Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Health, Citizenship, And Human Rights Advocacy Initiative: Improving Access To Health Services In Mexico, Almudena Ocejo, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

When it comes to health care in Mexico, “universal” has never meant equal, particularly when it came to the access to adequate care for the country’s 52 million uninsured. Civil society organization Fundar — a research organization with a background in budgetary analysis — developed a successful advocacy strategy on health policy to change this.

The full version and short summary of this case study are available in English.

LINK: http://internationalbudget.org/publications/health-citizenship-and-human-rights-advocacy-initiative-improving-access-to-health-services-in-mexico/

When Opportunity Beckons: The Impact Of The Public Service Accountability Monitor’S Work On Improving Health Budgets In South Africa, Alta Fölscher, John Kruger, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

The Eastern Cape Province of South Africa struggles with high poverty, poor public infrastructure, and dysfunctional administrative systems. One result is that the Eastern Cape has the worst health outcomes in the country. This case study illustrates how a South African civil society organization has used its budgetary analysis to advocate for improvements in health service delivery.

The full version and short summary of this case study are available in English.

LINK: http://internationalbudget.org/publications/when-opportunity-beckons-the-impact-of-the-public-service-accountability-monitors-work-on-improving-health-budgets-in-south-africa/

In The Face Of Crisis: The Treatment Action Campaign Fights Government Inertia With Budget Advocacy And Litigation, Neil Overy, International Budget Partnership

International Budget Partnership

At the turn of the millennium the South African government allocated a total of R214 million (US$28.5 million) to the fight against HIV/AIDS, an epidemic that had reached crisis proportions. Less than 10 years later this figure has risen, in inflation-adjusted terms, to R3.96 billion (US$528 million), a real increase of over 1,850 percent. This study looks at how a civil society organization’s ongoing campaigns for treatment access that combined negotiations with the government, mass mobilization of its members (including civil disobedience campaigns), and litigation contributed to this increase.

The full version, short summary, and one page summary of this …

‘The Better We Are Watched The Better We Behave’. Are Devolved Parliaments Providing A Better Window For Oversight?, Gordon Marnoch

Gordon Marnoch

The paper examines the health policy oversight systems operating in the United Kingdom, Scottish, Northern Ireland and Welsh parliaments/assemblies with specific comparisons drawn between current rules, practices and behaviours evident in parliamentary committees. Focusing on the 2007-8 parliament/assembly sessions, comparative data is presented relating to the attendance by members on committee, the amount of time devoted to health policy oversight, the percentage of committee places held by non-government party members, cross examination of key witnesses and hours spent examining the budget. Institutional obstacles and incentives relevant to effective oversight are compared.

Strategic Planning And Performance: An Exploratory Study Of Housing Associations In Northern Ireland, Gordon Marnoch, Roger Courtney, Arthur Williamson

Gordon Marnoch

Housing associations are a key part of the non-profit sector and the adoption of strategic planning by this sector is of considerable significance. This article provides a qualitative report examining the use of strategic planning practices by housing associations in Northern Ireland, and the impact of such action on the performance of the associations. The article also critically examines reasons for the non-profit housing sectors’ enthusiasm for strategic planning practices concluding that strategic planning is a legitimating seeking activity as well as a rational analytic process.

The Performance Metrics Boom And Parliamentary Scrutiny And Evaluation, Gordon Marnoch

Gordon Marnoch

This paper deals with a series of questions which are posed in relation to performance metrics and the practices of parliamentarians as ‘end-users’ scrutinising and evaluating public policies. Does the availability of an extensive range of metrics allow parliamentarians to scrutinise governments’ policy records and progress with specific programmes? Alternately is there evidence of ‘producer capture’ in the sense that metrics are used to narrowly ‘frame issues’, to the exclusion of key dimensions which might otherwise be subject to political scrutiny? Are performance metrics which require relatively high degrees of analytic capacity on the part of parliamentarians ignored due to …

A Review Of Empirical Research On Politicians’ Behaviour As End-Users Of Performance Metrics, Gordon Marnoch

Gordon Marnoch

This working paper reviews in detail seven key empirical studies, which examined the behaviour of politicians as ‘end-users’ of performance metrics. In addition to considering main findings, the review has been used to examine alternative research designs and methods, which may be employed in a study investigating performance metrics and user behaviour in the Scottish Parliament. The review suggests use is limited in the context of oversight and conditional on certain institutional factors.

Performance Stories A Comparison Of The Annual Reports Presented By The U.S. Department Of Veterans Affairs And The English National Health Service, Gordon Marnoch

Gordon Marnoch

Annual reports can contribute to the legitimacy of public service organizations in creating a favorable story around performance achievements. It is also the case that annual reports can have unintended consequences, provoking negative reactions on the part of their readers. Health services performance stories in the form of annual reports presented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the English National Health Service between 2002 and 2005 are compared through a narrative analysis of structure and content. Conclusions are drawn as to the relative success each organization achieves in the telling of its performance story through annual reports. In …

Scottish Devolution: Identity And Impact And The Case Of Community Care For The Elderly, Gordon Marnoch

Gordon Marnoch

This article examines the emergent identity and impact of devolution in Scotland. Using the case of community care for the elderly, a model is set out for capturing the different interpretive perspectives evident in relation to a particular policy area in 1999–2001. The political story of the ‘free personal care’ issue, in which the Scottish Executive were unexpectedly forced into adopting a markedly different policy from the rest of the UK, is examined in some detail. Setting the episode in a broader context, four discursive thematics are identified in relation to the policy case. A model is demonstrated for examining …