O governo Lula e a agenda dos anos 90: ambigüidade na política administrativa

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Descentralização, processo decisório e políticas públicas locais

O processo de decisão e a oferta de políticas públicas, nos municípios brasileiros, a partir das transferências de responsabilidades decisórias para unidades subnacionais, estabelecidas pela Constituição de 1988, não tem merecido por parcela da literatura especializada um maior aprofundamento. Grande parte dos estudos sobre esses processos concentram-se na análise da participação popular e não no processo institucional de tomada de decisão. Este artigo pretende analisar a percepção dos atores eleitos pelo sistema representativo (Prefeitos e Presidentes de Câmara) sobre a democratização ou não dos processos institucionais de decisão de políticas públicas, a partir da vocalização das demandas da sociedade.

Efeitos e tendências dos processos de convergência nos modelos de produção jornalística: ecossistema, audiência, instituições e agentes locais em análise

The research aims to analyze the main changes in the concepts of the processes of production and consumption of news content information. The theoretical framework used will be the new consequent social, economic and technological paradigms of the current scenario of convergence of platforms, content and languages. The research aims to investigate the changes in the macro environment of journalistic production and, therefore, examine whether the local flow of news content meets the requirements of a new public consumption target set by the new Brazilian generations, composed of young people influenced by the cultures of computing, audiovisual communication and also by economic and cultural globalization. As expansion of the analyzes sought to verify the impact of these changes in the current models of traditional media, as well as the interference caused and trends in models of existing production. Also a case study is performed on this production flow in comparison with current market research of Jornal da Cidade (JC) of the city of Bauru (SP), the main media of the Grupo Comunicação. The intent of the approach will be to establish some preambles to assist in bringing the theory with the practical impacts on journalistic production, its agents, institutions and the workplace

Sistema de gestão da qualidade numa organização pública de P&D: fatores que influenciam a certificação

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEG

“#VemPraRua”: as manifestações de junho de 2013 em São Paulo e a nova esfera pública

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Rumo à gestão estratégica de recursos humanos? Estudo de caso em uma organização pública paulista

This article aims to analyze the use of human resource practices in a public organization in Sao Paulo. In this paper we try to answer the question: is the human resource management in the organization Y compatible with the new strategic issues this area? We adopted a qualitative approach, through case study. The primary data were obtained through interviews and secondary data were obtained through analysis of information and documents provided by the studied organization as well as direct observation of organizational routine. The results indicate that, despite the organization uses the term strategic human resources management, it is focused on legal and operational issues. The human resource practices are not integrated and some practices do not exist (career plan and training). Thus, it is believed that if the organization adopts some of the improvements suggested in this article, it will be walking toward a more strategic human resource management entering in the new public management.

Il ruolo delle idee e del loro cambiamento nei processi di policy making universitario nel mondo anglosassone dagli anni ottanta ad oggi. I casi di Inghilterra e Nuova Zelanda in prospettiva comparata

