This study has attempted to investigate the radical change in the Greater Portland Council of Churches’ (GPCC’s) organizational goals and actions--from its relative uninvolvement over to its preoccupation with local social, political and economic issues. In the past, classical sociological theory of religion has placed great emphasis on religion’s integrative, or conservative functions in society. Empirical studies have documented the conservative socio-political views of the majority of Protestant parishioners. Knowing this, I expected to find a significant conservative reaction swelling up from the lay parishioners of the GPCC's member congregations. A preliminary investigation revealed this assumption to be invalid. The study's sociological problem then became: (1) What was the true character of the GPCC’s member reaction to the organization's abrupt change to liberal action goals? (2) If there was a minimum of conservative reaction, as indicated, what are the sociological reasons 'for this unexpected condition? Further investigation showed that in the later 1960’s, as the GPCC’s social action involvements reached a climax, the GPCC also publicly reinstituted older, congregational-centered programs that have been neglected for several years. This dual action suggested the study's hypothesis: An investigation of the relationship between the GPCC's change to liberal action involvements and its attempts to neutralize lay members' conservative reactions would shed light upon the GPCC’s self-insulation from conservative opposition. Three basic strategies were used to gather data: (1) organizational records, (2) observation, and (3) personal, in-depth interviews. Files and records were used largely to confirm and amplify interview data. I observed the GPCC and three of the church Community Action Programs by regularly attending their meetings for approximately two years, 1969-1971. The largest amount of data was secured from interviewing, conducted on a representative sample of 20 active participants in the GPCC. Since the sample was not to be a random one, it was carefully pre-constructed to be representative of the organization's informal structure, i.e., active participants and leadership. When the data revealed the interviewees' unexpectedly mild negative reaction to the GPCC's deep involvement in very controversial socio-political issues, the sample was doubled to a total of 41 actual-interviews for the purpose of checking the original results. A content analysis was used to analyze the data.

This is an exploratory case study of a group of teachers working for Fundación Nacional Batuta in war-affected places of the Colombian Caribbean region. Batuta is one of Colombia’s largest Social Action Through Music (SATM) organizations, and it was born as an offshoot of the Venezuelan El Sistema de Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles (El Sistema). As such, Batuta receives an important amount of funding and it plans to keep expanding, both in funding and in the number of children linked to the program. However, there are very few scholarly publications that analyze Batuta with a critical eye. This research is part of a larger body of academic literature that critically analyzes SATM and El Sistema-inspired organizations (Baker, 2014, 2022; Bates, 2016; Bull, 2016; Dobson, 2016; Fink, 2016; Kuuse et al., 2015; Logan, 2016; Rosabal-Coto, 2016), and it sought to study and systematically record the experiences of teachers at the local level, in order to identify problems and contradictions and propose solutions. Data analysis revealed 6 themes that create contradictions stemming out of the official discourse of the organization, the guidelines issued to teachers in the territories, and the implementation at the local level by the teachers.

Yes / In human societies there will always be differences of views and interests. But the reality today is that we are all interdependent and have to coexist on this small planet. Therefore, the only sensible and intelligent way of resolving differences and clashes of interests, whether between individuals or nations, is through dialogue. The promotion of a culture of dialogue and nonviolence for the future of mankind is thus an important task of the international community. (His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in a speech to the “Forum 2000″ Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, September 4, 1997)

Yes / The purpose of a systematization is threefold. It is first and foremost a tool for self reflection and critical analysis by participants of a process. Secondly, it enables participants to adjust and plan better for the future, learning from past mistakes and problems. And finally, it informs non-participants and hopefully encourages them to get involved. Lisa Cumming has worked with these goals in mind to produce this systematization of a six year experiment in how a University can share concerns and pool skills with local communities to help build a better place for working and living. She has been assisted by many people who have come in and out of the PPC as their time and inclination permits over the years. In the appendix we have only listed the members of our steering and now advisory committees. Many others have nurtured this process on its way and created lively and sometimes tense debates about the role of the PPC. We thank them all for their contributions. Readers will note that this systematization is open and self critical. The PPC did not set out to solve the problems of Bradford District. Participants in our network do not have a ‘solution’ to take off the shelf for addressing the complex issues facing the communities of the District. These include the legacy of economic change and decline and the differential impact on the South Asian communities who came to work in the factories that have closed down, as well as problems in housing, education and employment. PPC participants see value in the partnerships to be forged through the network and the discussion of difficult topics. Above all the PPC is a commitment to building a way of talking about the divisions and differences within and between our communities, largely a legacy of our social and economic past, as a first step to finding shared solutions for the future. On the journey, we have had many difficult moments as PPC network participants have debated and reflected on ways forward. Our systematization has tried to convey the ups and downs of this journey. We have learnt how quickly trust erodes where there is little clear leadership from the local state. We have also learnt that lack of trust makes it very difficult to challenge and open debate. Our idea of ‘safe spaces’ has been taken up in the District by others. But we are very aware that Bradford people are still not comfortable in talking about issues such as ethnicity, religion, gender, diversity, inequality and racism in ways which could encourage the search for shared understandings and an end to all discrimination and oppressions. It is for this reason that Bradford District’s idea of building a ‘Shared Future’ will require, we think, much more effort to open up ways of exploring these issues which go deep into our individual lived experiences as well as that in our groups and collectivities. One of our tasks for the future, therefore, is to deepen this effort and the challenges it implies. We all need to confront and examine our assumptions towards each other and to acknowledge the legacy of social inequality, racism and gender discrimination on people’s sense of self worth. We need to recognize the power relationships amongst us all, and how we can be powerless in one relationship and use our power to dominate in other relationships. There are complex intellectual problems to be addressed, such as the unresolved debate around multiculturalism, cohesion, integration and interaction. The PPC is just one space in our District for this debate to take place. The debate is not in itself the solution to the material problems facing our many poor communities. But opening it is one way of democratizing the search for such solutions and ensuring that as many voices as possible participate in finding them.

