The direction of high school choice policy has been one of the notable commitments every time the candidates of the superintendent of Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education makes since the policy was repeatedly repealed and decided to be maintained. During the implementation of the policy, conflicts among policy related groups, such as teachers and parents, affected the decisions of the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to alternately repeal and maintain the policy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspective gap, roles and influence among two different types of policy actors: teachers, and parents. Through this approach, the study examines the goals and outcomes of the policy, and addresses the success and failure of the policy through the different perceptions of practitioners, and consumers. In order to achieve these goals, this study used a qualitative research method involving thirty-nine teachers and parents. The findings revealed that teachers and parents viewed that there are chronic policy making problems in Korea, which influence the frequent changes made to the high school choice policy. The absence of communication between a policy maker, policy practitioners, and policy consumers, a product of the top down decision making structure in Korea, has led to inefficiency and inflexibility the policy’s implementation and practice. Teachers and parents suggested that they should be able to contribute to policy consistency and successful implementation through early involvement in policy design and development. Understanding each role and exploring the perceptions of policy relevant actors in high school choice policy in Seoul provides a as well as providing for the further related policies. / text

Economics is the study of the allocation of resources. Since Arrow's Fundamental Welfare Theorems, we know that competitive-markets achieve Pareto allocations when governments correct market failures. Thus, it has largely been the mission of economists to serve as 'Market Engineers': To identify and quantify market failures so the government can implement Pareto-improving policy (make everyone better without making anyone worse). Do Pareto- improving policies get implemented? How does policy become implemented? Achieving a Pareto efficient allocation of a nation's resources requires studying the implementation of policy, and therefore studying the allocation of political resources that influence policy. Policy implementation begins with the electoral process. In this dissertation, I use auction analysis, econometrics, and game theory to study political resource allocations in the electoral process. This dissertation consists of three research papers: Finance-Augmented Median-Voter Model, Vote Empirics, and Colonel Blotto Strategies. The Finance-Augmented Median-Voter Model postulates that candidates' campaign expenditures are bids in a first-price asymmetric all-pay auction in order to explain campaign expenditure behavior. Vote Empirics empirically analyzes the impacts of campaign expenditures, incumbency status, and district voter registration statistics on observed vote-share results from the 2004 congressional election. Colonel Blotto Strategies postulates that parties' campaign allocations across congressional districts may be a version of the classic Col Blotto game from Game Theory. While some equilibrium strategies and equilibrium payoffs have been identified, this paper completely characterizes players' optimal strategies. In total, this dissertation solves candidates' optimal campaign expenditure strategies when campaign expenditures are bids in an all-pay auction. The analysis demonstrates the need for understanding exactly the impacts of various factors, including strategic expenditures, on final vote results. The research uses econometric techniques to identify the effects. Last, the research derives the complete characterization of Col Blotto strategies. Discussed extensions provide testable predictions for cross-district Party contributions. I present this research not as a final statement to the literature, but in hopes that future research will continue its explanation of political resource allocation. An even greater hope is that in time this literature will be used to identify optimal "policy-influencing policies"; constitutional election policies that provide for the implementation of Pareto-improving government policies. / text

In 2012, federal legislation introduced a requirement for formal transportation asset management (TAM) in transportation agencies. The law specifically requires agencies to develop TAM plans and implement TAM programs in their decision-making processes. The history of national policy development for (TAM) and research in policy implementation and organizational theory have shown that program sustainment is not easily achieved. Often, agencies can respond to this kind of legislative mandate with ineffective efforts to achieve legitimacy that reduce the likelihood for the program to be sustained in the long-term. This presents a challenge because without sustainment, the benefits of TAM, which are mostly long-term, may not be fully realized. The objective of this work was to develop a conceptual framework to guide transportation agencies to review their TAM implementation practices and identify opportunities to enhance long-term program sustainment. The conceptual basis for the framework comes from a synthesis of transportation, policy and program implementation, and change management literature, supported by insight from a panel of practitioner and academic experts. The TAM Implementation Review Framework (TIRF) incorporates seven themes of implementation factors that can promote sustainment of TAM practices impacting the social, organizational, and programmatic elements of implementation. The TIRF was applied in case studies to review the TAM implementation processes of three Departments of Transportation (DOTs) resulting in different kinds of information on how implementation activities address factors related to program sustainment. These results can steer future implementation activities in DOTs towards increased probabilities of achieving long-term program sustainment. The primary contributions of this work lie in the development of the conceptual framework and approach to enhance TAM implementation by emphasizing the people and organizational elements of TAM, alongside with the technical. In practice, the TIRF offers agencies a review and planning tool to support TAM implementation decision making and to promote program sustainment. The output is being proposed as a foundational element in the development of an evidence-based catalog of TAM implementation strategies. This can facilitate inter-agency knowledge sharing by providing a platform for systematic documentation of implementation experiences to support broader adoption of strategies that can contribute to increased program sustainment.

