Politics and Gender in Ireland: The Quest for Political Agency

This book explores the relationship between women, the state and democratic politics in Ireland today. It highlights the conservatism of the political culture shared by all traditions on the island, and how this culture circumscribes women’s political agency in Northern Ireland and Ireland. The book explores the opportunities and obstacles to women’s participation and representation on each side of the border. The chapters take the view that public decision-making institutions and processes are subject to rules and practices that reinforce the gendered foundations of democratic politics. They document women’s continuing quest for full participation and equal representation in these male-gendered arenas. The contributors focus on the marginalised experiences of women in modern politics in Ireland and detail their efforts to challenge the masculinized status quo. The book addresses the classical issues of citizenship, participation, representation and equal rights in a sustained analysis of the political systems on the island. It also deals with modern issues – multiculturalism, peace-building, the male-gendered legislature and the unequal nature of women’s citizenship in constitutional, institutional and policy contexts. The book is completed by a comprehensive appendix of all women elected to political office on the island from 1918-2013.

Da avaliação do impacte à articulação da investigação - práticas - o caso da articulação na formação didáctica pós-graduada de professores de ciências e desafios futuros

A linha de investigação deste estudo é a ‘articulação da Investigação em Didáctica das Ciências e Práticas de Ensino dos Professores de Ciências’. O seu enquadramento teórico e metodológico inicial assentou nos estudos das áreas ‘Relações entre Investigação e as Práticas’ e ‘Avaliação da Formação Pós-Graduada – vertente impacte/articulação’. Inicialmente, fez-se uma análise histórico-epistemológica da Didáctica desde a sua génese até aos dias de hoje, para se compreender quer as raízes do gap entre académicos e práticos em geral, quer a crescente necessidade de articulação. Posteriormente, avançou-se para a primeira área, partindo da polémica despoletada por Hargreaves, ao defender que o ensino deveria ser uma profissão baseada na investigação. Em seguida, partiu-se de uma análise mais geral sobre a Investigação e as Práticas no contexto educacional em vários países antes se centrar especificamente no contexto da Didáctica das Ciências (impacte da IDC nas Práticas e constrangimentos na articulação). Analisou-se também brevemente as relações entre a IDC e Práticas no contexto da Formação de Professores, e não a área da Formação de Professores, para mantermos sempre o foco nas questões inerentes à articulação. Culminou-se na análise das culturas e epistemologias da acção e da investigação, com especial destaque para o conceito de professorinvestigador na actualidade e para a descrição das barreiras epistemológicas e ontológicas. Concluiu-se que as comunidades da investigação e da acção utilizavam o conceito ‘articulação’ indiscriminadamente como sinónimo de interacções, contacto, aproximação, impacte, etc., o que acabou esvaziando-o do seu verdadeiro significado. No que diz respeito à segunda área, a sua análise partiu da descrição da evolução de dez anos (1997-2007) de estudos sobre a Avaliação do Impacte dos CM nas práticas por ser considerada uma forma eficaz de articular as dimensões da Didáctica em direcção a um novo olhar sobre o conceito ‘articulação’. Além disso, apontou a dificuldade de se avaliar o impacte ao nível macro, por um lado, por não se tratar de uma prática investigativa institucionalizada no estatuto da carreira dos professores dos EB e ES e, por outro, por ainda colidir com diferentes concepções da natureza das investigações realizadas por Professores encontradas em ambas as comunidades, entendida ora como processo cognitivo (para o desenvolvimento profissional dos professores), ora como prática social (para construção de conhecimento no campo da Didáctica). Foram compiladas ainda as sugestões para se potenciar o impacte da IDC nas Práticas e/ou a articulação entre a IDC-Práticas em contexto formativo de diversos estudos avaliativos. Finalizou-se a análise chamando a atenção para cinco aspectos que ainda carecem de maior aprofundamento nesta área. Este longo enquadramento evidenciou a complexidade da problemática ‘articulação’ decorrente da interdependência das várias dimensões (epistemológica, política, ontológica, psicológica, ética, entre outras). Por exemplo, a ausência