools of government regulation of the economy of new quality because of the crisis in the global economy. These tools should be based on cooperation and complementarity between the public and private sectors.In the modern complex social and economic systems creation of the public goods is carried out by the private sector on public sector's order. Government pays budget funds for this goods and this activity is based on public procurement system. The author supposes that procurement has large field of using as policy tool in such spheres as social politics, politics of price regulation and industrial and innovation politics.The main benefit of procurement as policy toll is its specific nature, which combine two basics: government and market. This fact is based on government's dual-role in economy. On the one hand government is the usual market actor, buying goods and services with market prices. It is a classic "good-money-good" exchange, based on market rules. On another hand government is the regulator with specific goals, realized by public procurement system. Besides the fact that object of public procurement is public good, government is realizing number of "side" functions. For example, the supporting of small businesses, social groups, economy industry, local suppliers. Thus procurement is dual-nature institute, combining market and government features.Procurement uses market channels to manage some spheres of economy. Procurement is perspective policy tool, which based on government and market basics complementarily.
USING EMPIRICAL DATA FROM MORE THAN 800 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN FIVE COUNTRIES, THIS ARTICLE CONCLUDES THAT INTERGOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPACT ATTRIBUTED TO VARIOUS FISCAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. SUCH STRATEGIES HAVE GENERALLY HAD GREATER IMPACT IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS THAN THOSE IN UNITARY STATE SYSTEMS. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN MORE DECENTRALIZED SYSTEMS HAVE GREATER FLEXIBILITY TO MANIPULATE RELATIONS WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS IN ORDER TO ENHANCE THEIR OWN FISCAL SITUATION. THE DATA ALSO SUGGEST THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S LEVEL OF FISCAL STRESS IS NOT SYSTEMATICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE LEVEL OF IMPACT FROM MOST FISCAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, ESPECIALLY IN UNITARY STATE SYSTEMS.
Reducing child poverty has been a policy of successive United Kingdom (UK) governments. However, the reduction of persistent poverty has only recently featured on the policy agenda. This article uses longitudinal data on early childhood to examine developmental contexts and outcomes of persistently poor children and to establish contexts that may promote resilience. Results show that persistently poor children have more disadvantageous developmental contexts than children in poverty for shorter periods and that they have worse developmental outcomes. Resilience may be promoted by improving parenting behaviours and attitudes and improving maternal mental health.
Criticisms of mortgage tax relief have come from several quarters in recent years but they have been rejected by successive governments. We present here estimates of the distribution of this subsidy to owner-occupation and show, contrary to the claims of the Housing Consultative Document (1977), that it has some tendency to be regressive. The justification for continuing this policy, including that advanced in the Green Paper, is then critically examined in light of an economic analysis of effects. It is concluded that the gradual withdrawal of the subsidy would increase equity and efficiency in housing policy.