No description available.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Literature on monitoring and evaluation acknowledges the complexity in the field. Many evaluation studies require empirical evidence to be integrated with decisions on standards and values to reach robust evaluative conclusions. In this context, organizations face a number of difficulties in attempting to develop computerized software for monitoring and evaluating their programmes. The situation is exacerbated by the lack of literature on how various concepts used in programme monitoring and evaluation could be arranged into a coherent pattern of concepts upon which the development of monitoring and evaluation software could be contingent. The aim of this thesis is to present a conceptual model for a programme monitoring and evaluation information system that can guide programme agencies in the procurement, design and development of software for programme monitoring and evaluation. The conceptual model is based on an assessment of several key concepts that characterize programme monitoring and evaluation: programme goals and objectives; programme activities; programme providers; administrators; funders; community stakeholders; macro-environment and relationship between them; personal goals and objectives; existing conditions; targeted individual (s); family friends, and community; macro-environment and relationships between them; programme participation and programme outcomes. Using purposive techniques, 15 relevant monitoring and evaluation documents were selected from within 3 large-scale programmes implemented in Uganda. These documents were used to identify and describe the features and attributes associated with each of the key M&E concepts. The findings reveal that only eleven of the key concepts listed above were used by the three case study programmes. In particular, their use was geared mainly towards the collection of empirical evidence to demonstrate programme accountability requirements. The study arranged the eleven distinctions into a framework comprising of three dimensions: (1) programme design; (2) programme implementation plan; and (3) programme implementation result. The programme design dimension comprises of five key concepts used to capture the essential information on programme design. The implementation plan dimension comprises of three key concepts used to capture the essential information on the actions that have been planned by each programme. The implementation result comprises of four key concepts that capture the essential information on the outcome of both routine and terminal monitoring and evaluation activities.

<p>This research was aimed at assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of community based targeting and self-targeting methods in the selection of beneficiaries in Safety nets programmes in Malawi. These methods have been chosen because they have been largely used for selecting beneficiaries in Safety net programmes. The focus was on assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of these methods where effectiveness refers to the ability of the methodology to reach out to the poorest while efficiency is a measure of the costs that are associated with the identification of these people. In order to objectively assessed the challenges associated with these methods, the study concentrated on Public Works Programmes, which targets relatively high number of people compared to the other programmes and have used both methods for identifying beneficiaries.</p>

M.A. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

A research report presented to the Department of Social Work School of Human and Community Development Faculty of Humanities University of the Witwatersrand In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts by Coursework and Research Report in Social Development, November 2015 / Monitoring and Evaluation (herein referred to as M&E) has become a critical practice in the delivery and improvement of development programmes in many Non-Governmental Organisations (herein referred to as NGOs). This study explored M&E practices in NGOs. The study adopted a qualitative research approach that allowed the researcher to capture participants’ lived experiences. A case study design was used. The sample size was made up of 8 different Non-Governmental Organisations in Gauteng. From the first two organisations two participants were chosen from each, then one participant was chosen from each of the other six organisations. This gives a total of 10 project/programme managers who were interviewed. Also, two key informants of the study were drawn from people who are experts in the M&E sector by academic qualification and experience who were working as M&E specialists in corporate companies that conduct advanced M&E for NGOs as hired consultancies. These are the participants who were able to offer comprehensive answers that were directly relevant to the purposes of the research. Participants were purposively selected and in-depth interviews guided by the use of semi-structured interview schedules were used to collect data. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse data. The findings of the study reveal that factors such as management style of engagement and donor expectations influence the design of M&E systems. Challenges faced by practitioners in the design and implementation of M&E systems include among other things poor implementation of plans, shortage of personnel who are competently trained to undertake M&E, less funding allocated to M&E and performing M&E as a ritual rather than an important subcomponent of good project management. The findings of this research contribute to our understanding M&E practices in NGOs. It is hoped that insights gleaned in the study will help to inform both practice and theory in this area of inquiry