THE TITLE OF MY THESIS IS THE ROLE OF THE IDEAS AND THEIR CHANGE IN HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY-MAKING PROCESSES FROM THE EIGHTIES TO PRESENT-DAY: THE CASES OF ENGLAND AND NEW ZEALAND IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE UNDER A THEORETICAL POINT OF VIEW, THE AIM OF MY WORK IS TO CARRY OUT A RESEARCH MODELLED ON THE CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY. IT FOCUSES ON THE ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF IDEAS ON THE PROCESSES OF POLICY MAKING BY MEANS OF EPISTEMIC COMMUNITIES, THINK TANKS AND VARIOUS SOCIOECONOMIC CONTEXTS THAT MAY HAVE PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE DIFFERENT PATHS. FROM MY POINT OF VIEW IDEAS CONSTITUTE A PRIORITY RESEARCH FIELD WHICH IS WORTH ANALYSING SINCE THEIR ROLE IN POLICY MAKING PROCESSES HAS BEEN TRADITIONALLY RATHER UNEXPLORED. IN THIS CONTEXT AND WITH THE AIM OF DEVELOPING A RESEARCH STRAND BASED ON THE ROLE OF IDEAS, I INTEND TO CARRY ON MY STUDY UNDER THE PERSPECTIVE OF CHANGE. DEPENDING ON THE DATA AND INFORMATION THAT I COLLECTED I EVALUATED THE WEIGHT OF EACH OF THESE VARIABLES AND MAYBE OTHERS SUCH AS THE INSTITUTIONS AND THE INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS, WHICH MAY HAVE INFLUENCED THE FORMATION OF THE POLICY MAKING PROCESSES. UNDER THIS LIGHT, I PLANNED TO ADOPT THE QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH WHICH I BELIEVE TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE AGAINST THE MORE DIFFICULT AND POSSIBLY REDUCTIVE APPLICATION OF QUANTITIVE DATA SETS. I RECKON THEREFORE THAT THE MOST APPROPRIATE TOOLS FOR INFORMATION PROCESSING INCLUDE CONTENT ANALYSIS, AND IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS TO PERSONALITIES OF THE POLITICAL PANORAMA (ÉLITE OR NOT) WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE PROCESS OF HIGHER EDUCATION REFORM FROM THE EIGHTIES TO PRESENT-DAY. THE TWO CASES TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION SURELY SET AN EXAMPLE OF RADICAL REFORM PROCESSES WHICH HAVE OCCURRED IN QUITE DIFFERENT CONTEXTS DETERMINED BY THE SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS AND THE TRAITS OF THE ÉLITE. IN NEW ZEALAND THE DESCRIBED PROCESS HAS TAKEN PLACE WITH A STEADY PACE AND A GOOD GRADE OF CONSEQUANTIALITY, IN LINE WTH THE REFORMS IN OTHER STATE DIVISIONS DRIVEN BY THE IDEAS OF THE NEW PUBLIC MANAGEMENT. CONTRARILY IN ENGLAND THE REFORMATIVE ACTION OF MARGARET THATCHER HAS ACQUIRED A VERY RADICAL CONNOTATION AS IT HAS BROUGHT INTO THE AMBIT OF HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY CONCEPTS LIKE EFFICIENCY, EXCELLENCE, RATIONALIZATION THAT WOULD CONTRAST WITH THE GENERALISTIC AND MASS-ORIENTED IDEAS THAT WERE FASHIONABLE DURING THE SEVENTIES. THE MISSION I INTEND TO ACCOMPLISH THORUGHOUT MY RESEARCH IS TO INVESTIGATE AND ANALYSE INTO MORE DEPTH THE DIFFERENCES THAT SEEM TO EMERGE FROM TWO CONTEXTS WHICH MOST OF THE LITERATURE REGARDS AS A SINGLE MODEL: THE ANGLO-SAXON MODEL. UNDER THIS LIGHT, THE DENSE ANALYSIS OF POLICY PROCESSES ALLOWED TO BRING OUT BOTH THE CONTROVERSIAL AND CONTRASTING ASPECTS OF THE TWO REALITIES COMPARED, AND THE ROLE AND WEIGHT OF VARIABLES SUCH AS IDEAS (MAIN VARIABLE), INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS AND INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS ACTING IN EACH CONTEXT. THE CASES I MEAN TO ATTEND PRESENT PECULIAR ASPECTS WORTH DEVELOPING AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS, AN OUTLINE OF WHICH WILL BE PROVIDED IN THIS ABSTRACT. ENGLAND THE CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT, SINCE 1981, INTRODUCED RADICAL CHANGES IN THE SECTOR OF HIGHER EDUCATION: FIRST CUTTING DOWN ON STATE FUNDINGS AND THEN WITH THE CREATION OF AN INSTITUTION FOR THE PLANNING AND LEADERSHIP OF THE POLYTECHNICS (NON-UNIVERSITY SECTOR). AFTERWARDS THE SCHOOL REFORM BY MARGARET THATCHER IN 1988 RAISED TO A GREAT STIR ALL OVER EUROPE DUE TO BOTH ITS CONSIDERABLE INNOVATIVE IMPRINT AND THE STRONG ATTACK AGAINST THE PEDAGOGY OF THE ‘ACTIVE’ SCHOOLING AND PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION, UNTIL THEN RECOGNIZED AS A MERIT OF THE BRITISH PUBLIC SCHOOL. IN THE AMBIT OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION THIS REFORM, TOGETHER WITH SIMILAR MEASURES BROUGHT IN DURING 1992, PUT INTO PRACTICE THE CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPLES THROUGH A SERIES OF ACTIONS THAT INCLUDED: THE SUPPRESSION OF THE IRREMOVABILITY PRINCIPLE FOR UNIVERSITY TEACHERS; THE INTRODUCTION OF STUDENT LOANS FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS AND THE CANCELLATION OF THE CLEAR DISTINCTION BETWEEN UNIVERSITIES AND POLYTECHNICS. THE POLICIES OF THE LABOUR MAJORITY OF MR BLAIR DID NOT QUITE DIVERGE FROM THE CONSERVATIVES’ POSITION. IN 2003 BLAIR’S CABINET RISKED TO BECOME A MINORITY RIGHT ON THE OCCASION OF AN IMPORTANT UNIVERSITY REFORM PROPOSAL. THIS