Korean education policies were derived from the 5.31 Education Reform oriented to the increase of autonomy and accountability for school effectiveness and the quality instruction through teacher professionalism enhancement. The policies are related to the influences of historical events and contexts embedded in the interactions of policy players who have their own arguments, particularly professionalism versus managerialism. The policies have been driven by right-wing perspectives. As a result, the roles, powers, functions, and structures of teaching profession have gradually changed. From the structural analysts, Basil Bernstein and Michel Foucault, teaching profession has become a system of supervision, compliance, normalization, isomorphism related to the collection code. The dynamic, complex and multilevel policy implementation need to be analyzed from a multifocal approach coupled with historical institutional, political, and structural analysis. This analysis contributes to understanding the changes of teaching profession resulted from intricate and dynamic interactions embedded in policy environments causing or influencing policy implementation directly and indirectly. Korean educational policy analysts, generally, tend to use one of the institutional, the political, and the structural perspective. Most policy analyses are concerned with the political analysis focused on exploring the political interaction between policy players, presenting policy issues and alternatives, analyzing the new institutionalism of education policy formation and implementation process, and influencing of policies on school organization and teachers apart from the political environment and the political interactions. In this respect, the multifocal policy analysis will be beneficial to shed light on a multifocal analysis of Korean educational policies. / text

Federal legislation, No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001), has brought the call for high quality and excellence into every aspect of education, including professional development. The links between teacher learning and student learning are well documented. teacher skill is one aspect influencing student growth; hence, professional development provides a path to the goal of NCLB - increased student achievement. However, it is a long way from policy decisions to implementation in local districts; hence, the professional development requirements of NCLB face challenges to implementation. One of the factors affecting NCLB policy implementation at all levels is the capacity of schools and districts to implement policies as they are intended (Cooper, Fusarelli, & Randall, 2004; Heck, 2004; Odden, 1991). Especially in rural districts, factors of isolation, poverty, and size may restrict the implementation of policy requirements (Jimerson, 2004; Reeves, 2003). This policy impact study used qualitative methods to look at the question, "How Do Factors of Arizona's Rural Districts Impact the Implementation of Models of Professional Development Required by NCLB?" Information was gathered through the use of document analysis, site-visits, and semi-structured interviews.

Food and nutrition are an integral part of daily life and can have an effect on social, cognitive, and physical development as well as the prevention of negative health outcomes. The development of the School Food and Beverage Policy was targeted to both elementary and secondary schools in Ontario as a proactive approach to health and wellbeing by eliminating the sale of foods that do not meet nutrition criteria. School food policies can play an important role in students’ overall health and wellbeing, but little is known about schools’ readiness for implementing these policies. The purpose of this study was to examine schools’ readiness to implement the policy with an organizational readiness lens. This study consisted of a policy analysis and qualitative interviews with 8 administrators who were directly involved in the planning and preparation for the policy and 4 teachers who were recommended by their respective principals as key stakeholders in assisting in the process. Policy analysis uncovered the inconsistencies within the policy, while interview data revealed emergent themes surrounding: pre-implementation planning, policy technicalities, and challenges of confronting implementation. The variability in perspectives of readiness illustrates the complexity of preparing for policy implementation across schools and even within schools. Findings suggest that there is a need for more effective dissemination, in-service training, and education for school stakeholders in order to engage and stimulate interest and compliance of the nutrition standards. Having appealing and nutritious foods that students will enjoy is an area that requires more work. Developing supportive partnerships within and outside the school to reinforce consistent messages to students is also an area that needs attention. The results of this research serve as a framework for potential solutions to school nutrition policies, strategies, and interventions and may also inform key stakeholders and policy makers in adapting and refining policies as a means of supporting the implementation process for successful outcomes. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2012-06-06 16:34:45.881