Submitted by Mariana Dornelles Vargas (marianadv) on 2015-06-01T18:04:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 transformacoes_historicas.pdf: 1011941 bytes, checksum: 37a0bc0e045ed1b52cceb172eb2e055b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-01T18:04:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 transformacoes_historicas.pdf: 1011941 bytes, checksum: 37a0bc0e045ed1b52cceb172eb2e055b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Nenhuma / O budismo, uma das grandes religiões mundiais, conheceu um processo de expansão para o Ocidente desde o século XIX, ao mesmo tempo em que, no Oriente, viu-se ameaçado pela redução do número de adeptos e pela proibição de sua prática por regimes ditatoriais instalados nos países asiáticos nos períodos do colonialismo e do pós-guerra. A partir de 1950, passou a manifestar uma nova característica, de engajamento social e político, expressa em projetos sociais budistas que surgiram em diferentes continentes e países. Essa nova configuração, entretanto, ainda se baliza em conteúdos típicos da tradição milenar asiática, tais como a meditação, a não-violência, a compaixão, a não-identidade e a ênfase na vida humana preciosa e na interdependência. Tais concepções entraram em contato com a cultura racional e individualista da modernidade ocidental. Nesse contexto, as ações de engajamento, sustentadas em uma teoria social budista própria, interpelaram a percepção sociológica clássica a respeito do budismo, no sentido de constituir uma religião introspectiva, de renúncia contemplativa do mundo. Diante dessas questões, esta tese buscou verificar como a evolução histórica do budismo, em particular o budismo engajado, tem acarretado alterações na natureza dessa religião e como, em contrapartida e dentro de novos termos, o budismo engajado tem preservado e promovido a cultura e os valores budistas no mundo moderno. Em paralelo ao estudo do budismo engajado no mundo e no Brasil, uma pesquisa em instituição budista brasileira, por intermédio da pesquisa participante, buscou caracterizar essas práticas, identificar seus efeitos sobre seu público-alvo e avaliar sua contribuição para as iniciativas de promoção social. Concluiu-se que, a partir dos efeitos da colonização, modernidade e globalização, as instituições budistas vêm manifestando maior envolvimento social. O budismo, caracterizado por Weber como uma religião de renúncia contemplativa do mundo, assumiu uma feição de engajamento no mundo. Os projetos sociais budistas conciliam os elementos gnósticos milenares típicos do budismo com a ação social budista, que seguem as orientações do dharma budista aplicado ao campo social. Esse encontro do gnóstico com o racional pode trazer contribuições e inovações ao campo das ciências sociais aplicadas e também promover a preservação e ampliação do budismo. / Buddhism, one of the world?s great religions, met an expansion to the West since the nineteenth century, while in the East was at risk by a reduction on the number of followers and the ban on its practices by dictatorial regimes installed in the Asian countries during the colonialism and postwar periods. From 1950, it began to manifest a new feature of social and political engagement, expressed in Buddhist social projects that have emerged in different continents and countries. This new configuration, however, is still based in typical ancient Asian tradition, such as meditation, nonviolence, compassion, non-identity and focus on precious human life and interdependence. These concepts came into contact with the rational and individualistic culture of Western modernity. In this context, the actions of engagement, sustained in a Buddhist social theory itself, have approached the classical sociological perception about Buddhism of an introspective, contemplative renunciation of the world religion. Given these issues, this thesis sought to determine how the historical development of Buddhism, particularly the engaged Buddhism, has caused changes in the nature of this religion and how, in new terms, the engaged Buddhism has preserved and promoted, by contrast, culture and Buddhist values in the modern world. In parallel with the study of engaged Buddhism in the world and in Brazil, a research in a Brazilian Buddhist institution, through participant research, sought to characterize these practices, identify their impact on your public and evaluate their contribution to the initiatives of social promotion. It was concluded that, from the effects of colonization, modernity and globalization, the Buddhist institutions are showing greater social involvement. Buddhism, characterized by Weber as a religion of contemplative renunciation of the world, assumed a face of engagement in the world. The Buddhist social projects concile the typical ancient gnostic elements of Buddhism with Buddhist social action, which follow the guidelines of the Buddhist dharma applied to the social field. This meeting of the gnostic with rational may bring contributions and innovations to the field of applied social sciences as well as promote the preservation and expansion of Buddhism.