PROPOSAL WOULD FORESEE THE AUTONOMY FOR THE UNIVERSITIES TO RAISE UP TO 3.000 POUNDS THE ENROLMENT FEES FOR STUDENTS (WHILE FORMERLY THE CEILING WAS 1.125 POUNDS). BLAIR HAD TO FACE INTERNAL OPPOSITION WITHIN HIS OWN PARTY IN RELATION TO A MEASURE THAT, ACCORDING TO THE 150 MPS PROMOTERS OF AN ADVERSE MOTION, HAD NOT BEEN INCLUDED IN THE ELECTORAL PROGRAMME AND WOULD RISK CREATING INCOME-BASED DISCRIMINATION AMONG STUDENTS. AS A MATTER OF FACT THE BILL FOCUSED ON THE INTRODUCTION OF VERY LOW-INTEREST STUDENT LOANS TO BE SETTLED ONLY WHEN THE STUDENT WOULD HAVE FOUND A REMUNERATED OCCUPATION (A SYSTEM ALREADY PROVIDED FOR BY THE AUSTRALIAN LEGISLATION). NEW ZEALAND CONTRARILY TO MANY OTHER COUNTRIES, NEW ZEALAND HAS ADOPTED A VERY WIDE VISION OF THE TERTIARY EDUCATION. IT INCLUDES IN FACT THE FULL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME THAT IS INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED AS THE POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION. SHOULD WE SPOTLIGHT A PECULIARITY OF THE NEW ZEALAND TERTIARY EDUCATION POLICY THEN IT WOULD BE ‘CHANGE’. LOOKING AT THE REFORM HISTORY RELATED TO THE TERTIARY EDUCATION SYSTEM, WE CAN CLEARLY IDENTIFY FOUR ‘SUB-PERIODS’ FROM THE EIGHTIES TO PRESENT-DAY: 1. BEFORE THE 80S’: AN ELITARIAN SYSTEM CHARACTERIZED BY LOW PARTICIPATION RATES. 2. BETWEEN MID AND LATE 80S’: A TREND TOWARDS THE ENLARGEMENT OF PARTICIPATION ASSOCIATED TO A GREATER COMPETITION. 3. 1990-1999: A FUTHER STEP TOWARDS A COMPETITIVE MODEL BASED ON THE MARKET-ORIENTED SYSTEM. 4. FROM 2000 TO TODAY: A CONTINUOUS EVOLUTION TOWARDS A MORE COMPETITIVE MODEL BASED ON THE MARKET-ORIENTED SYSTEM TOGETHER WITH A GROWING ATTENTION TO STATE CONTROL FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATION. AT PRESENT THE GOVERNMENT OF NEW ZEALAND OPERATES TO STRENGHTHEN THIS PROCESS, PRIMARILY IN RELATION TO THE ROLE OF TERTIARY EDUCATION AS A STEADY FACTOR OF NATIONAL WALFARE, WHERE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONTRIBUTES ACTIVELY TO THE GROWTH OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC SYSTEM5. THE CASES OF ENGLAND AND NEW ZEALAND ARE THE FOCUS OF AN IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION THAT STARTS FROM AN ANALYSIS OF THE POLICIES OF EACH NATION AND DEVELOP INTO A COMPARATIVE STUDY. AT THIS POINT I ATTEMPT TO DRAW SOME PRELIMINARY IMPRESSIONS ON THE FACTS ESSENTIALLY DECRIBED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSITY POLICIES IN ENGLAND AND NEW ZEALAND HAVE BOTH UNDERGONE A SIGNIFICANT REFORMATORY PROCESS SINCE THE EARLY EIGHTIES; IN BOTH CONTEXTS THE IMPORTANCE OF IDEAS THAT CONSTITUTED THE BASE OF POLITICS UNTIL 1980 WAS QUITE RELEVANT. GENERALLY SPEAKING, IN BOTH CASES THE PRE-REFORM POLICIES WERE INSPIRED BY EGALITARIANISM AND EXPANSION OF THE STUDENT POPULATION WHILE THOSE BROUGHT IN BY THE REFORM WOULD PURSUE EFFICIENCY, QUALITY AND COMPETITIVENESS. UNDOUBTEDLY, IN LINE WITH THIS GENERAL TENDENCY THAT REFLECTS THE HYPOTHESIS PROPOSED, THE TWO UNIVERSITY SYSTEMS PRESENT SEVERAL DIFFERENCES. THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM IN NEW ZEALAND PROCEEDED STEADILY TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A MANAGERIAL CONCEPTION OF TERTIARY EDUCATION, ESPECIALLY FROM 1996 ONWARDS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REFORMATORY PROCESS OF THE WHOLE PUBLIC SECTOR. IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, AS IN THE REST OF EUROPE, THE NEW APPROACH TO UNIVERSITY POLICY-MAKING HAD TO CONFRONT A DEEP-ROOTED TRADITION OF PROGRESSIVE EDUCATION AND THE IDEA OF EDUCATION EXPANSION THAT IN FACT DOMINATED UNTIL THE EIGHTIES. FROM THIS VIEW POINT THE GOVERNING ACTION OF MARGARET THATCHER GAVE RISE TO A RADICAL CHANGE THAT REVOLUTIONIZED THE OBJECTIVES AND KEY VALUES OF THE WHOLE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, IN PARTICULAR IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR. IDEAS AS EFFICIENCY, EXCELLENCE AND CONTROL OF THE PERFORMANCE BECAME DECISIVE. THE LABOUR CABINETS OF BLAIR DEVELOPED IN THE WAKE OF CONSERVATIVE REFORMS. THIS APPEARS TO BE A FOCAL POINT OF THIS STUDY THAT OBSERVES HOW ALSO IN NEW ZEALAND THE REFORMING PROCESS OCCURRED TRANSVERSELY DURING PROGRESSIVE AND CONSERVATIVE ADMINISTRATIONS. THE PRELIMINARY IMPRESSION IS THEREFORE THAT IDEAS DEEPLY MARK THE REFORMATIVE PROCESSES: THE AIM OF MY RESEARCH IS TO VERIFY TO WHICH EXTENT THIS STATEMENT IS TRUE. IN ORDER TO BUILD A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYLIS, FURTHER SIGNIFICANT FACTORS WILL HAVE TO BE INVESTIGATED: THE WAY IDEAS ARE PERCEIVED AND IMPLEMENTED BY THE DIFFERENT POLITICAL ELITES; HOW THE VARIOUS SOCIOECONOMIC CONTEXTS INFLUENCE THE REFORMATIVE PROCESS; HOW THE INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES CONDITION THE POLICY-MAKING PROCESSES; WHETHER INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS PLAY A ROLE AND, IF YES, TO WHICH EXTENT.

