This thesis explores the use of observational microdata in cost-effectiveness analysis. The application of econometric methods adjusting for selection bias is first reviewed and critically appraised in the economic evaluation literature using a structured template. Limitations of identified studies include lack of good quality evidence regarding the performance of different analytical approaches; inadequate assessment of the sensitivity of their results to violations of fundamental assumptions or variations to crucial estimator parameters; failure to combine the cost and effectiveness outcomes in a summary measure; and no consideration of stochastic uncertainty for the purpose of evaluating cost-effectiveness. Data from the Birthplace national cohort study are used in an attempt to address these limitations in the context of an empirical comparison of estimators relying on regression, matching, as well as the propensity score. It is argued that although these methods cannot address the potential impact of unobservable confounding, a novel approach to bias-corrected matching, combining entropy balancing with seemingly unrelated regression, still has the potential to offer important advantages in terms of analytical robustness. The net economic benefit is proposed as a straightforward way to exploit the strengths of rigorous econometric methodology in the development of reliable and informative cost-effectiveness analyses.

Introdução: A atual fase do capitalismo é marcada por uma crise que atinge profundamente a economia em uma perspectiva global. As soluções adotadas para amenizar os seus efeitos envolvem enérgicas reduções no gasto público, impactando na saúde e, consequentemente, no processo de avaliação em saúde. Imersa nessa fase de crise do capitalismo com predomínio do capital financeiro, a avaliação em saúde tende a ser permeada pela lógica utilitarista, refletindo a ideologia do produtivismo, ao ser pautada nas leis de mercado, em que a saúde de uma população é medida por meio do consumo de serviços e produtos médico-hospitalares. O que não significa, necessariamente, melhoria das condições de saúde dessa população. Objetivo: Busca-se analisar a atual política de avaliação em saúde no SUS do Estado do Acre, no sentido de propor sua efetivação enquanto um instrumento emancipatório, de forma a promover políticas públicas com ampliação dos espaços participativos e auxiliar na democratização do Estado para enfrentar o período de fragmentação das políticas na fase contemporânea do capitalismo de predominância do capital financeiro. Método: Utilizou-se o recurso da triangulação de métodos e técnicas. Foram realizadas análises estatísticas do rol de indicadores municipais de saúde do SISPACTO e dos indicadores financeiros do SIOPS. Além disso, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com os trabalhadores do SUS no Estado do Acre, bem como grupos focais junto aos secretários municipais de saúde nas três Regiões de Saúde. Resultados: As análises estatísticas dos indicadores demonstraram que estes materializam a lógica de quantificar a oferta e o consumo de serviços, os procedimentos e os resultados em um imenso rol que reforça o caráter fragmentado do processo de avaliação em saúde. Isso pode ser observado por meio da ausência de correlações entre os indicadores do SISPACTO e os indicadores do SIOPS, ou seja, não há uma aproximação entre os sistemas que apuram resultados em saúde e os sistemas que informam dados orçamentários e financeiros. Além disso, observa-se a ausência de correlações importantes, a exemplo do indicador cobertura populacional estimada pelas equipes de atenção básica não se correlacionar aos indicadores relacionados aos procedimentos e intervenções de média e alta complexidade. Nas entrevistas e nos grupos focais foi externalizado um quadro de dificuldades e desafios para