A framework for assessing social policy inclusion proposals

This document outlines a framework that could be used by government agencies in assessing policy interventions aimed at achieving social outcomes from government construction contracts. The framework represents a rational interpretation of the information gathered during the multi-outcomes construction policies project. The multi-outcomes project focused on the costs and benefits of using public construction contracts to promote the achievement of training and employment and public art objectives. The origin of the policy framework in a cost-benefit appraisal of current policy interventions is evidenced by its emphasis on sensitivity to policy commitment and project circumstances (especially project size and scope).The quantitative and qualitative analysis conducted in the multi-outcomes project highlighted, first, that in the absence of strong industry commitment to policy objectives, policy interventions typically result in high levels of avoidance activity, substantial administrative costs and very few benefits. Thus, for policy action on, for example, training or local employment to be successful compliance issues must be adequately addressed. Currently it appears that pre-qualification schemes (similar to the Priority Access Scheme) and schemes that rely on measuring, for example, the training investments of contractors within particular projects do not achieve high levels of compliance and involve significant administrative costs. Thus, an alternative is suggested in the policy framework developed here: a levy on each public construction project – set as a proportion of the total project costs. Although a full evaluation of this policy alternative was beyond the scope of the multi-outcomes construction policies project, it appears to offer the potential to minimize the transaction costs on contractors whilst enabling the creation of a training agency dedicated to improving the supply of skilled construction labour. A recommendation is thus made that this policy alternative be fully researched and evaluated. As noted above, the outcomes of the multi-outcomes research project also highlighted the need for sensitivity to project circumstances in the development and implementation of polices for public construction projects. Ideally a policy framework would have the flexibility to respond to circumstances where contractors share a commitment to the policy objectives and are able to identify measurable social outcomes from the particular government projects they are involved in. This would involve a project-by-project negotiation of goals and performance measures. It is likely to only be practical for large, longer term projects.

Redrawing Identity Boundaries through Integration Policies: Strategies of Inclusion/Exclusion of Immigrants in Québec and South Tyrol. EDAP Paper 01/2013

Following the research agenda introduced by Will Kymlicka, this qualitative study offers an interpretation of how the sub-national elites of Québec and South Tyrol police the integration of immigrants. For these national minority groups, which are constantly undergoing a process of redefinition of their collective identities by differentiating themselves from the Others who do not belong to the in-group, immigrants have progressively become the most significant Others as they are not part of the original system of compromises. This article questions how sub-national elites are handling this relatively new kind of ethnocultural diversity brought about by large-scale permanent immigration on two levels: first, the political narrative of the ruling sub-national parties, their electoral appeals, manifestos and speeches; second, the policy arrangements for the integration of immigrants in education, language and social policy. The initial approach of the article is pessimistic, as it assumes that sub-national elites will marginalize immigrants to please core nationalist supporters. In fact, the hypotheses to be tested are whether the national minority groups of Québec and South Tyrol engage in a process of reconstruction of their ethnic identity bounded by opposition to real or imagined Others – the newcomers; and whether they adopt practical measures that force newcomers to be assimilated into the group or to be marginalized. The comparison between Québec and South Tyrol provides a basic understanding of the impact of immigration in two sub-national polities that are very different, but still adopt similar political narratives and policy strategies with regard to the integration of newcomers.

Disability, deinstitutionalisation and discourse : an analysis of institutional reform policies in Queensland, 1994-1996

The closure of large institutions for people with intellectual disability and the subsequent shift to community living has been a feature of social policies in most western democracies for more than two decades. While the move from congregated settings to homes in the community has been heralded as a positive and desirable strategy, deinstitutionalisation has continued to be a controversial policy and practice. This research critically analyses the implementation of a deinstitutionalisation policy called Institutional Reform in the state of Queensland from May 1994 until it was dismantled under a new government in the middle of 1996. A trajectory study of the policy from early conceptualisation through its development, implementation and final extinction was undertaken. Several methods were utilised in the research including the textual analyis of policy documents, discussion papers and newspaper articles, interviews with stakeholders and participant observation. The research draws on theories of discourse and focuses on how discourses of disability shape policy and practice. The thesis outlines a number of implications for policy implementation more generally as well as for disability services. In particular, the theoretical framework builds on Fulcher's (1989) disabling discourses - medical, charity, lay and rights - and identifies two additional discourses of economics and inclusion. The thesis argues that competing disability discourses operated in powerful ways to shape the implementation of the policy and illustrates how older discourses based on fear and prejudice were promoted to positions of dominance and power.

