In many schools hours of energy and effort are dedicated to making decisions and developing policy. At the school level issues of curriculum, faculty groupings and structure, strategy for staff allocations and resourcing of faculties, often results in debate before being decided upon. So often valuable time and resources are wasted in argument, disagreement and political activity. This study has been designed to determine what actually happens in the decision process, with the subject of the study a single committee. The aim of the study is to determine the style of policy development that took place and what influences affected the decisions made. The study is in two parts. The first section develops a Conceptual Framework and research questions to categorise, summarise and organise data collected from policy development processes. The Conceptual framework was designed to permit analysis of the major components of the stages of Problem Structuring, Generation of Alternatives and Recommending Policy Actions. The second section in includes further Research Questions to determine whether the process applied to developing policy was Rational, Nonrational (Incremental/Political) or a Mixed Model type. The research method used was naturalistic and qualitative in nature and in the context of a case study. The main findings were that a Mixed Model of policy development was used by the Committee with elements of both Rational and Nonrational process evident from the research data.

During the latter half of the twentieth century, youthwork has emerged as an occupation responsible for the delivery of a broad variety of services for young people. During the 1970's and 80's in particular, there has been a rapid multiplication of the number of people employed in the role of youthworker. As an occupation, youthwork has had placed upon it by society certain expectations regarding the standard of the work performed. This is particularly so with respect to the interaction between the youthworker and young people with whom they work. This expectation is not unlike that placed upon other occupations working directly with people (and young people), such as teachers and social workers. It is a reasonable societal expectation that workers such as teachers, social workers and youthworkers, should provide a service of a certain standard, commensurate with the responsibility ascribed to the role of that occupation. Education and training is recognised as being fundamental to the attainment of recognised standards of competency in both teaching and social work, as well as many other occupations which have a direct service delivery role with people. A spectrum of such opportunities have been developed and provided for these occupations. There is an expectation that the practice of such occupations is fundamentally linked with the education and training provided. However, this has not been so with the youthwork occupation. The provision of education and training has not grown with the expansion in the occupation. Furthermore, the linkage between education and training, and practice, was not recognised in this field for many years. Questions about how and why this has occurred, and how and by whom it should be redressed, are to be explored in this Study. That youthwork is an occupation is a fact. There are thousands of youthworkers employed around Australia. This Study asserts that the provision of education and training opportunities provided for this occupation are inadequate in general. A cohesive policy framework for such provision is also lacking. Australian society sanctions the occupation of youthwork by providing millions of dollars of resources per annum. It expects, rightly so, a quality standard of performance from the occupation, and services who are employers. Monitoring through formal evaluation and the application of performance indicators are part and parcel of such resource allocation. But, the means to achieve such quality standards - education and training - have not been adequately recognised or provided. This situation is clearly anomalous, and must therefore be addressed and resolved.

Thesis (M.A.)--American University, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-139).

Human trafficking is a global issue with every country being affected. Victims of human trafficking endure extreme and prolonged psychological, physical, and sexual trauma, which often lead to healthcare facility visits while in captivity. It is estimated that 28% of human trafficking victims come into contact with a healthcare professional, yet few victims are detected in the healthcare setting. The aims of this study were, therefore, to summarize and compare English screening protocol literature, disseminate the most effective screening questions in a format easily accessible to healthcare providers, and to identify gaps in the literature. Research about utilizing trafficking screening protocols in a healthcare setting is a relatively new phenomenon since trafficking has been traditionally framed as a security matter rather than a health matter. A scoping review was conducted using the five-stage Arksey and O’Malley (2005) framework with revisions from Daudt, van Mossel, and Scott (2013), and Levac, Colquhoun and O’Brien (2010). Findings were summarized thematically: 1) pre-screening, 2) screening questions, 3) post-screening, and 4) training. Twenty-nine sources were included of 325 identified with most (68.97%) being published in the United States. There was only one validated screening protocol: 94.12% of screening protocols lacked scientific reasoning for chosen questions. With limited access to evidence-based screening protocols, healthcare professionals globally may be using outdated screening questions that are less effective when trying to identify trafficking victims. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Victims of trafficking sustain psychological, physical, and sexual injuries, which often lead to healthcare facility visits. Although trafficking victims do come into contact with healthcare professionals while in captivity, few victims are identified in the healthcare setting. This study, therefore, aims to uncover English human trafficking screening protocols, to compare the protocols, and to share the most effective questions for healthcare professionals when trying to identify a victim of trafficking. Previous studies have failed to address this issue globally since trafficking has traditionally been framed as a security matter rather than a health matter. Electronic databases were searched using defined keywords for screening protocol literature, revealing 29 relevant documents after review. Only one, recently developed screening tool was validated, meaning that healthcare professionals globally may be using outdated screening questions that are less effective when trying to identifying trafficking victims.