de consenso sobre critérios para a avaliação da qualidade da investigação produzida por professores (dimensões política e epistemológica) acaba, por vezes, por não conferir legitimidade às mesmas e por influenciar a legitimação pela comunidade académica, o que resulta na necessidade de diferenciação dos contributos e no maior afastamento entre as comunidades (dimensão ontológica), entre outros. Assim, optou-se por iniciar a análise do fenómeno ‘articulação entre IDCPráticas’ através dos primeiros modelos de articulação investigação-ensino, os quais visavam, contudo, fundamentalmente o impacte da IDC nas Práticas de Ensino das Ciências. Posteriormente, foram apresentadas as potencialidades da Avaliação ↔ Feedback, TIC e Colaboração (estratégias/métodos) para potenciar a articulação entre Investigação- Práticas. No que diz respeito à investigação empírica, realizou-se um estudo de caso descritivo e explorativo de natureza mista. O caso único, crítico e instrumental foi o fenómeno “articulação entre a IDC-Práticas na Formação Didáctica Pós- Graduada” no contexto da unidade curricular ‘Metodologia do Ensino da Física’ (MEF) do Curso de Mestrado em Ensino de Física. A técnica de análise geral utilizada foi a “descrição do caso” pelo facto de não se ter um referencial teórico especificamente sobre o caso. O caso contemplou três unidades de análise, a saber: Caracterização dos Professores-Formandos; Funcionamento da Unidade Curricular e Dinâmica dos currículos dos módulos articuladores. Estas unidades de análises permitiram evidenciar de que forma as características e/ou alterações implementadas na disciplina MEF contribuíram (ou podem contribuir) para a articulação da IDC-Práticas e descrever as dinâmicas do currículo (intencional – negociado – acção), evidenciando em que medida promoveram (ou inibiram) a articulação IDC – práticas. O estudo de caso aqui descrito revelou, ainda, a existência de dois níveis de articulação entre a Investigação e as Práticas no contexto formativo. O primeiro nível foi a articulação entre a Investigação sobre o Ensino Superior/Formação de Professores de Ciências (patente nas estratégias/métodos utilizados na disciplina) e a prática formativa dos IF no contexto da disciplina. O segundo nível centrou-se na articulação entre a Investigação sobre o Ensino não-Superior/Didáctica das Ciências e as práticas de Ensino das Ciências, base orientadora do currículo da disciplina aqui analisada, concretizado nos dois módulos articuladores descritos. Destacam-se algumas dimensões de análise descritas na presente investigação empírica, a saber: Utilização das TIC; Avaliação do Ensino baseada no feedback dos alunos; Avaliação Formativa das Aprendizagens e feedback; Trabalho de grupo realizado nos módulos articuladores; Currículo centrado na IDC; Currículo centrado na articulação da IDC-Práticas de Ensino das Ciências; Currículo centrado nas Práticas de Ensino das Ciências; Currículo centrado na articulação da Investigação-Práticas formativas e Currículo centrado nas Políticas Educativas. Relativamente a dinâmica dos currículos (intencional - negociado - acção) dos dois módulos articuladores, foram definidos quatro construtos (objectos de ensino, objectos de aprendizagem, objectivos de ensino e objectivos de aprendizagem) que culminaram na discussão de vários aspectos a serem considerados nos próximos cursos como, por exemplo: 1) Importância de o contrato didáctico prever a inclusão de objectos de aprendizagem; 2) Incompatibilidade do objectivo de aprendizagem ‘compreender a importância da IDC e a sua relevância para as práticas lectivas em contextos específicos’ num quadro formativo articulador; e 3) Importância de os cursos de formação de professores explicitarem quais ferramentas investigativas são necessárias à produção autónoma de conhecimento no contexto escolar e académico (mesmo que não sejam mobilizadas), de forma a que os professores possam delinear previamente planos individuais de formação/investigação. O estudo termina com a apropriação do modelo de articulação entre a Investigação Educacional e Práticas de McIntyre (2005) ao contexto da Didáctica das Ciências evidenciando uma relação dialógica com a investigação empírica. Apesar de este modelo priorizar a dimensão epistemológica (que aceita o gap pela impossibilidade epistemológica do seu total desaparecimento), na sua apropriação foi considerada a influência das outras dimensões. Esta apropriação assentou, portanto, numa visão moderada de articulação e na complexidade inerente à interdependência das dimensões. Foram propostos três caminhos epistemológicos complementares para a articulação