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DESPITE CERTAINTY OF DIFFICULTIES IN IMPLEMENTATION AND UNCERTAINTY OF IMPROVEMENT IN SERVICE DELIVERY, COORDINATION REMAINS THE MOST POPULAR STRATEGY OF REFORM. ADMINISTRATORS NEED TO KEEP IN MIND EVIDENCE ABOUT PERFORMANCE.

Social science research can inform the complex and uncertain work of moving toward effective social change on three levels: by describing and analyzing the problems that practitioners confront, by identifying better outcomes for individuals and society, and by illuminating strategies of intervention that practitioners can use to move toward better outcomes. This article offers a conceptual framework for analyzing strategies of intervention, which the author uses to examine U.S. mental health policy between 1948 and 1963. In this case, strong understanding of intervention strategies proved very useful to practitioners attempting to make major social changes in the face of overwhelming obstacles. The example shows that understanding intervention requires different social science tools and ideas than understanding social problems. It also shows that social scientists and practitioners alike may find it valuable to think more systematically about intervention.

Examines policy theories underlying school choice proposals, based on the premise that all public policies should be ground in theories that address the problem, desired outcome, & specific intervention. School choice proponents agree on a theory of the problem; ie, poor results are more likely when school officials experience little pressure to improve performance. However, the desired outcome of better schools varies depending on the meaning of "better" to both parents & school officials. Kenneth Godwin et al's & Mark Schneider et al's underlying theories (both, 1998) are examined to demonstrate how different types of causal analysis & divergent visions of a desired outcome affect policy proposals. Finding that parents have diverse opinions about what is important in schooling has important policy consequences & points a need for further research to compare assumptions about the behavior of key actors. Other gaps in the understanding of theories on which school choice is based are discussed. 20 References. Adapted from the source document.

Problem definition is a package of ideas that includes, at least implicitly, an account of the causes & consequences of undesirable circumstances & a theory about how to improve them, serving as the overture & integral part of policymaking, & as a policy outcome. In each of these roles it seems to exert influence on government action. Distinguishing among the roles clarifies the nature of that influence. Here, a case study approach is used to the transition from one problem definition to another in the domain of information collection by the federal government. 53 References. Modified HA

Patterns of cooperation within educational service agencies (ESA) in 9 groups of local school districts in Mass, Mich, Wash, WVa, & Conn are examined to identify factors that encourage such public agencies to overcome barriers to cooperation. Six theoretical perspectives drawn from the literature on organizational relationships are examined that attempt to explain why agency managers might opt to bear the costs of cooperation: (1) to get more resources, (2) to obtain political advantage, (3) to satisfy norms & values, (4) to solve problems, (5) to reduce uncertainty, & (6) to obey legal mandates. Data obtained from extensive case studies of each ESA illustrate strengths & weaknesses of each perspective as they apply to public managers coping with complex realities. A process model of cooperation is developed that views cooperation as a chain of events & preconditions constructed both by strategic managerial calculation & by chance & outside forces, particularly demands for improved performance. 2 Tables, 1 Figure. Modified HA