Risk-based regulation has grown rapidly as a component of Government decision making, and as such, the need for an established evidence-based framework for decisions about risk has become the new mantra. However, the process of brokering scientific evidence is poorly understood and there is a need to improve the transparency of this brokering process and decisions made. This thesis attempts to achieve this by using agent-based simulation to model the influence that power structures and participating personalities has on the brokering of evidence and thereby the confidence-building exercise that characterises risk-based regulation. As a prerequisite to the adoption of agent-based techniques for simulating decisions under uncertainty, this thesis provides a critical review of the influence power structure and personality have on the brokering of scientific evidence that informs risk decisions. Three case studies, each representing a different perspective on risk-based regulation are presented: nuclear waste disposal, the disposal of avian-influenza infected animal carcases and the reduction of dietary salt intake. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with an expert from each case study, and the logical sequence in which decisions were made was mapped out and used to inform the development of an agent-based simulation model. The developed agent-based model was designed to capture the character of the brokering process by transparently setting out how evidence is transmitted from the provider of evidence to the final decision maker. It comprises of two agents, a recipient and provider of evidence, and draws upon a historic knowledge base to permit the user to vary components of the interacting agents and of the decision-making procedure, demonstrating the influence that power structure and personality has on agent receptivity and the confidence attached to a number of different lines of evidence. This is a novel step forward because it goes beyond the scope of current risk management frameworks, for example, permitting the user to explore the influence that participants have in weighing and strengthening different lines of evidence and the impact this has on the final decision outcome.

The existing analyses in the literature of inter-regionalism focus on a macro perspective when they look at the relationship between inter-regional ties and global governance. They have not explored the European Union’s (EU) policy development toward the Association of South-East Asia Nations (ASEAN) in detail which affects the EU and ASEAN relationship. They have overlooked explanations and current empirical evidence regarding that relationship. This thesis analyses internal factors within the EU and external factors from ASEAN and outside of the EU which influence EU policies toward ASEAN. The internal factors are the relevant actors within the various institutional arrangements of the EU policy and the promotion of interests of the EU and those of its member states and to some extent of common EU values. The modes of engagement between the EU and ASEAN, the level of integration within ASEAN and the pressures and opportunities from ASEAN and outside the EU are the external factors. Then, this thesis assesses how, when and to what extent these factors influence the EU’s policy developments toward ASEAN and have implications for the inter-regional relationship between the two regions. I examine three EU policies toward ASEAN from 2001 to 2009:1) a new partnership with South-East Asia, 2) the joint EUASEAN monitoring mission in Aceh, and 3) an ASEAN-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA).This thesis is based on a qualitative method of analysis and is part of problem-driven research. It employs inductive theory building from case studies as the research strategy and documents and interviews as methods of data collection. This thesis presents the variation in importance within factors which influence the EU’s policy development toward ASEAN. It highlights different kinds of interactions between factors which shape the success or failure of the EU’s policy development. The co-operative relationship between these factors is needed to conclude agreement between the two regions. However, the conflicting relationship between these factors can lead to the failure to reach agreement between them. With regard to internal factors, this thesis demonstrates that a shared common position between relevant and other related actors within each of the various institutional arrangements in the EU may assist in the conclusion of an agreement between the two regions. As EU interests takes precedence over values, the likelihood of achieving an agreement increases. With regard to external factors, this thesis argues that consultation and monitoring mechanisms have been used by the EU as its modes of engagement (as opposed to a negotiation) and they affect its policy development and enable it to reach an agreement with ASEAN. The conclusion of an agreement between the two regions can be easily achieved, when the level of integration within ASEAN remains static or weak. However, when the level of integration within ASEAN is stronger, the EU would be less likely to achieve its expected agreements with ASEAN. The conclusion of an agreement between the EU and ASEAN can be achieved when they can resolve these external pressures and take advantage of external opportunities. The trends in and implications for the EU and ASEAN relationship are as follows: first, the more the EU applies a balanced treatment of internal and external factors, then the more it will support the EU’s policy development and that will positively influence the EU and ASEAN relationship. Second, their relationship has been shifted from a hierarchical ex-colonial dynamic to a mutually interdependent partnership.