entre a IDC-Práticas: 1º) Interacções entre Didáctica Investigativa – Didáctica Profissional; 2º) Utilização de estratégias na IDC especialmente desenhadas para informar as práticas de ensino; e 3º) Realização de IDC pela escola. Em cada um destes caminhos procurou-se enquadrar algumas sugestões e iniciativas já levadas a cabo para potenciar o impacte e/ou articulação e que se encontravam referenciadas na literatura em geral e no contexto português em particular. O primeiro caminho (composto por cinco etapas) evidenciou-se como aquele que leva a maior vantagem pelas inúmeras intervenções possíveis. A investigação empírica aqui apresentada enquadrou-se inclusivamente neste primeiro caminho pelo facto de ter sido uma iniciativa com a intencionalidade explícita de articular a Didáctica Investigativa e Profissional e por ter sido realizada no contexto da Formação Pós-Graduada (cenário considerado privilegiado para a promoção de interacções). Esta iniciativa foi realizada exclusivamente no âmbito curricular da Formação Pós-Graduada (Didáctica Curricular) e procurou articular as dimensões epistemológicas da Didáctica através da utilização de ‘mecanismos potencialmente articuladores’ (Avaliação - feedback, TIC e Colaboração). Foram descritas as quatro etapas deste primeiro caminho percorridas empiricamente com variações no grau de concretização, com excepção da quinta etapa ‘Investigação sobre a prática de ensino com generalização situada’ porque a vertente dissertativa do respectivo curso não fez parte do corpus. Assim, a articulação ocorreu fundamentalmente no nível epistemológico (currículo da disciplina). No que diz respeito ao 2º caminho, é aquele em que a comunidade académica mais tem investido, quer pelas críticas voltadas especificamente para a investigação, quer pelo sucesso na potenciação do impacte nas propostas até agora implementadas. Deve ser utilizado de forma complementar ao 1º, envolvendo, de preferência, os Professores que percorrem frequentemente o 1º caminho na sua prática diária. Esta condição justifica-se pela necessidade de se integrar legitimamente os professores nas equipas de investigação, aumentando concomitantemente a contribuição das Práticas para a construção de conhecimento no campo educacional. Finalmente, o 3º caminho é aquele que ainda não pode ser concretizado porque, para as Escolas serem diferentes das actuais na dimensão epistemológica (tornando-se produtoras de conhecimento didáctico), seriam necessárias medidas estruturais e articuladas nas várias dimensões anteriormente referidas. Entretanto, foram apontadas algumas soluções como, por exemplo, a utilização de investigações de generalização situada nas Escolas e a ligação das Escolas em redes. Estas investigações locais não substituiriam, mas mobilizariam a IDC produzida nas Universidades (centradas na construção do campo Didáctica das Ciências). Este caminho visionário culmina por um lado, com uma análise prospectiva assente na relação de complementaridade entre as evidências científicas e experienciais porque uma prática sem suporte investigativo é imprudente e uma investigação sem suporte experiencial é imatura. Por outro com uma constatação tardia (deveras reconfortante) que os estudos centrados na relação entre a Investigação e Práticas são estudos voltados para a Formação de Investigadores-Seniores por exigirem uma meta-reflexão da prática investigativa e do processo investigativo. As implicações do estudo são: (i) futuras iniciativas de articulação entre IDCPráticas; (ii) implementar e avaliar as sugestões advindas em novos contextos formativos; e (iii) na Educação a distância na área da Didáctica e Formação Didáctica de Professores. Assume-se a limitação estrutural da investigação resultante da alteração do projecto inicial que o restringiu a uma única etapa. Faz-se ainda uma reflexão do processo formativo-investigativo mediante a descrição dos constrangimentos de natureza interna e externa. Explicitam-se as limitações de carácter geral e específico e algumas tentativas de minimização dos respectivos efeitos no estudo. Finaliza-se o estudo com algumas sugestões de trabalhos futuros, a saber: (i) Continuidade dos estudos centrados na articulação entre IDC-Práticas; (ii) Continuidade dos estudos de Avaliação da Formação Pós-Graduada em termos de eficiência, eficácia, impacte e articulação; (iii) Análise da Epistemologia da Prática Docente em comunidades de práticas escolares; (iv) Articulação entre a Investigação sobre a Formação de Professores e as práticas dos formadores e futuros-formadores; e (v) Constituição de “Scholarship of teaching” na Formação de Professores.