Il linguaggio degli ambienti virtuali culturali: comunicare la storia di Bologna attraverso il progetto Nu.M.E.

The contemporary media landscape is characterized by the emergence of hybrid forms of digital communication that contribute to the ongoing redefinition of our societies cultural context. An incontrovertible consequence of this phenomenon is the new public dimension that characterizes the transmission of historical knowledge in the twenty-first century. Awareness of this new epistemic scenario has led us to reflect on the following methodological questions: what strategies should be created to establish a communication system, based on new technology, that is scientifically rigorous, but at the same time engaging for the visitors of museums and Internet users? How does a comparative analysis of ancient documentary sources form a solid base of information for the virtual reconstruction of thirteenth century Bologna in the Metaverse? What benefits can the phenomenon of cross-mediality give to the virtual heritage? The implementation of a new version of the Nu.M.E. project allowed for answering many of these instances. The investigation carried out between 2008 and 2010 has shown that, indeed, real-time 3D graphics and collaborative virtual environments can be feasible tools for representing philologically the urban medieval landscape and for communicating properly validated historical data to the general public. This research is focused on the study and implementation of a pipeline that permits mass communication of historical information about an area of vital importance in late medieval Bologna: Piazza di Porta Ravegnana. The originality of the developed project is not limited solely to the methodological dimension of historical research. Adopted technological perspective is an excellent example of innovation that digital technologies can bring to the cultural heritage. The main result of this research is the creation of Nu.ME 2010, a cross-media system of 3D real-time visualization based on some of the most advanced free software and open source technologies available today free of charge.