Submitted by admin tede (tede@pucgoias.edu.br) on 2018-11-06T16:50:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 CARLOS HENRIQUE NASCIMENTO OLIVEIRA.pdf: 1679735 bytes, checksum: 8c1b5b84acd4ad3ef1dc5f96076394d8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-06T16:50:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CARLOS HENRIQUE NASCIMENTO OLIVEIRA.pdf: 1679735 bytes, checksum: 8c1b5b84acd4ad3ef1dc5f96076394d8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-08-13 / From the decay of the cocoa economy in the late 1980s, family agriculture entered the public agenda in Ilhéus and started to receive incentives for its development. The implementation of the Food Acquisition Program (PAA), the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) and the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Program (ATER) by cooperatives and municipal authorities from 2006 onwards point to the disruption with the colonelist tradition and for the emergence of new social relations in the municipality. The political domination imposed by cocoa colonels on Ilhean society, in more than a century of economic cacao farming, has generated an atmosphere of great social unrest, marked by fierce political disputes. After more than three decades of the political and economic weakening of these landowners these brands still present in Ilhéus. The programs were implemented in a context of political divisions and intrigues, and farmers are affiliated with associations and cooperatives that live in disputes over power in the municipality. On the other hand, depending on who the municipal manager is a certain group of farmers and their cooperative will have primacy in the programs implemented. It has been found that this situation makes it difficult to organize and develop these farmers who remain largely unsupported and economically weakened. Based on this framework, the objective was to investigate the reasons that led the municipal government to carry out the simultaneous implementation of the PAA, the PNAE and the ATER. Thus, it is believed that, not being overcome the conflicts and contradictions that mark this society, the benefits of this political action may be favoring political groups that seek to perpetuate themselves in local power. Data were collected through primary and secondary sources: interviews with municipal secretaries, presidents of cooperatives, farmers, among others; In addition, research was done on the internet and in bibliographic sources. The data collected concern the process of implementing the programs in the municipality, the benefits, the favored ones, the representation and the structure of the farmers. As it turned out, the execution of the program by the municipal power sought among other things to share the political protagonism with the family farmers due to the emergence of rural leaders in the adversary field. Instead of promoting the articulation and organization of the category, the way in which the political actions took place there were divisions and disputes between the rural segments of the municipality. / A partir da decadência da economia cacaueira, no final dos anos 1980, a agricultura familiar entrou na agenda pública em Ilhéus e passou a receber incentivos para o seu desenvolvimento. A execução do Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos (PAA), do Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar (PNAE) e do Programa de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural (ATER), por cooperativas e pelo poder municipal, a partir do ano de 2006, apontam para o rompimento com a tradição coronelista e para o surgimento de novas relações sociais no município. A dominação política imposta pelos coronéis de cacau à sociedade ilheense, em mais de século de apogeu econômico da cacauicultura, gerou um ambiente de grande agitação social, marcado por ferrenhas disputas políticas. Passados mais de três décadas do enfraquecimento político e econômico desses latifundiários, essas marcas ainda continuam presente no município. A execução dos programas foi feita num contexto de divisões e intrigas políticas, sendo que os agricultores passaram a ser filiados em associações e cooperativas que vivem em disputas por espaços de poder em Ilhéus. Por outro lado, dependendo da gestão municipal, determinado grupo de agricultores e sua cooperativa terão primazia nos programas executados. Percebe-se que essa situação dificulta a organização e o desenvolvimento desses agricultores, que continuam, em sua maioria, sem apoio e enfraquecidos economicamente. Com base nesse quadro, objetivou-se investigar os motivos que levaram o governo municipal a fazer a implementação simultânea do PAA, do PNAE e do ATER. Assim sendo, acredita-se que não estando superados os conflitos e as contradições que marcam essa sociedade, os benefícios dessa ação política podem favorecer grupos políticos que buscam a perpetuação no poder local. Para a consecução do objetivo proposto, a coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de fontes primárias e secundárias: foram feitas entrevistas com secretários municipais, presidentes de cooperativas, agricultores, entre outros; além disso, foram feitas pesquisas na internet e em fontes bibliográficas. Os dados coletados dizem respeito ao processo de execução dos programas no município, aos benefícios, aos favorecidos, à representação e à estrutura dos agricultores. Conforme se apurou, a execução dos programas pelo poder municipal buscou, entre outras coisas, dividir o protagonismo político junto aos agricultores familiares em razão do surgimento de lideranças rurais no campo adversário. Ao invés de promover a articulação e a organização da categoria, ações políticas implementadas deram origem a divisões e disputas entre os segmentos rurais do município.