Minimal Contact Intervention for Tobacco Dependence

This study was conducted to measure the degree of adherence by public health care providers to a policy that requires them to implement minimal contact intervention for tobacco cessation with their clients. This study also described what components of the intervention may have contributed to the adherence of the policy and how health care providers felt about adhering to the policy. The intervention consisted of a policy for implementation of minimal contact intervention, changes to documentation, a health care provider mentor trained, a training session for health care providers, and ongoing paper and people supports for implementation. Data for this study were collected through a health care provider questionnaire, focus group interviews, and a compliance protocol including a chart audit. The findings of this study showed a high degree of adherence to the policy, that health care providers thought minimal contact intervention was important to conduct with their clients, and that health care providers felt supported to implement the intervention. No statistically significant difference was found between new and experienced health care providers on 17 of the 18 questions on the health care provider questionnaire. However there was a statistically significant difference between new and experienced health care providers with respect to their perception that “clients often feel like they have to accept tobacco cessation information from me.” Changes could be made to the minimal contact intervention and to documentation of the intervention. Implications for future research include implementation within other programs within Hamilton Public Health Services and implementation of this model within other public health units and other types of health care providers within Ontario.

Alcances y limitaciones de la política pública de Recuperación y Manejo del Espacio Público del Distrito Capital. Estudio de Caso: Programa de Renovación, Recuperación y Revalorización de Espacios Públicos encaminado a la reubicación de los vendedores ambulantes en kioscos fijos. Periodo de estudio: 2006-2010

El presente estudio se centra en una política pública que ha sido llevada a cabo en el marco de la implementación de las mejoras enfocadas a la recuperación del espacio público en el Distrito Capital: El Programa de Renovación, Recuperación y Revalorización de Espacios Públicos iniciado durante la administración del alcalde Luis Eduardo Garzón. Los gobiernos anteriores intervenían el espacio público con un enfoque básicamente estético y físico, sin permitir su uso por vendedores ambulantes, éste introdujo un cambio fundamental al instalar quioscos fijos en el espacio público y permitir su uso temporal por antiguos vendedores mientras adquirían las capacidades para desarrollar proyectos económicos autónomos. A pesar del cambio radical que introdujo esta política, su implementación fue imperfecta evidenciándose notoriamente sus limitaciones, ya que no se permitió a los vendedores formalizar su trabajo.

Diagnóstico del plan fronteras para la prosperidad en el archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina

El presente estudio de caso tiene por objetivo presentar un diagnóstico del Plan Fronteras para la Prosperidad -PFP- en el archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina -SAPSC-, liderado por el Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores -MRE- en el gobierno de Juan Manuel Santos. Con este texto, se buscó describir la situación política, social, económica y cultural del Archipiélago de SAPSC; explicar las principales herramientas de política pública utilizadas por los gobiernos para mejorar las condiciones políticas, sociales y económicas en el Archipiélago; y por último, evaluar el PFP a la luz del enfoque de política pública de implementación “botton-up” para identificar las debilidades, fortalezas, oportunidades y amenazas de la misma, con el propósito de aportar recomendaciones para desarrollo de políticas públicas virtuosas.