<p>The generation of large volumes of solid and liquid wastes in urban and periurban areas of Ghana is a big problem for the people and government of Ghana. It contributes to the outbreak of many diseases in the country such as malaria, diarrhoea and typhoid fever. In managing the situation, a new concept called ecological sanitation (ecosan), which focuses on reuse of waste, has been introduced in the country. The objectives of the thesis were to criticise the environmental sanitation policy&nbsp / by analysing its content in relation to policy implementation arrangements, to discuss programmes and projects identified under the policy, to critically examine the implementation of an ecosan project as a way of achieving the goal and objectives by outlining its implementation processes, prospects and challenges, and to make appropriate recommendations. The analysis and discussion of the thesis were based on both primary and secondary data. The primary data, on one hand, were collected on the prospects and challenges that exist in the implementation of ecosan projects from Kumasi metropolis. The secondary data, on the other hand, were from&nbsp / books, journals and websites. From the research analysis, it emerged that the policy allows the implementation of many sanitation projects including ecosan. Secondly, stakeholders see ecosanto be a good approach to reduce waste generation in the country. However, the main challenges that exist in promoting the concept are inadequate financial support, unavailability of implementation guidelines and lack of knowledge about concept details. It is therefore argued that financial support, implementation guidelines and awareness-creation activities should be available in the implementation of ecosan in the metropolis. Government, private organisations, companies and individuals should each contribute their quota in the support and processes.</p>

Tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure are leading causes of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States. Outdoor tobacco smoke exposure conveys many of the same risks as indoor secondhand smoke exposure. Tobacco-free campuses policies are an intervention to promote a positive social norm that encourages smoking cessation, as well as reduces exposure to outdoor tobacco smoke. This dissertation contains a review of the policy implementation literature; findings from a psychometric analysis of the newly developed Tobacco-free Compliance Assessment Tool (TF-CAT) to assess compliance with tobacco-free campus policies; and results of a campus intervention study to promote compliance. The TF-CAT protocol is designed to count cigarette butts, observe smokers, and use GIS mapping to display hot spots. A total of 413 observations in primary and secondary campus locations yielded compliance data on both the academic healthcare and main campuses. Results show support for the concurrent validity of the TF-CAT. Inter-rater reliability of the measure is strong, and the tool is feasible, though time- and resource-intensive. The intervention study tested the effects of an efficacy-based messaging campaign on the number of cigarette butts observed on campus. After distributing 6,000 message cards in high-traffic areas over three days, there were fewer cigarette butts per day per site post-intervention compared to pre-intervention (n = 312 observations; median = 4.7 vs. 1.9; U=2239, p=.004). It is crucial for tobacco control advocates to ensure implementation effectiveness of tobacco-free policies. Future research needs to refine methods to measure policy implementation effectiveness. In addition, interventions need to be developed and tested to promote policy implementation effectiveness.

Current theoretical frameworks for assessing policy implementation have been developed almost exclusively in the context of market-based, pluralist democracies. The lack of applicable implementation theory outside this ‘western’ setting inspired this research to investigate policy processes in more diverse contexts. This research thus applied existing implementation theory to the post-Soviet sphere, utilising current frameworks to test conditions in a post-communist context. This policy lens approach was applied through two in-depth case study policies within the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, in order to improve practical understanding of the ongoing transitional complexities in the region. The choice of SMEs as policy targets shed particular light on the development of the middle class, which in turn contributed insights regarding post-Soviet nations’ continued transition towards more liberal democracies. This research examined implementation effectiveness through fieldwork conducted in Ukraine (2012), using an amalgamated list of criteria for ‘perfect’ policy implementation as a theoretical framework (Allison & Halperin, 1972; Gunn, 1978; Mazmanian & Sabatier, 1983). Empirical data was collected through both qualitative and quantitative methods, including interviews (141), surveys (178) and primary source collection. Data was analysed through a combined approach of interview coding, process-tracing and cross-tabulation. Findings confirmed that incorporating certain socio-economic features, specific to a post-Soviet environment, into existing implementation models resulted in a more accurate picture of actual policy processes. Research conclusions thus included a new theoretical model for assessing policy implementation effectiveness in the region (Fischer-Smith Policy Implementation Measurement for Post-Soviet States). For theoreticians, this research may inform structural considerations when conducting policy research outside of a pluralist democracy. For practitioners, it may allow for better identification of implementation obstacles, in order to more effectively target mitigation efforts. Ultimately, the new considerations presented in this thesis may inform the wider field of policy implementation studies, both in transition regions and developing nations, as well as in the western pluralist societies where implementation theory originated.