Academic faculty’s teaching social networks : what is the extent of library faculty’s inclusion?

Collaboration between academic and library faculty is an important topic of discussion and research among academic librarians. Partnerships are vital for developing effective information literacy education. The research reported in this paper aims to develop an understanding of academic collaborators by analyzing academic faculty’s teaching social network. Academic faculty teaching social networks have not been previously described through the lens of social network analysis. A teaching social network is comprised of people and their communication channels that affect academic faculty when they design and deliver their courses. Social network analysis was the methodology used to describe the teaching social networks. The preliminary results show academic faculty were more affected by the channels of communication in how they taught (pedagogy) than what they taught (course content). This study supplements the existing research on collaboration and information literacy. It provides both academic and library faculty with added insight into their relationships.

Friedman Economic Policies, Social Exclusion and Crime: Toward a Gendered Left Realist Subcultural Theory.

Left realists contend that people lacking legitimate means of solving the problem of relative deprivation may come into contact with other frustrated disenfranchised people and form subcultures, which in turn, encourage criminal behaviors. Absent from this theory is an attempt to address how, today, subcultural development in North America and elsewhere is heavily shaped simultaneously by the recent destructive consequences of right-wing Friedman or Chicago School economic policies and marginalized men's attempts to live up to the principles of hegemonic masculinity. The purpose of this paper, then, is to offer a new left realist theory that emphasizes the contribution of these two key determinants.

Educational accountability tests, social and legal inclusion approaches to discrimination for students with disability : a national case study from Australia

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) promotes equal and full participation by children in education. Equity of educational access for all students, including students with disability, free from discrimination, is the first stated national goal of Australian education (MCEETYA 2008). Australian federal disability discrimination law, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), follows the Convention, with the federal Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE) enacting specific requirements for education. This article discusses equity of processes for inclusion of students with disability in Australian educational accountability testing, including international tests in which many countries participate. The conclusion drawn is that equitable inclusion of students with disability in current Australian educational accountability testing in not occurring from a social perspective and is not in principle compliant with law. However, given the reluctance of courts to intervene in education matters and the uncertainty of an outcome in any court consideration, the discussion shows that equitable inclusion in accountability systems is available through policy change rather than expensive, and possibly unsuccessful, legal challenges.

Much confusion about inclusion in Australia's largest education system

Over the last three decades, growing international recognition of the right of students with a disability to attend their local school has prompted change in the formation of education policies, schooling structures and pedagogical practice. Inclusion, as the movement has become known, has since been taken up and developed to different degrees in different regions and to differing degrees of success. Yet, despite sincere attempts to better include students with physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities, new and different forms of exclusion have arisen since the late 1990s; particularly for students with social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. In this lecture, Dr Linda Graham reports on findings from a three year ARC Discovery project to consider the impact of inclusion on the New South Wales government schooling sector, Australia’s largest education system.

Women at work! evaluating equal employment policies and outcomes in construction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine equal employment policies in Australia’s male-dominated construction industry and categorise the types of activities undertaken against an equal employment typology to identify links to outcomes for women in the form of increased participation and management. Design/methodology/approach To explore the issue of low representation of women in construction through the content analysis of 83 construction organisations’ equal employment opportunity (EEO) reports. Findings This industry is not engaging with equal employment issues and the numbers of women working in the industry and/or management are based on individual decision rather than an institutional commitment to equality in diversity. Research limitations/implications Australian legislation mandates organisational reporting of relevant data and offers public access to this information offering a unique data set. Practical implications An ageing population means that the predominately older male workforce is leaving construction in greater numbers with fewer potential replacements making new labour markets a vital consideration. Social implications Legislation and organisational policies designed to promote EEO for women have existed in numerous countries for decades. One objective of this legislation was to reduce male domination in senior positions and industries/occupations where women were under-represented. Despite this, few women are employed in construction in operational or management roles worldwide. Originality/value This study offers a comprehensive analysis of a male-dominated industry in one jurisdiction rather than a few selected cases and uses a broader rigorous typology for analysis that acknowledges both equal and different treatment options.

