Monitoring and evaluating transition and sustainability of donor-funded programs: Reflections on the Avahan experience

PurposeIn low and middle-income countries, programs funded and implemented by international donors frequently transition to local funding and management, yet such processes are rarely evaluated. We reflect upon experience evaluating the transition of a large scale HIV/AIDS prevention program in India, known as Avahan, in order to draw lessons about transition evaluation approaches and implementation challenges.ResultsIn terms of conceptualizing the transition theory, the evaluation team identified tensions between the idea of institutionalizing key features of the Avahan program, and ensuring program flexibility to promote sustainability. The transition was planned in three rounds allowing for adaptations to transition intervention and program design during the transition period. The assessment team found it important to track these changes in order to understand which strategies and contextual features supported transition. A mixed methods evaluation was employed, combining semi-structured surveys of transitioning entities (conducted pre and post transition), with longitudinal case studies. Qualitative data helped explain quantitative findings. Measures of transition readiness appeared robust, but we were uncertain of the robustness of institutionalization measures. Finally, challenges to the implementation of such an evaluation are discussed.ConclusionsGiven the scarceness of transition evaluations, the lessons from this evaluation may have widespread relevance.     

都市回族社会结构的范式问题探讨--以北京回族社区的结构变迁为例

回族是中国城市化程度最高的少数民族.关于都市回族的研究成果已经很多,但多数都是零散的个案描述和具体问题分析,缺乏理论范式的建构和探索.本文将以北京回族社区的结构变迁为个案,探讨具有更为普遍性的中国都市回族社会结构的范式问题,即传统都市回族社区是以怎样的社会结构得以存在和延续的?这种社会结构已经和正在发生怎样的变迁?     

Educational differentials in cohabitors' marriage intentions at different childbearing stages in seven European countries

Several studies have looked into the socio-economic gradients of cohabitation and non-marital fertility. According to the theory of the Second Demographic Transition, highly educated individuals can be considered as forerunners in the Western European spread of non-marital family forms after the 1970s. In Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), however, research has provided evidence for a Pattern of Disadvantage where those with the lowest education have been the most likely to adopt such family forms. Hitherto, few studies have considered the educational gradient of the intentions underlying these behaviors. This contribution uses information on marriage and fertility intentions from the Generations and Gender Surveys for seven European countries to assess educational differentials. In Western Europe we observe no strong educational gradients in marriage intentions at any childbearing stage (before, during or following). In CEE countries, however, less educated cohabitors more frequently choose for cohabitation during childbearing.     

Qualitative longitudinal analysis of symptoms in patients with primary and metastatic brain tumours

Summary.  Primary and metastatic brain tumour patients are treated with surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Such treatments often result in short- and long-term symptoms that impact cognitive, emotional and physical function. Therefore, understanding the transition of symptom burden over time is important for guiding treatment and follow-up of brain tumour patients with symptom-specific interventions. We describe the use of a hidden Markov model with person-specific random effects for the temporal pattern of symptom burden. Clinically relevant covariates are also incorporated in the analysis through the use of generalized linear models.     

城市化进程中的地方政府治理转型:一个新的分析框架

城市化是人类社会走向现代化的必由之路,也是当前中国经济社会发展的重大战略。推进城市化离不开地方政府治理转型,而地方政府治理变迁也离不开城市化进程。两者之间存在着一种表征关系,即不只是城市化影响了地方政府治理,而且地方政府治理变迁本身属于城市化过程。在城市化进程中,地方政府得以强化公共服务与社会管理等本质职能,而且还可实现治理体制机制的超越与创新。相应地,地方政府必须从产业、空间与人口等城市化各要素协调发展出发,推进职能转型,并在重构自身与市场、社会关系的基础上,创新治理体制机制,以更好地回应城市化并促进城市化发展。     

Transition and Adjustment to Professional Identity as a Newly Qualified Social Worker

This article discusses the lived experience of professional identity during the transition from student to newly qualified practitioner. Current literature emphasises the first year of practice as an important time of transition to a job-role as student social workers move into postqualification practice. However, little research has explored how professional identity is experienced during this significant transition period. A phenomenological research project was undertaken with 17 newly qualified social workers in Australia. Three in-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with each participant across the first 12 months postqualification period. Participants described how they resolved personal, relational, and professional questions about becoming and being a qualified social worker. The findings indicate a need for educators, employers, supervisors and the profession to consider how to better integrate professional identity within curricula, policy, and systems of support, including supervision.     