a avaliação em saúde no SUS do Estado do Acre. Os sujeitos da pesquisa apontaram dificuldades, a exemplo das peculiaridades dos municípios situados na região Norte, da problemática do financiamento, fragilidades na atenção básica, no processo de gestão e na regionalização em saúde. Há o entendimento de que a avaliação é incipiente e cartorial, no sentido de ser mais uma exigência do que uma ação estratégica e um instrumento de gestão. Conclusões: A partir da crítica ao processo produtivista, há a reflexão no sentido de se pensar a avaliação em uma perspectiva emancipatória. Argumenta-se sobre a necessidade da avaliação em saúde se constituir em uma prática social, não se limitando a cumprir regras e normas, mas ser uma ferramenta para a consolidação da democracia, afirmação de direitos e empoderamento dos cidadãos / Introduction: The current phase of capitalism is marked by a crisis that reaches deep into the economy in a global perspective. The solutions adopted to mitigate its effects involve energetic reductions in public spending, impacting on health and, consequently, the health assessment process. Immersed in this capitalist crisis phase with predominance of capital finance, the assessment on health tends to be permeated by utilitarian logic, reflecting the ideology of productivism, to be based on market laws, in which the health of a population is measured by consumer services and medical products. This doesn´t mean necessarily improving the health conditions of this population. Objective: In this way, we seek to analyze the current health evaluation policy in SUS of Acre, to propose its effectiveness as an emancipatory tool in order to promote public policies with expansion of participatory spaces and assist in democratizing State to face the fragmentation period of policies in the contemporary phase of capitalism\'s dominance of finance capital. Method: For this, we used the feature triangulation of methods and techniques. statistical analysis of the role of municipal health indicators were made of SISPACTO and financial indicators SIOPS. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the SUS workers in the state of Acre, as well as focus groups with municipal health secretaries in the three health regions. Results: Statistical analysis of indicators showed that they embody the logic to quantify the supply and consumption of services, procedures and results in an immense role that reinforces the fragmented nature of the health assessment process. This can be seen by the lack of correlation between the indicators of SISPACTO and SIOPS indicators, ie there is a connection between the systems that calculate health outcomes and systems that inform budget and financial data. In addition, there is the absence of significant correlations, such as the indicator \"population coverage estimated by primary care teams\" do not correlate to the indicators related to the procedures and operations of medium and high complexity. In interviews and focus groups it was outsourced a framework of difficulties and challenges for health evaluation in Acre SUS. The research subjects reported difficulties, the example of the peculiarities of the municipalities in the northern region, the funding problems, weaknesses in primary care in the process of management and health regionalization. There is the understanding that the evaluation is weak and notary, to be more of a requirement than a strategic action and a management tool. Conclusions: From the criticism of the productionprocess, there is the reflection in the sense of thinking about evaluation in an emancipatory perspective. It is argued on the assessment of the need for health constitute a social practice, not limited to comply with rules and regulations, but to be a tool for the consolidation of democracy, affirmation of rights and empowerment of citizens