Los obstáculos de la gobernabilidad en la región del Catatumbo: una aproximación desde la política de seguridad democrática 2002 – 2010

El propósito de esta investigación es verificar si la implementación de la política de seguridad democrática en la región del Catatumbo permitió recuperar la gobernabilidad en la zona de estudio. Por esa razón se describen y analizan las características de la región, las lógicas operativas de los actores armados, así como, los efectos de la implementación de la política pública de seguridad democrática y la incidencia de lo anterior en la construcción de la gobernabilidad. A la luz de los autores Joan Oriol Prats, Federmán Rodríguez y Rubén Sánchez se estudian los componentes esenciales de los conceptos de gobernabilidad y seguridad democrática respectivamente.

Analysing health claims policy in Australia : a case study of evidence in food and nutrition policy-making

Purpose: Health claims generally describe an association between a food product and a health outcome. There is debate whether health claims promote or obstruct healthy food selection behaviour. This study investigates the role of evidence in food and nutrition policy-making. The research question is how and why was health claims policy made in Australia? The research is innovative in its critical analysis design and its focus on building theory to help improve food and nutrition policy-making processes and outcomes.

Methods: A case study design was adopted in which events, stakeholders and issues associated with the policy review were described from data generated from interviews and documentary sources. A content-analysis tool is being used to critically analyse textual data. Concepts in the text are being identified and relationships among the policy concepts, stakeholders and processes are being mapped.

Findings: The analysis of data associated with the policy review is revealing a pattern of relationships among stakeholders, processes and concepts around shared values, beliefs and interests towards food and health. Broader food regulation contexts have influenced the decision-making environment. The pattern of relationships shares common characteristics with Sabatier’s ‘Advocacy Coalition Framework’ theoretical explanation of policy-making.

Conclusions: The study findings have implications for health claims policy and practice in Australia. As a case study of evidence in food and nutrition policy-making, this research highlights the role of competing interests, beliefs and values in evidence interpretation. Challenges are identified in undertaking food policy research.

Australian public sector adoption of EDRMS : a preliminary survey

Governments around the world are placing increasing emphasis on effective corporate recordkeeping within both private and public sector organisations, with some governments mandating such approaches: for example, The State Government of South Australia has required all its agencies to have 'an adequate records management program' in place by the end of 2009 (State Records of South Australia 2007). These demands are often met through the implementation of centralised electronic records management solutions – frequently, Electronic Document and Records Management Systems (EDRMS) – but not all implementing organisations adopt an EDRMS solution in the most optimal way; and many such systems fail to meet organisational needs, or gain acceptance form all (or even most) users. This paper reports on a Web-based survey of Australian public sector EDRMS implementation at three levels (federal, state and local government) and forms the first component of a multi-part investigation of Australian public sector records management. This preliminary survey was designed to identify the EDRMS solutions adopted by government agencies, as well as any guidelines or frameworks used in designing and implementing those solutions.

Housing service officers : agents of the state or customer service officers?

Staff employed in the Victorian Office of Housing are invariably required to exercise discretion in their day-to-day work managing housing assets and providing services to public housing tenants. Policies specify processes but they never cover all situations and do not provide guidance on competing objectives. For example, preparing a property for reletting is a process with protocols and budget constraints. However, staff can make procedural variations that compy with policy. These variations, generally learnt from peers on the job, often result in budget over runs, but do result in improved properties for new tenants. Discretion is being exercised in balancing housing asset, budget control and tenant service objectives. A housing officer sums up the enduring tension in balancing objectives in the question and statement:’ Am I an agent of the state or a customer service officer? Because I can’t be both’. Organisationally these tensions are spoken about as ‘management issues’, ‘policy reengineering’ and ‘unrealistic understandings’. Using data from an ethnographic study in the Victorian Office of Housing, the paper addresses the question: ‘What do we know about the way in which front line housing officers manage competing objectives in their daily work and how might this knowledge be usefully used in the development of operational policy?’ The paper will explore the way in which complex administrative rules are used as a device to align staff to the Office of Housing objectives and limit the exercise of discretion by frontline staff. Against the background of this analysis the paper will consider the limitations of rule making and the extent to which other organisational strategies might be important for improvements in service provision in a context of constrained resources and limited resources.