L'eccezione è la regola: ricerca espolorativa sul fenomeno del commissariamento nel settore culturale italiano

Di fronte al moltiplicarsi di episodi di commissariamento nella pubblica amministrazione italiana e in particolare nel settore culturale, la presente ricerca mira a comprendere gli obiettivi, le modalità di intervento ed i risultati raggiunti mediante la nomina di commissari straordinari. Si tratta di un intervento anomalo ed inusuale a livello internazionale (la stessa voce commissariamento risulta intraducibile in inglese), dove la ricerca di possibili termini di paragone, effettuata passando in rassegna la letteratura di disaster management, quella sul riaccentramento amministrativo e quella sugli interventi di turnaround nel settore pubblico, restituisce un quadro estremamente specifico del fenomeno, per lo più interno ai confini nazionali. Nello studio, caratterizzato da un forte approccio esplorativo e phenomenon driven, vengono analizzati quattro casi di commissariamento nel settore culturale italiano: due aree archeologiche (quella di Napoli e Pompei e quella di Roma e Ostia) e due Fondazioni Liriche (Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova e Arena di Verona). Dalla ricerca emerge un quadro profondamente critico delle gestioni commissariali. Gli obiettivi ambigui e l’elevata discrezionalità concessa al commissario non sono accompagnati da un’adeguata trasparenza nei processi di nomina, proroga e sostituzione dei commissari, con la prevalenza di rapporti di tipo personale o ‘feudale’. Dal punto di vista dei risultati il commissariamento non incide sulla routine dell’amministrazione ordinaria, rappresentando nel migliore dei casi una parentesi temporanea di buona gestione, o, nel peggiore, perseguendo interventi non legittimi rispetto ai valori professionali che regolano le organizzazioni analizzate. Se considerato alla luce del più generale processo di riforma in senso manageriale che ha coinvolto le istituzioni analizzate dalla fine degli anni ’90, il commissariamento esalta ed intensifica gli aspetti maggiormente critici dell’approccio italiano al New Public Management, in termini di scarsa trasparenza e accountability, elevata influenza della politica nei processi decisionali e generale incoerenza dei disegni di riforma.

Organisationale Selbststeuerung in deutschen Universitäten : Bedingungen, Prozesse und Wirkungen