Introdução: A atual fase do capitalismo é marcada por uma crise que atinge profundamente a economia em uma perspectiva global. As soluções adotadas para amenizar os seus efeitos envolvem enérgicas reduções no gasto público, impactando na saúde e, consequentemente, no processo de avaliação em saúde. Imersa nessa fase de crise do capitalismo com predomínio do capital financeiro, a avaliação em saúde tende a ser permeada pela lógica utilitarista, refletindo a ideologia do produtivismo, ao ser pautada nas leis de mercado, em que a saúde de uma população é medida por meio do consumo de serviços e produtos médico-hospitalares. O que não significa, necessariamente, melhoria das condições de saúde dessa população. Objetivo: Busca-se analisar a atual política de avaliação em saúde no SUS do Estado do Acre, no sentido de propor sua efetivação enquanto um instrumento emancipatório, de forma a promover políticas públicas com ampliação dos espaços participativos e auxiliar na democratização do Estado para enfrentar o período de fragmentação das políticas na fase contemporânea do capitalismo de predominância do capital financeiro. Método: Utilizou-se o recurso da triangulação de métodos e técnicas. Foram realizadas análises estatísticas do rol de indicadores municipais de saúde do SISPACTO e dos indicadores financeiros do SIOPS. Além disso, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com os trabalhadores do SUS no Estado do Acre, bem como grupos focais junto aos secretários municipais de saúde nas três Regiões de Saúde. Resultados: As análises estatísticas dos indicadores demonstraram que estes materializam a lógica de quantificar a oferta e o consumo de serviços, os procedimentos e os resultados em um imenso rol que reforça o caráter fragmentado do processo de avaliação em saúde. Isso pode ser observado por meio da ausência de correlações entre os indicadores do SISPACTO e os indicadores do SIOPS, ou seja, não há uma aproximação entre os sistemas que apuram resultados em saúde e os sistemas que informam dados orçamentários e financeiros. Além disso, observa-se a ausência de correlações importantes, a exemplo do indicador cobertura populacional estimada pelas equipes de atenção básica não se correlacionar aos indicadores relacionados aos procedimentos e intervenções de média e alta complexidade. Nas entrevistas e nos grupos focais foi externalizado um quadro de dificuldades e desafios para a avaliação em saúde no SUS do Estado do Acre. Os sujeitos da pesquisa apontaram dificuldades, a exemplo das peculiaridades dos municípios situados na região Norte, da problemática do financiamento, fragilidades na atenção básica, no processo de gestão e na regionalização em saúde. Há o entendimento de que a avaliação é incipiente e cartorial, no sentido de ser mais uma exigência do que uma ação estratégica e um instrumento de gestão. Conclusões: A partir da crítica ao processo produtivista, há a reflexão no sentido de se pensar a avaliação em uma perspectiva emancipatória. Argumenta-se sobre a necessidade da avaliação em saúde se constituir em uma prática social, não se limitando a cumprir regras e normas, mas ser uma ferramenta para a consolidação da democracia, afirmação de direitos e empoderamento dos cidadãos / Introduction: The current phase of capitalism is marked by a crisis that reaches deep into the economy in a global perspective. The solutions adopted to mitigate its effects involve energetic reductions in public spending, impacting on health and, consequently, the health assessment process. Immersed in this capitalist crisis phase with predominance of capital finance, the assessment on health tends to be permeated by utilitarian logic, reflecting the ideology of productivism, to be based on market laws, in which the health of a population is measured by consumer services and medical products. This doesn´t mean necessarily improving the health conditions of this population. Objective: In this way, we seek to analyze the current health evaluation policy in SUS of Acre, to propose its effectiveness as an emancipatory tool in order to promote public policies with expansion of participatory spaces and assist in democratizing State to face the fragmentation period of policies in the contemporary phase of capitalism\'s dominance of finance capital. Method: For this, we used the feature triangulation of methods and techniques. statistical analysis of the role of municipal health indicators were made of SISPACTO and financial indicators SIOPS. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the SUS workers in the state of Acre, as well as focus groups with municipal health secretaries in the three health regions. Results: Statistical analysis of indicators showed that they embody the logic to quantify the supply and consumption of services, procedures and results in an immense role that reinforces the fragmented nature of the health assessment process. This can be seen by the lack of correlation between the indicators of SISPACTO and SIOPS indicators, ie there is a connection between the systems that calculate health outcomes and systems that inform budget and financial data. In addition, there is the absence of significant correlations, such as the indicator \"population coverage estimated by primary care teams\" do not correlate to the indicators related to the procedures and operations of medium and high complexity. In interviews and focus groups it was outsourced a framework of difficulties and challenges for health evaluation in Acre SUS. The research subjects reported difficulties, the example of the peculiarities of the municipalities in the northern region, the funding problems, weaknesses in primary care in the process of management and health regionalization. There is the understanding that the evaluation is weak and notary, to be more of a requirement than a strategic action and a management tool. Conclusions: From the criticism of the productionprocess, there is the reflection in the sense of thinking about evaluation in an emancipatory perspective. It is argued on the assessment of the need for health constitute a social practice, not limited to comply with rules and regulations, but to be a tool for the consolidation of democracy, affirmation of rights and empowerment of citizens