Case study of electronic networking in an initial teacher education course

Electronic networking ('computer-mediated communication1), considered to be ‘unique domain for educational activity’ (Harasim, 1989:50) and ‘new educational paradigm’ (Mason & Kaye, 1989:23), has been widely used and researched in K-12 schooling, place-based undergraduate subjects and distance education courses. However, only a limited number of reports of usage with experienced teachers (professional development), beginning teachers (induction support) and trainee teachers (initial training) have been published. Hence, little is known about the ways in which this new medium might contribute to the acquisition and maintenance of professional knowledge in the field of teacher education. The purpose of this study was to document an application of electronic networking in an initial 'school-based1 teacher education course. Three factors which were considered to be important in the adoption of electronic networking were specifically addressed: (a) the potential of the medium to attract and maintain a representative and comprehensive audience', (b) the willingness of participants to use the medium for the notation of ideas about teaching; and, (c) the extent to which reflection on practice was evident in network messages. This study also identified and investigated other effects which emerged as participants attempted to negotiate personal relationships with new technology. A case study was selected to investigate audience, notation, reflection, and other effects, in a particular application. Data were collected using participant observation, software-generated statistics, printed documentation, university records, questionnaires, interviews and content analysis of messages. These data were used to describe and analyse network participation by trainee teachers, classroom teachers and university staff. The data revealed that an audience did exist on the electronic network but that this was not comprehensive. Teachers had difficulty accessing the network because of other school commitments, access to equipment and personal competence with microcomputers. These difficulties indicated that developing and maintaining the teacher audience may be a major problem with electronic networking in initial teacher education. This case study revealed that deeply held concerns about notation of ideas by trainee teachers and classroom teachers can be powerful reasons for limited network participation. For trainee teachers, recording ideas publicly presented special difficulties associated with written communication. They were concerned about writing for an audience; about what to write about and how to write it. The loss of visual and verbal cues which form part of face-to-face communication was also a problem leading to concerns about how messages would be received by others. However, the overwhelming concern of almost all trainee teachers about presenting their own ideas was Tear of criticism' from peers (in particular), and other participants on the network. Trainee teachers expressed concerns about the 'dangers' of putting their thoughts in writing, the scrutiny their messages might have received from others, and the public 'criticism' about what they wrote which might have appeared on the network. Knowing that messages were stored on the network, and could be retrieved at some later date, heightened anxiety about the vulnerability of written communication; what was written on one occasion may have to be defended at some later date when the views expressed initially were no longer held. Classroom teachers were also unsure about recording their own ideas in an electronic form. Like trainee teachers, they were concerned about the scrutiny their contributions might receive from other users, and the lack of visual and verbal cues which they had learnt to use in face-to-face communication. Notating ideas in text-based messages which were archived (by the software), and retrievable by others later, was also daunting to many teachers. Another major 'danger' for teachers was the possible repercussions of 'public comment' about curriculum policy and initiatives which they thought might get them into 'trouble' with their employer. Since very few messages were contributed to conferences, there was little evidence of reflection in network communication. In the main, the network was not used to share information and ideas about curriculum and teaching. Public examples of collaboration between participants were not evident, and the 'special knowledge' held by members in each distinct group of users was not elaborated and discussed. Messages were not used to request information or clarification about issues, to outline the processes by which decisions about teaching were reached, or to synthesis ideas from different sources. The potential of the medium to operationalise reflective practice was not realised. Among the effects observed, the use of an anonymous account to access the network, and the impact this had on participation (in one conference) was considered to be a particularly significant finding. While the opportunity to systematically investigate the effects of anonymity on network participation and message contributions was not realised (by the author) while the research was in progress, the effects observed and discussed are considered to be important and worthy of further investigation. In this case study, the anonymous account helped trainee teachers mask concerns about personal writing skills and fear of criticism from others, indicating that anonymity may alter communication patterns, particularly in the early stages of network use. Given the data collected in this case study, and the interpretations placed on it by the author, a pessimistic assessment of the place of electronic networking in initial teacher education courses was presented. For this situation to change - that is, for electronic discussions to become more fully integrated into course activities - four issues which need to be addressed were identified and discussed. These included clarification of the role of collaboration amongst participants in initial teacher education, the ways in which collaboration can be facilitated using electronic networking, the problems of notation - such as the difficulty of expressing ideas about teaching in written form, and the concerns about permanently archived messages - for teachers and trainee teachers, and the lack of skills which many trainee teachers bring to electronic discussions. In the context of initial teacher education, it was suggested that these four aspects require clarification and development before the potential advantages of electronic networking can be realised. Some specific suggestions about how these issues might be resolved were presented.