Die Regulierung und Steuerung von Hochschulen unterliegt spätestens seit der Liberalisierung des Hochschulrahmengesetzes im Jahr 1998 einer erheblichen Reformdynamik. Hochschulautonomie, New Public Management, Profilbildung, Exzellenz und Wettbewerb sind zentrale Stichworte im Rahmen der durchgeführten politischen Reformen und Programme.rnDer politisch intendierte Ausbau einer organisationalen Selbststeuerung von Universitäten stellt die Hochschulen vor beachtliche Herausforderungen und kann als Paradigmenwechsel im Bereich der Hochschul-Governance betrachtet werden. In der Fachdiskussion wird der entsprechende Wandel auch als Stärkung der „managerial governance“ (bspw. de Boer et al. 2007) oder als Wandel von Universitäten hin zu „more complete organizations“ (Brunsson/ Sahlin-Andersson 2000) bzw. „organisational actors“ (Krücken/Meier 2006) beschrieben. rnGleichzeitig liegt bislang eher fragmentarisches Wissen darüber vor, wie der veränderte Re-gulierungskontext von den Steuerungsakteuren in deutschen Hochschulen aufgegriffen wird, d.h. ob auf Organisationsebene tatsächlich ein Ausbau der organisationalen Selbststeuerung stattfindet, welche Steuerungsinitiativen und -instrumente sich bewähren und warum dies der Fall ist. Die vorliegende Arbeit geht diesen Fragen im Rahmen einer vergleichenden Fallstudie an sechs Universitäten nach. rnIm Zentrum der empirischen Erhebung stehen 60 qualitative sozialwissenschaftliche Interviews mit Leitungsakteuren auf Hochschul- und Fachbereichsebene. Diese Daten werden ergänzt durch umfangreiche Dokumentenanalysen, insbesondere von Jahresberichten, Grundordnungen, Strategie- und Planungsdokumenten sowie durch Daten der amtlichen Hochschul-statistik. Das Untersuchungsdesign erlaubt überdies eine Gegenüberstellung von großen und kleinen Universitäten sowie von Hochschulen mit einer technisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Ausrichtung gegenüber solchen mit einem kultur- und sozialwissenschaftlichen Schwerpunkt. Die Untersuchung zeigt, dass an fünf der sechs untersuchten Hochschulen ein zum Teil deutlicher Ausbau der organisationalen Selbststeuerung festzustellen ist, wenngleich der spezifische organisationale Charakter von Universitäten, d.h. eine weitgehend lose Kopplung mit autonomen Professionals, im Wesentlichen erhalten bleibt. Die Zusammenschau der Veränderungen ergibt ein idealtypisches Modell des Wandels von Strategie, Struktur und Kultur der Hochschulen. Auf Basis der empirischen Ergebnisse werden weiterhin zentrale externe und interne Einflussfaktoren auf den spezifischen organisationalen Wandel analysiert. Schließlich werden Kosten und Nutzen sowie Risiken und Chancen der Governance-Reformen im Hoch-schulbereich gegenübergestellt.

Zielvereinbarungsgespräch und Leitungsaufgabe von katholischen Priestern

Die großen christlichen Kirchen in Deutschland befinden sich in einem strukturellen Umbruch, der sich zunehmend auf die Pastoral der örtlichen Pfarreien und Kirchengemeinden auswirkt. Durch die Einführung von Verfahren aus dem New Public Management erhoffen sich Kirchenleitungen beider Konfessionen eine innerkirchliche Personalentwicklung, die vor allem das hauptberufliche Seelsorgepersonal neu motivieren soll. Insbesondere in der katholischen Kirche soll so - in Verbindung mit einem möglichst missionarisch wirksamen Neuaufbruch - die Transformation der ehemals volkskirchlich geprägten Pfarrgemeinden in eine sich neu abzeichnende Sozialgestalt von Kirche als Netzwerk größerer pastoraler Einheiten unterstützt werden. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht an der interdisziplinären Schnittstelle von Organisationforschung und praktischer Theologie, inwieweit die Einführung von Zielvereinbarungsgesprächen (ZVG) führungsverantwortliche Priester in der Wahrnehmung ihrer Leitungsaufgabe stärkt. Über 300 leitende Priester aus den Erzbistümern Freiburg und Paderborn hatten an der empirischen Studie mit zwei Messzeitpunkten teilgenommen. 73 Priester waren an beiden Messzeitpunkten A (2007) und B (2008) beteiligt. Unmittelbar nach dem Zeitpunkt A besuchten die befragten Priester der Erzdiözese Freiburg eine ZVG-Einführungsschulung, der sich eine einjährige Gesprächspraxis anschloss. Die in der Erzdiözese Paderborn befragten Priester bildeten die Vergleichsgruppe (ohne entsprechendes Treatment).rn rnWesentliches Ergebnis der Studie sind empirische Hinweise auf signifikante Zusammenhänge zwischen dem priesterlichem Leitungsselbstverständnis, der ZVG-Umsetzung und der Einschätzung der eigenen Führungsqualität.rnrnIn den Selbsteinschätzungen der leitenden Priester (z.B. im Hinblick auf Leitungszufriedenheit, Bedeutung bzw. Gelingen von einzelnen Leitungs- und Gesprächsaspekten, etc.) zeigten sich zum Zeitpunkt A im Vergleich zwischen beiden Diözesen nur geringe Unterschiede. Dies gilt auch für die in A erfolgte Auswertung offener Fragen zum priesterlichen Selbstverständnis, welches als leitungs-amtliche Handlungs- und Objektorientierung in beiden Diözesen am wenigsten stark ausgeprägt war.Zum Zeitpunkt B verdeutlichte die Untersuchung des Tätigkeitsfelds Gemeindeleitung, dass dessen Bedeutung in Freiburg größer war als in Paderborn. Der hierfür erbrachte Kraft- bzw. Zeitaufwand war in Freiburg jedoch niedriger als in Paderborn, was als eine Frucht der verbindlichen ZVG-Einführung in Freiburg interpretiert werden kann. Deutlich wird auch, dass Priester, die der ZVG-Einführung eine hohe Bedeutung beimessen, mit ihren Mitarbeitern viele Gespräche planen. Weil Folgegespräche zum Zeitpunkt B im gleichen Umfang wie schon zum Zeitpunkt A geplant wurden, müssen die konkreten Gesprächserfahrungen in der A-Phase hinreichend positiv gewesen sein. Die Umsetzung zum Zeitpunkt B war jedoch nicht in dem zum Zeitpunkt A geplanten Maß erfolgt, was sich mit Prioritätsverschiebungen erklären lässt. Interessanterweise korreliert die Anzahl der geführten Zielvereinbarungsgespräche mit dem Dienst- und Lebensalter der Priester. Erfahrene Priester, die sich auf eine Mitarbeiterführung durch Zielvereinbarung einlassen, machen demnach gute Erfahrungen mit diesem Personalentwicklungsinstrument. rnrnInsgesamt können die Ergebnisse der Studie zu einer weiteren Kultivierung der Zielvereinbarungsgespräche im kirchlichen Dienst ermutigen. Bistümern, die noch keine Zielvereinbarungsgespräche eingeführt haben, kann eine Implementierung angeraten werden. rn