Introduction: Despite Colombia having adopted a health system based on an insurance market, Bogota in 2004, as part of a left-wing government (elected for first time in the city), decided to implement a Primary Health Care (PHC) strategy to improve quality of life, level of population health and reduce health inequities. The PHC strategy has been implemented through the HomeHealth program by three consecutive governments over the last eight years in the context of continuous political tension stemming from differences between national and district health policies. This thesis is an attempt to provide a better understanding of the overall experience of implementing a PHC strategy in the context of a market-oriented health care system. The research aimed to evaluate results of the PHC strategy through the intervention of the Home Health program and to identify factors that have enabled or limited the on-going PHC implementation process in Bogota. Methods: This study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. A descriptive analysis was performed to assess direct results of the PHC strategy in terms of progress in the Home Health program coverage and increases in health personnel ratios reaching out to poor and vulnerable groups in Bogota. A cross sectional analysis was carried out to evaluate qualities of the delivery of PHC services through the attainment of PHC essential dimensions in the network of first-level public health care facilities. An ecological analysis was performed to estimate the contribution of the PHC strategy, through the Home Health program, to improve child health outcomes and to reduce health inequalities. A qualitative multiple case study was conducted to identify contextual factors that have enabled or limited the on-going PHC implementation process in Bogota. Results: The descriptive analysis showed a notable initial increase and rapid expansion in the development of the PHC strategy between 2004 and 2007, followed by a period of slower growth and stagnation between 2007 and 2010. The cross-sectional analysis suggested that the Home Health program could be helping to improve the performance of first-level public health care facilities. Ratings assigned to PHC dimensions by different participants pointed out the need to strengthen family focus, community orientation, financial resources distribution, and accessibility. The ecological analysis showed that localities with high PHC coverage had a lower risk of under-five mortality, infant mortality and acute malnutrition as well as a higher probability of being vaccinated than low PHC coverage localities. The belonging to a high-coverage locality was significantly associated with risk reductions of under-five mortality (13.8%) and infant mortality by pneumonia (37.5%) as well as increases in the probability of being vaccinated for DPT (4.9%). Concentration curves and concentration indices indicated inequality reductions in all child indicators betwen 2003 and 2007. In 2007 (period after implementation), the PHC strategy was associated with a reduction in the effect of the inequality that affected disadvantaged localities in under-five mortality (24%), infant mortality rate (19%), acute malnutrition (7%) and DPT vaccination coverage (20%). The main facilitators of the results achieved so far by the PHC strategy were all related to the commitment and good will of actors at different levels. Longterm political commitment, support by local mayors and hospital managers, organized communities historically active in the process of social participation, as well as extramural work carried out by community health workers and health care teams were highly valued. Barriers to the implementation included the structure of the national health system itself, lack of a stable funding source, unsatisfactory working conditions, lack of competencies among health workers regarding family focus and community orientation, and limited involvement of institutions outside the health sector in generating intersectoral responses and promoting community participation. Conclusion: Despite adverse contextual conditions and limitations imposed by the Colombian health system itself, Bogota’s initiative of a PHC strategy has helped to improve the performance of first-level public health care facilities in the essential dimensions of PHC and has also contributed to improvement of child health outcomes and reduction of health inequalities associated with socioeconomic and living conditions. Significant efforts are required to overcome the market approach of the national health system. Structural changes to social policies at the national and district level are needed if the PHC strategy is expected to achieve its full potential. Specific interventions must be designed to have well-trained and motivated human resources, as well as to establish available and stable financial resources for the PHC strategy.