Using GIS to enhance programs serving emancipated youth leaving foster care

This article describes a GIS prototype designed to assist with the identification and evaluation of housing that is affordable, safe, and effective in supporting the educational goals and parental status of youth transitioning from foster care following emancipation. Spatial analysis was used to identify rental properties based on three inclusion criteria (affordability, proximity to public transportation, and proximity to grocery stores), three exclusion criteria (areas of high crime, prostitution, and sexual predator residence), and three suitability criteria (proximity to health care, mental health care, and youth serving organizations). The results were applied to four different scenarios to test the utility of the model. Of the 145 affordable rental properties, 27 met the criteria for safe and effective housing. Of these, 19 were located near bus routes with direct service to post-secondary education or vocational training programs. Only 6 were considered appropriate to meet the needs of youth who had children of their own. These outcomes highlight the complexities faced by youth when they attempt to find affordable and suitable housing following emancipation. The LEASE prototype demonstrates that spatial analysis can be a useful tool to assist with planning services for youth making the transition to independent living.     

对中国人口转变的再思考

论文作者通过对数十年来中国人口婚育行为模式、家庭结构与类型、死因构成模式转变的简要描述,指出仅在传统和最基本的人口动态、即人口出生、死亡和增长的角度来理解和认识人口转变、包括中国的人口转变,已远远不够,难以适应时代和人口发展的要求。提出人口转变是一个多维的动态历史过程,是一系列特定人口转变的集合。其中人口出生率、死亡率和自然增长率的变动仅仅是人口转变的表象和外壳,其内核则是通过制度、文化和技术等承载的人口行为及其动力机制,由此引致的变化才代表了人口的内在转变,强调关注人口的内在转变是理解中国特色人口转变道路的重要视角和基础。在对人口转变内涵探索的前提下,借助于对国内人口学界近些年有代表性的人口转变理论研究成果的介绍和分析,作者初步探讨了人口转变理论研究的拓展和创新问题。     

论人口老龄化程度城乡差异的转变

在中国人口老龄化过程中,农村老年人口比例日益高于城市,这是否是中国人口老龄化过程中的特有现象?本文对中国和其他国家人口老龄化过程中城乡人口老龄化的差异进行了比较研究。结果表明,在人口老龄化过程中,许多国家普遍地表现出农村人口老龄化程度高于城市的特点,即城乡倒置明显。进一步研究表明,人口老龄化城乡倒置只是人口老龄化过程中的一个阶段,它不会长期持续。当社会经济发展达到一定水平,大规模的城乡人口迁移基本完成,城市化水平大幅提高,人口因素发生改变时,人口老龄化程度农村高于城市的城乡倒置状况将发生转变,即城市老年人口比例最终将超过农村。     

Institutionalizing government public relations in Romania after 1989

Public relations are a new profession in Romania, an Eastern European former communist country which changed to a democratic regime in December 1989. It is generally considered to have emerged after 1990, although publicity and political propaganda preceded it (Rogojinaru in Sriramesh and Ver?i?, 2009, p. 553). Although the Romanian practice of public relations evolved and developed quickly aligning with the international practice, several campaigns and programs receiving awards during the last editions of IPRA Golden World Awards, SABRE Awards, Cannes Lions Awards or European Excellence Awards, there is still very little focus on research and theory. Thus, there is no major study on the history of public relations in Romania prior to 1989 to either confirm or challenge the conclusion of Grunig, Grunig and Ver?i? (2004) that there was no public relations in Eastern Europe before 1989 because the concept was not acceptable for socialism (p. 137). Even after 1989 while there is a growing body of literature on public relations in general published in Romanian, few studies addressed Romanian public relations which are more frequently described in practice than researched from the viewpoint of public relations theory. This exploratory research aims at identifying the characteristics of government public relations in Romania in 2011, the main stages in institutionalizing government public relations after 1989 and correlates them with the general evolution of public relations in Romania between 1989 and 2011.