From “what works” to “making it work”: A practice perspective on evidence-based standardization in frontline service organizations

Evidence-based standards are becoming increasingly influential in frontline services connected to labor market inclusion of vulnerable citizens. To increase our understanding of standardization in such public service delivery, this study draws on interviews and ethnographic fieldwork from two frontline offices in the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (2017–2018) that use the evidence-based Individual Placement and Support (IPS) standard. Adopting a theoretical perspective of organizational practices, the study highlights two distinct approaches to practicing IPS in the frontline organizations: as a “practice shift” in one organization (i.e., creating and legitimizing radically new service practices involving closer collaboration with employers) and as a “practice revival” in the other (i.e., reinstating more traditional service practices involving a holistic client orientation). Each approach relates to a specific constellation of recruitment practices, dynamics between frontline supervisors and staff, and team integration. The study contributes to the literature in two ways. First, it shows the underlying flexibility embedded in standardization and how standards may be implemented and adapted in ways that may either promote more radical change or revive traditional practices. Second, it nuances positions in the literature on the impact of standards on professional service work. On this basis, the study suggests broadening the attention in research on evidence-based standards in public service delivery from discussions of “what works” to understanding the broader organizational dynamics involved in “making it work.”     

Costs of reproduction in common eiders ( Somateria mollissima ): An assessment of relationships between reproductive effort and future survival and reproduction based on observational and experimental studies

The two traditional approaches to the study of costs of reproduction, correlational and experimental, have been used in parallel in a breeding colony of common eiders ( Somateria mollissima ) and were compared in this paper. The analysis of the observational data was based on a two-strata capture-recapture model, the strata being defined on the basis of the clutch size laid by individual females in a given year. The best model according to AIC C indicated substantial variation in survival, recapture and transition rates, but overall a pattern emerged: females laying large clutches have a somewhat higher survival and much higher capture rate than females laying small clutches, and transition from large to small clutch size occurs much more frequently than the reverse transition. The analysis of the experimental data (adding/removing one egg) showed that no clear effect was found on either survival or transition rates. We conclude by suggesting (1) that condition should be included in multi-strata models in addition to reproductive effort; (2) that a specific study design for estimating the proportion of non-breeding females should be implemented, and (3) that non-breeding (a non-observable state in this study) may be influenced by previous reproduction events.     

Effect of training different classes of verbal behavior to decrease aberrant verbal behavior

Inappropriate verbal behavior that is labeled "psychotic" is often described as insensitive to environmental contingencies. The purpose of the current study was to establish different classes of rational or appropriate verbal behavior in a woman with developmental disabilities and evaluate the effects on her psychotic or aberrant vocal verbal behavior. Similar to a previous study (Arntzen, Ro Tonnessen, & Brouwer, 2006), the results of the current study suggested that the procedure helped to establish a repertoire of appropriate functional vocal verbal behavior in the participant. Overall, the results suggested the effectiveness of an intervention based on training various classes of verbal behavior in decreasing aberrant verbal behavior.     

Evidence-based practice in social work: perceptions and attitudes among Norwegian social workers

Although the concept of evidence-based practice (EBP) eludes precise definition, it is used as a trademark label to ensure that practice is based on science and thereby effective and of high quality. Proponents of EBP have proposed that both education and practice in social work should be transformed according to the principle of EBP. They attribute critical opposition to EBP to a lack of knowledge of what EBP is. In this article, we endeavour to clarify the concept and present results from a survey among social workers (N?=?2060) from Norway. The survey results show that although many have heard of the concept, few have precise knowledge about it. However, the more educated social workers are (master’s level), the clearer their opinions, both critical and non-critical. The results are discussed in relation to neo-liberal governance and development of social work.     

Costs of reproduction in common eiders ( Somateria mollissima ): an assessment of relationships between reproductive effort and future survival and reproduction based on observational and experimental studies

The two traditional approaches to the study of costs of reproduction, correlational and experimental, have been used in parallel in a breeding colony of common eiders ( Somateria mollissima ) and were compared in this paper. The analysis of the observational data was based on a two-strata capture-recapture model, the strata being defined on the basis of the clutch size laid by individual females in a given year. The best model according to AIC C indicated substantial variation in survival, recapture and transition rates, but overall a pattern emerged: females laying large clutches have a somewhat higher survival and much higher capture rate than females laying small clutches, and transition from large to small clutch size occurs much more frequently than the reverse transition. The analysis of the experimental data (adding/removing one egg) showed that no clear effect was found on either survival or transition rates. We conclude by suggesting (1) that condition should be included in multi-strata models in addition to reproductive effort; (2) that a specific study design for estimating the proportion of non-breeding females should be implemented, and (3) that non-breeding (a non-observable state in this study) may be influenced by previous reproduction events.     

Close Approximations of Minimum Rectangular Coverings

We consider the problem of covering arbitrary polygons with rectangles. The rectangles must lie entirely within the polygon. (This requires that the interior angles of the polygon are all greater than or equal to 90 degrees.) We want to cover the polygon with as few rectangles as possible. This problem has an application in fabricating masks for integrated circuits.In this paper we will describe the first polynomial algorithm, guaranteeing an O(log n) approximation factor, provided that the n vertices of the input polygon are given as polynomially bounded integer coordinates. By the same technique we also obtain the first algorithm producing a covering which is within a constant factor of the optimal in exponential time (compared to the doubly-exponential known before).