Research shows that risk factors may be useful clues for predicting students' potential for engaging in weapon-carrying behavior. Law makers on every level-federal, state, and local- deem the presence of weapons on school grounds to be a serious problem and a violation of school policy. A large, urban school system has put forth sustained and costly efforts to prevent students from carrying weapons to school; yet students continue to carry weapons to school in this district. The purpose of this study was to use archival data collected as part of the school system's everyday practice to identify risk factors for students carrying weapons to school. Bandura's social learning theory guided this quantitative ex-post facto study. Six risk factors related to students' weapon-carrying behavior were examined: gender, prior fights, suspensions, race, academic achievement, and time of school day/year. Risk factors were compared for identified weapon carriers (n = 605) and non-weapon carriers (n = 605) using chi-square tests and a logistic regression analysis. Results showed that gender, prior fights, suspensions, and race were significant risk factors for weapon carrying. Students in this district who received 5-14 suspensions had a 1 in 4 chance of being a weapon carrier. Males as well as Black students and White students were 3 times more likely to carry a weapon to school. A pattern of fighting also correlated with an increased incidence of carrying a weapon to school. These data may help this school district and other school districts like it to provide better prevention strategies and enhance policy decisions by identifying students who are at high risk of carrying a weapon on school grounds.

Pioneering legislation such as Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997, and the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 have increased attention to the needs of individuals with disabilities. These regulations require that public programs and services are accessible to people with disabilities (Griffin, 2004). This descriptive case study examines policy design to conform with Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 at a public research university through the lens of Bolman and Deal’s four frames of organizational analysis. These frames include: (a) the structural frame, (b) the human resource frame, (c) the political frame, and (d) the symbolic frame. Results of the study indicate that accessibility policies in postsecondary education that address access to web content and course materials should develop a systematic approach to establishing an action plan to identify barriers and develop solutions. This includes a strategic commitment to policy planning, development, implementation, monitoring, and assessment.

This study examines the development and consequences of a crisis in a government primary school in the Australian Capital Territory. The A.C.T. system is founded upon participation in policy development at the school level - problems when they arise are usually resolved at the local level. A challenge to the school's policy is described, as is the reaction of the Board. The consequences flowing from the mechanism used to resolve the conflict are discussed in terms of the particular school and the system generally. The tensions inherent in a participatory approach to policy development at the school level are examined. The constructive as well as destructive elements are discussed.