Thesis (doctoral) - Universität, Frankfurt. / Includes bibliographical references.

abstract: This dissertation explores the notion of Pueblo community engagement at multiple levels, from the communities’ role in engaging its members, the individual’s responsibility in engaging with the community, both the community and individual’s engagement relationship with external forces, and the movement towards new engagement as it relates to youth and community. This research recognizes both the existing and the changing nature of engagement in our Pueblo communities. Because the core value of contribution is critical to being a participant in community, both participants and communities need to think of what needs to be done to strengthen Pueblo community engagement , for community and for youth. On the community side, this dissertation examines past community programs impact to the social structures of Pueblo communities and highlights a couple of new strategies to incorporate community voice in programming efforts. In addition, this dissertation explores youth contribution to community. The notions of community recognizing and being receptive to new ideas for youth engagement and of instilling their sense of community in youth is critical to the ‘new engagement’ paradigm. This dissertation proposes that one strategy is to incorporate youth in the governance structures of community through innovative programming with the ultimate goal of instilling in youth the feeling that they belong to their community. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Justice Studies 2015

Oportunidades is a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) that uses a proxy means-test targeting model to select eligible households for the programme. According to the Income and Expenditure Household Survey of 2008, approximately two in every three eligible rural households participate in Oportunidades, whereas only one in every three eligible urban households receives the Oportunidades cash transfer. This research explores the factors behind this lack of take-up, the costs of participation and the implications of targeting inefficiency on the programme’s impact on income poverty. It argues that a sample selection model is a pertinent tool of analysis as it informs on the distribution of cash transfers conditional on household eligibility. This conditional distribution is also used to understand the costs of participation as a latent variable. Eligible households are less likely to invest in human capital and neither the cash transfer nor the income forgone by children and teenagers are sufficient to overcome these costs of participation. By identifying a method to quantify behavioural change of households, I associate the costs of participation to the difficulties of inducing health-related behavioural change among recipients and eligible non-recipients. At an aggregate state level, targeting inefficiency is not fully explained by only looking at the budget constraints of the programme. In fact, targeting efficiency is positively associated to aggregate behavioural change and negatively associated to aggregate costs for participation at state level. Yet, targeting efficiency does not guarantee impact on income poverty and Oportunidades’ highest impact on income poverty also associated with the inclusion of non-eligible households in the programme. This research reconsiders the importance of the context in which CCTs are implemented and informs on the conflicting aims of CCTs: providing income poverty relief via cash transfers and incentivizing behavioural change by conditioning the cash transfer in health and education investment.

This thesis examines the interaction of criminal justice policy and social policy within the Prolific and Priority Offenders Scheme (PPOS), a government initiative which aims to reduce offending by persistent offenders. The research on which this thesis is based takes an interpretative approach to social inquiry and employs a qualitative methodology. It examines the operation of four PPO Schemes in the Thames Valley through semi-structured interviews with 22 practitioners and 16 offenders, and participant observation of over 45 multi-agency meetings. The interaction between crime and social policy is explored through examination of three aspects of the PPOS: the coercion of offenders within the Schemes; the working practices and roles of the police and probation officers seconded to the Schemes; and the way in which information and intelligence is used and generated within the Schemes. The central argument of this thesis is that the widely-accepted idea that social policy is being ‘criminalised’ provides an inadequate account of the relationship between criminal justice and social policy in the PPOS. Rather, this Scheme evidences a merger of criminal justice and social welfare agendas, which includes elements of the ‘socialisation’ of crime policy in addition to elements of ‘criminalisation’ of social policy. Whilst the ultimate aim of the PPOS is to reduce crime, and whilst social welfare services such as health, housing and benefits are provided in pursuance of this aim, the ways in which these services are provided accords with the ethos and values of social policy. The idea of a merger of criminal justice and social policy has relevance beyond the PPOS, providing a framework for analysis of other contemporary criminal justice policies, and contributing to broader debates in criminology which have for so long been dominated by the ‘criminalisation’ thesis.

[Truncated abstract] As a developing country, Indonesia has been struggling with complex and contentious development issues since Independence in 1945. Despite remarkable economic achievement during the New Order period (1966-1998), poverty has persisted and the benefits of development have been unequally distributed. Social welfare — the system of social security to protect the well-being of the weaker members of society has received little attention in Indonesia, both from the state and from the scholarly community. The historical neglect of social welfare in Indonesia has begun to be addressed recently, with the Social Safety Net (SSN) initiative. SSN is a social welfare program that was launched by the government of Indonesia to mitigate the deleterious impacts of the economic crisis that hit the nation in 1997. This thesis aims to assess how the SSN accommodated the needs and aspirations of poor women, particularly those who live in rural areas. The rural poor deserve attention because poverty in rural areas is widespread and often intractable, and because poverty in rural areas tends to be more invisible than in urban areas. The urban poor are more visible, because they are “in the face” of the powerful every day, and they are more likely to be able to access agencies of power than the rural poor.