Are we there yet? Advancing women in Canada and Australia: Similar goals, different policies

Differences in opportunities and outcomes in the workplace are inherent in a free and competitive market. However when differences between individuals and groups are identified as resulting from particular policies, behaviours or attitudes, any resulting inequality may be identified as unfair. Increasingly, unfair disparities in societies and their workplaces are regularly challenged. Many of the unfair disparities are recognised as caused through unfair discrimination (Anker 1997). When defining discrimination, the International Labour Organization Convention (ILO) No. 111 defines it as “any distinction, exclusion or preference made on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction, or social origin, which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or treatment in employment or occupation” (ILO, 1958). Yet, the argument for addressing this ideal of ‘equality of opportunity’ is complex. Ekmekci (2013) identifies the difficulties as the determination of whether any process should be based on equality of opportunity or equality of outcome. In addition, there is the difficulty of determining what exactly constitutes a process for addressing unfair disparity due to the haziness of what constitutes discrimination and controversy in the meaning as well as policy implications of equality (Tomei, 2003).

Análise da participação social na gestão de políticas públicas para a empregabilidade de pessoas com deficiência

A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar criticamente o processo de participação social na gestão das ações das políticas públicas de empregabilidade de pessoas com deficiência, as PcD, em um município da região serrana do estado do Rio de Janeiro. Dentre estas políticas, cabe destaque para a Lei no 8.213/91 (BRASIL, 1991), conhecida como Lei de Reserva de Cotas, que estabelece fração percentual mínima de contratação de pessoas com deficiência para empresas com mais de cem empregados, assim como a Lei 7.853 (BRASIL, 1989), que estabelece normas gerais dos direitos das pessoas com deficiência e, em especial, as normas relativas à acessibilidade. Estas leis se constituem em políticas públicas no processo de inclusão da diversidade no ambiente de trabalho e servirão como parâmetro avaliativo da análise proposta pela pesquisa. Para condução metodológica desta pesquisa, realizou-se análise de relatos verbais de conselheiros quanto à inserção do Conselho Municipal das PcD na gestão de políticas públicas voltadas a este segmento. A justificativa para o desenvolvimento deste projeto consiste no fato da participação social se constituir em um princípio organizativo da gestão pública somado ao reconhecimento da temática pessoas com deficiência e trabalho como tópico polêmico e relevante para discussão e verificação. Os resultados da análise das ações do citado Conselho na gestão das políticas públicas de empregabilidade para as PcD apontaram defasagem do processo de inserção destas pessoas nos ambientes de trabalho, a ineficácia/inexistência das ações de políticas públicas específicas a esta área e a participação social incipiente de PcD na gestão das políticas públicas que garantem seus direitos ao trabalho, no município investigado. Espera-se que estas constatações contribuam para a adoção de concepções e práticas de participação social mais críticas e potentes na promoção de empregabilidade da PcD.

O processo de transição das creches da Assistência Social para a Educação em Juiz de Fora/MG (2008-2013)