Chlamydia Control: A Comparative Review from the USA and UK

Chlamydia trachomatis infection (chlamydia) is the most common notifiable bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide. In the United States of America (USA) in 2009, 1,244,180 cases of chlamydia were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the largest number of cases ever reported to CDC for any notifiable disease [1]. It has been estimated, from population prevalence surveys, that approximately 2 % of sexually active adults aged 18–44 years old in the UK [2] and 2.2 % (CI, 1.8–2.8 %) of the US population aged 14–39 years [3] are infected with chlamydia. This level of prevalence in the USA translates into an estimated 2,291,000 (95 % confidence interval, CI, 1,857,000–2,838,000) chlamydia infections each year [3]. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are about 92 million new cases of chlamydia each year [4].

A focused ethnographic study of community social capital

Social capital, a relatively new public health concept, represents the intangible resources embedded in social relationships that facilitate collective action. Current interest in the concept stems from empirical studies linking social capital with health outcomes. However, in order for social capital to function as a meaningful research variable, conceptual development aimed at refining the domains, attributes, and boundaries of the concept are needed. An existing framework of social capital (Uphoff, 2000), developed from studies in India, was selected for congruence with the inductive analysis of pilot data from a community that was unsuccessful at mobilizing collective action. This framework provided the underpinnings for a formal ethnographic research study designed to examine the components of social capital in a community that had successfully mobilized collective action. The specific aim of the ethnographic study was to examine the fittingness of Uphoff's framework in the contrasting American community. A contrasting context was purposefully selected to distinguish essential attributes of social capital from those that were specific to one community. Ethnographic data collection methods included participant observation, formal interviews, and public documents. Data was originally analyzed according to codes developed from Uphoff's theoretical framework. The results from this analysis were only partially satisfactory, indicating that the theoretical framework required refinement. The refinement of the coding system resulted in the emergence of an explanatory theory of social capital that was tested with the data collected from formal fieldwork. Although Uphoff's framework was useful, the refinement of the framework revealed, (1) trust as the dominant attribute of social capital, (2) efficacy of mutually beneficial collective action as the outcome indicator, (3) cognitive and structural domains more appropriately defined as the cultural norms of the community and group, and (4) a definition of social capital as the combination of the cognitive norms of the community and the structural norms of the group that are either constructive or destructive to the development of trust and the efficacy of mutually beneficial collective action. This explanatory framework holds increased pragmatic utility for public health practice and research. ^