The topic of the diploma thesis is "The evaluation of implementation the socially purposeful job's program in Prague". The thesis describes the public policy process including methods of evaluating public policies. Further, it elaborates active employment policy of Czech Republic, current form of the socially purposeful job's program, realization of this program and the arrangements for evaluating the programme efficiency and targeting. Evaluation of this program is just based on evaluation of efficiency and targeting which are also a research problem of the whole thesis. What is the efficiency and targeting of this program in Prague shows the findings, whether participants of this program remain on the labour market even after the end of the program, and whether the program really involves those unemployed for which it is targeted. These informations have been found from the results of the questionnaires which were filled by labour office employees who participated in this programme and from semi- structured interviews with employees of labour office managing this program and with employers who are benetifing from this program. Furthermore, the research shows problems in the realization of this program, their causes, consequences and the overall impacts of the program on society.

The study of policy implementation has recently garnered research and federal attention highlighting the importance of implementation in achieving desired policy and program outcomes (Durlak & DuPre, 2008; Meyers, Durlak & Wandersman, 2012; National Institutes of Health, 2013). Psychology is one discipline that is well poised to guide the study of policy implementation as it can inform the creation, development, and outcomes associated with the introduction of a policy (Esses & Dovidio, 2011; Fischhoff, 1990). Given that batterer intervention programs (BIPs) have been developed to prevent future intimate partner violence (IPV) and improve victim safety, ensuring these programs have successfully implemented state standards for practice is immensely important. Despite the widespread use of state standards to guide BIP practices (Maiuro & Eberle, 2008), only one study (Boal, 2010) has assessed the extent to which BIPs comply with standards and no research has evaluated program responses to standards or the process by which implementation occurs. Given this, the current study focused on four areas of inquiry: (1) program compliance with state standards; (2) current and former BIP representatives' response to standards, including the social psychological constructs of actual control, perceived control, retrospective accounts of attitude change, absoluteness, and legitimacy; (3) program compliance as it relates to these responses; and (4) the process of implementing standards. In order to address these topics, key program representatives were assessed using a sequential mixed-methods design, which consisted of a preliminary quantitative phase (i.e., Phase One) (n = 35, response rate = 74%) and principal qualitative phase (i.e., Phase Two) (current providers: n = 13, response rate = 87%; former providers: n = 5, response rate = 100%) (Morgan, 1998). Findings from Phase One indicate that programs complied with 75% of the assessed components of standards. Phase Two findings suggest that participants primarily voiced experiences with the standards consistent with a lack of actual control, perceived control, and legitimacy. Contrary to hypotheses a statistically reliable difference in actual control, perceived control, and legitimacy were not detected across high and low compliance participants. Participants retrospectively described responses to the standards consistent with changing and maintaining negative attitudes towards the standards (31% and 31% respectively) and as hypothesized, those who shifted negative initial attitudes to be positive (i.e., a proxy for rationalization) were primarily from high compliance programs (75%) and those who maintained negative attitudes (i.e., a proxy for reactance) were all from low compliance programs (100%). While participants generally perceived the standards as primarily absolute, this construct did not differentiate those who changed and maintained negative attitudes as predicted. Participants' utilized diverse strategies to implement the standards and have changed or attempted to change many program characteristics to better comply with state standards. Participants have experienced diverse enablers to compliance (e.g., positive community collaborations; participation in the research process) and barriers to compliance (e.g., negative or lack of community collaborations; challenges understanding the standards) while attempting to implement standards. Suggestions to better facilitate compliance aligned with the enablers and barriers and centered on the need for positive information-sharing relationships among providers. Finally, former providers tended to disagree that the standards were the primary reason for program closure. Together, these findings provide valuable insight into the manifestation of common social psychological constructs during the policy implementation process, as well as information regarding the logistics of implementation. The information gathered in this study can be applied to better understand the role of actual control, perceived control, retrospective accounts of attitude change, absoluteness, and legitimacy, as they are experienced in the real world in relation to an actual policy. This extends the study of these constructs out of a laboratory and experimental context and suggests aspects of these constructs that may be relevant in applied settings. Further, data regarding the policy implementation process is useful to inform policymakers about the diverse steps that can be taken to assist implementation efforts and increase compliance.