Esta pesquisa que se insere na linha Infância, Juventude e Educação do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro/RJ buscou analisar como as coordenadoras/diretoras das 23 creches públicas de Juiz de Fora/MG compreendem o recente processo de transição da gestão das creches vinculadas à assistência social através da Associação Municipal de Apoio Comunitário (Amac) para a Secretaria de Educação, quando confrontadas com as perspectivas anunciadas na política oficial. Alguns objetivos específicos orientaram este estudo: (1) analisar a política oficial de inserção das creches ao sistema de ensino no município em questão; (2) Compreender como as coordenadoras/diretoras de creches percebem e vivenciam a implementação das políticas de inserção das creches ao sistema de ensino; (3) Identificar os principais embates e desafios que surgiram no contexto da prática após a implementação da transição e como as coordenadoras/diretoras lidam com eles. Como referencial para análise da política em foco, adotou-se a abordagem do ciclo de políticas (policy cycle approach) formulada por Stephen Ball e seus colaboradores. Segundo essa matriz as políticas educacionais são tratadas como textos, discursos e práticas produzidos em três contextos articulados entre si: o contexto de influência, o contexto da produção de texto e o contexto da prática. O contexto de influência foi acessado a partir de pesquisas bibliográficas. O contexto da produção de texto ganhou visibilidade pela via da análise documental. Os dados do contexto da prática, foco principal desta pesquisa, foram produzidos em três sessões reflexivas realizadas entre 2008 e 2013 com as coordenadoras/diretoras das 23 creches públicas de Juiz de Fora/MG. As análises apontaram que o processo de transição das creches tem sido produzido em meio a discursos e textos sujeitos a influências e inter-relações com as políticas locais, nacionais e globais. Mostrou também que a ausência de representantes do contexto da prática na elaboração inicial da política gerou apreensão e insegurança nos profissionais das creches. A produção da política foi marcada por conflitos entre as coordenadoras/diretoras e a Secretaria de Educação, e dificuldades advindas do modelo fragmentado de gestão da rede de creches em duas instâncias (Amac e Secretaria de Educação). A redução desses conflitos demandou negociações e adaptações de ambos os lados. A formação continuada no contexto das creches emergiu como uma contribuição para o avanço das práticas educativas. No entanto, a necessidade do poder público rever a carreira e as condições de trabalho dos profissionais dessas instituições foi ressaltada como uma questão fundamental para a construção de um atendimento com qualidade

Amamentação como valor humano, prática feminina e direito social: contribuição crítica à política pública sustentada no referencial de justiça de Amartya Sen.

O aleitamento é uma prática humana reconhecida como um direito social, e como tal é um direito de todos que deve ser garantido pelo Estado. Apesar desse entendimento presente no arcabouço jurídico, como na Constituição Federal e no Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente ainda há muitas mulheres e crianças privadas desse direito devido às estruturas organizacionais presentes nos equipamentos sociais, públicos e privados, que deveriam contemplar a condição feminina e proteger o livre exercício do aleitamento materno e não o fazem. O presente estudo buscou compreender a prática da amamentação de mulheres residentes na Região Metropolitana I (Baixada Fluminense), estado do Rio de Janeiro, em seu contexto social, político e econômico. O estudo se apoiou no conceito de privação (exclusão e inclusão injusta) da teoria de justiça de Amartya Sen. Utilizou-se a pesquisa qualitativa, o grupo focal como técnica de coleta de dados e a hermenêutica-dialética como método de análise. A etapa de campo foi realizada em três municípios da região estudada e ao todo foram realizados cinco grupos focais. Os sujeitos do estudo foram 29 mulheres com idade entre 17 e 49 anos, residentes na região e que vivenciaram a amamentação em condições de algum tipo de privação de direitos. Como resultado do estudo foram construídas duas categorias: 1. Instituições e desigualdades: a experiência da mulher que amamenta, e 2. Posicionalidade e condição de agente: amamentação como uma prática feminina. A primeira categoria se ocupou de descrever o direito como se apresenta na realidade concreta das mulheres que amamentam; a segunda categoria traz uma reflexão sobre o lugar que a mulher ocupa afetando sua condição de agente. A escolha de Amartya Sen como teórico para compreender a prática da amamentação de mulheres que vivenciam privações encontra identificação neste estudo, por se tratar de uma teoria de justiça que parte das injustiças impactantes e não de teorizações acerca da economia e dos sistemas políticos. Sendo as pessoas o foco da atenção, o autor está interessado na eliminação ou minimização dos efeitos das injustiças sentidas por estas e que tanto afetam seu desenvolvimento. Não há como chegar à justiça sem falar em instituições justas, uma vez que o alargamento das liberdades como fundamento da justiça requer de igual forma a ampliação das oportunidades e nessa questão as políticas públicas têm importante contribuição a dar à efetivação dos direitos e redução das desigualdades. Cabe, portanto, aos diferentes atores sociais o enfrentamento das iniquidades por meio de maior participação política e social numa perspectiva de agência em que se busca transformação no coletivo e para o coletivo e não apenas na perspectiva de bem-estar, paciente das benesses dos programas sociais.