Effectiveness of national elite sport policies : a multidimensional approach applied to the case of Flanders

While the results of nations in international sport competitions are most often used as an evaluation of effectiveness of elite sport policies, they do not take into account the long-term duration of an athletic career, nor the many confounding variables influencing international success. This paper argues that output evaluation is a one-sided approach to policy assessment. It applies a multidimensional approach to the measurement of the effectiveness of elite sports policy evaluation (meso-level) by examining a four-year cycle of elite sport policies in Flanders. This study endeavors to advance the development of a framework to assess effectiveness of elite sport policies of nations. Data were collected at multiple points of the input-throughput-output and feedback cycle. It was found that in spite of the increasing elite sport expenditures in Flanders (inputs), and notwithstanding the development of the throughputs (processes), this has not as yet lead to acceptable results (outputs) at an international level.

Knowledge exchange in the Pacific : The TROPIC (translational research into obesity prevention policies for communities) project

Background
Policies targeting obesogenic environments and behaviours are critical to counter rising obesity rates and lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Policies are likely to be most effective and enduring when they are based on the best available evidence. Evidence-informed policy making is especially challenging in countries with limited resources. The Pacific TROPIC (Translational Research for Obesity Prevention in Communities) project aims to implement and evaluate a tailored knowledge-brokering approach to evidence-informed policy making to address obesity in Fiji, a Pacific nation challenged by increasingly high rates of obesity and concomitant NCDs.
Methods
The TROPIC project draws on the concept of ‘knowledge exchange’ between policy developers (individuals; organisations) and researchers to deliver a knowledge broking programme that maps policy environments, conducts workshops on evidence-informed policy making, supports the development of evidence-informed policy briefs, and embeds evidence-informed policy making into organisational culture. Recruitment of government and nongovernment organisational representatives will be based on potential to: develop policies relevant to obesity, reach broad audiences, and commit to resourcing staff and building a culture that supports evidence-informed policy development. Workshops will increase awareness of both obesity and policy cycles, as well as develop participants’ skills in accessing, assessing and applying relevant evidence to policy briefs. The knowledge-broking team will then support participants to: 1) develop evidence-informed policy briefs that are both commensurate with national and organisational plans and also informed by evidence from the Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities project and elsewhere; and 2) collaborate with participating organisations to embed evidence-informed policy making structures and processes. This knowledge broking initiative will be evaluated via data from semi-structured interviews, a validated self-assessment tool, process diaries and outputs.
Discussion
Public health interventions have rarely targeted evidence-informed policy making structures and processes to reduce obesity and NCDs. This study will empirically advance understanding of knowledge broking processes to extend evidence-informed policy making skills and develop a suite of national obesity-related policies that can potentially improve population health outcomes.

New directions in education? A critique of contemporary policy reforms

This paper draws on facets of Foucault's theoretical resources to critique current education policy reform from within the Australian State of Victoria, namely the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development's (DEECD) discussion paper New directions for school leadership and the teaching profession. Implicit in the reform effort is decentralization, including penalties for “underperforming” classroom teachers and “ineffective” teacher education courses. Principals will hold a pre-eminent rank in the reforms proposed as they are charged with their oversight and implementation, including intervening in the education and preparation of pre-service teachers.

Transferências intergovernamentais e seus impactos para a gestão da política pública de educação : análise sobre o caso do município do Rio de Janeiro, no período 2002/2011

O presente estudo procura identificar qual o impacto das transferências intergovernamentais, dadas algumas de suas características específicas, na formulação e implementação da política pública de educação. As transferências intergovernamentais são entendidas como um instrumento adotado por Estados federativos para corrigir distorções intrínsecas aos seus mecanismos de arrecadação e de execução de determinadas competências pelos seus entes federativos. Sendo assim, uma vez que é papel do Estado, enquanto provedor de serviços e bens públicos, otimizar a prestação dos mesmos, este trabalho procura entender como o mecanismo das transferências intergovernamentais adotado em sistemas federativos se reflete no orçamento municipal, bem como nas decisões de política pública, analisando-se, especificamente o caso da educação. Para tanto, utiliza-se o caso do município do Rio de Janeiro, ao longo do período 2002/2011, como referência para o estudo, uma vez que este é um município de relevância no cenário nacional e sua experiência pode refletir a situação vivida por outros municípios, bem como servir de inspiração para tantos outros. Este estudo possibilitou, por fim, entender como algumas opções de política são tomadas em razão dos mecanismos de financiamento utilizados pelos estados. Foi possível perceber que, embora haja um entendimento sobre a importância de se ter um projeto nacional de política pública, há uma distância considerável entre as percepções do governo central e dos entes subnacionais sobre a melhor forma de prestar determinado serviço, o que dificulta a otimização do uso dos recursos. O reconhecimento desta dificuldade é essencial para que seja possível melhorar a prestação dos serviços públicos pretendidos pelos Estados.

A implementação de ações de integração na segurança pública: o caso das polícias civil e militar do Rio Grande do Norte

The research aimed to understand the challenges for the implementation of the proposed integration between the Civil Police and the Military Police in Rio Grande do Norte to the proposals of the SUSP. This study aimed to explore the gap with regard to the deepening of the possible causes that may hinder the implementation of integrated working between the police in public security, through a specific analysis on the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Was based on a theoretical framework that includes policies: general concepts, the steps of a public policy, the implementation stage , public security : conceptual definitions, policies on security in Brazil, the structure of public security in Brazil and systems police, Military Police x Civil Police: Roles and conflicts , integrating public security: the challenges to be overcome, the Unified public Safety (SUSP) and the main difficulties in the integration of the police. Being classified as to the purposes as an exploratory research on how to approach ranks as qualitative. The research unit was the Center for Integrated Operations Public Safety (CIOSP) through three subjects who were the chief CIOSP, the representative of the military police acting with the CIOSP, and representative civil police also active with the CIOSP. These subjects were chosen because of the understanding that individuals occupying senior positions would have more ability to respond to questions that guide the research problem. Data were collected through a set of interviews, qualitative data analysis was performed based content analysis, based on the definition of categories of analysis, gated time cross. With the results, it was revealed that the main problems of integration between the state police are treatment protocols, lack of political will and lack of infrastructure. The relationship between the Military Police and Civil Police in Rio Grande do Norte has differing cultural aspect, but can be considered as good value, professionalism and integrated operations. The implementation of CIOSP-RN followed the characteristics of the top-down model, the main difficulties in implementing the proposals of the SUSP, lack of own resources, the lack of standardization in public safety and the lack of professional training of public safety. It was concluded that with respect to the challenges to the implementation of the proposed integration between the Civil Police and the Military Police in Rio Grande do Norte to the proposals of the SUSP, the actions follow the characteristics of the top-down model, with no autonomy of administrators public to say in decisions, which restricts the view of the public safety of the state