Evaluating development programs: building joint activity

There has been an increasing plea for a participatory approach to development programs. It is argued that for programs to be sustainable, they need to be conceptualized, negotiated and run by all stakeholders jointly. Concurrent with this trend, there has been an increasing demand for program evaluation strategies, which encompass an evaluation of the nature and level of participation of the different stakeholders in the program. This paper proposes a theoretical framework for such evaluation and subsequently provides a practical illustration. Engeström's notions of ‘activity system’ and ‘learning by expanding’, are proposed as a framework for the evaluation of participation and an action evaluation methodology is suggested as the practical tool within such framework. The paper presents a case study of a conservation education program in Africa, which operationalizes the proposed theoretical framework.     

几个亚洲国家的远程MBA教学项目的区域性比较研究

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Managing Socially-Responsible Buying:: How to Integrate Non-economic Criteria into the Purchasing Process

Companies are increasingly scrutinized by various audiences and are made accountable not only for their internal practices, but also for their suppliers’ behavior. Many purchasing managers and executives are not accustomed to seeing the purchasing function receive so much attention from different parties. As a result, a number of them do not know how to embrace the trend toward socially responsible buying (SRB). The present paper offers a helping hand by (1) shedding some light on the nature of SRB and (2) explaining how companies can incorporate social responsibility criteria into their purchasing decisions.     

Changing stakeholder needs and changing evaluator roles: the Central Valley Partnership of the James Irvine foundation

This case describes the changing roles of an evaluator as the program he was evaluating changed and developed, and as the needs of his client and primary intended users changed over time. The focus in this case is on the relationship between the external evaluator and the staff of a philanthropic foundation as a major initiative unfolded. The focus of the evaluation was learning and improvement, and as the evaluator developed recommendations for organizational capacity-building, he was commissioned by the foundation to implement his own recommendations, a form of developmental evaluation. The case explores the dynamics and challenges of such an arrangement and relationship. Those involved have agreed to have their real names used because this is a highly visible initiative and attempting to disguise the foundation and key players might undermine, in this instance, the authenticity of the case. The initiative that is the focus of the case is the Central Valley Partnership of The James Irvine Foundation headquartered in San Francisco.     

An Examination of the Woodwork Effect Using National Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports Data

A common concern in long-term services and supports (LTSS) policy is the “woodwork effect,” which has two components: (1) more people will use publicly funded services if access to home- and community-based services (HCBS) is expanded; and (2) the additional beneficiaries will increase the growth rate of LTSS expenditures. Medicaid LTSS beneficiary and utilization data starting in 1999 indicate modest growth in beneficiaries and expenditures, after adjusting for inflation and the number of people with functional impairments. The data do not provide strong evidence that the shift in Medicaid funding toward HCBS significantly increased or decreased overall Medicaid LTSS spending.     

完善评优机制推进学报事业发展——潘国琪先生访谈录

全国高校文科学报研究会在25年时间开展了四届学报评优活动。研究会前理事长潘国琪先生曾主持首届学报评优活动并全力支持此后历届评选,他在接受采访时谈了学报评优的缘起、所取得的成绩,以及对这项工作的建议。他指出:推动学报事业发展是研究会的神圣使命,评优是实现这一使命的重要举措。四届学报评优活动成绩卓然,充分展示了学报的成绩,评出了导向,树立了标杆,鼓舞了士气,为名刊建设、为学报的良性竞争、为学报的发展起了很大的助推作用。他建议进一步完善评优机制,修订评委聘任办法,实现动态管理,以使学报评优活动健康持续开展。     

Utilization of Formal Support Services Among Hispanic Americans Caring for Aging Parents

Abstract

Most studies of formal service utilization among ethnic minority groups reveal little about the within-group variation in formal service use by caregiving families. The present study explores patterns of formal service utilization among 43 Hispanic caregiving families that vary according to differences in level of acculturation. In so doing, the utility of Andersen's behavioral model of health care service utilization is called into question.     

利益相关者理论评析及其对国有企业改革的启示

本文在对利益相关者理论评价的基础上 ,认为只有那些“长期缔约者”和“纯粹风险承担者”才有必要或有可能介入企业治理结构。并且指出 ,实践中要承认人力资本产权的存在 ,但要加以区别对待 ,只有那些特殊人力资本所有者才有可能作为“长期缔约者” ,而对于一般人力资本所有者而言 ,即便是现实中赋予其部分剩余索取权和剩余控制权 ,也均应纳入对人力资本的激励约束范畴来考虑。最后依据本文所述 ,对国有企业改革实践提出了若干建议。     

政府投资项目相关利益主体的博弈及其利益最大化

本文根据相关利益主体理论与博弈论的一般原理,对政府投资项目相关利益主体进行界定和分类,并对这种项目相关利益主体的多重利益关系进行博弈分析。找出影响政府投资项目绩效的制度缺陷并提出相应的解决对策。     

Stakeholder influence,government power,and new opportunities for Chinese Internet companies: A multilevel network analysis of cross-sector networks

In recent decades, Chinese Internet companies have experienced exponential growth. As the Internet industry increasingly commends tremendous financial resources, they also face growing stakeholder expectations for corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions. One way through which Chinese Internet companies conduct CSR is by building cross-sectoral collaborations with nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and governmental agencies. Aiming to understand Internet companies’ strategic relationship building on CSR issues, the researchers drew from stakeholder influence theory and research on a network approach to stakeholder influence, and applied multilevel network analysis to model three networks related to Chinese Internet companies’ CSR collaborations. Specifically, we found that power and urgency are significant predictors of the structure of Internet companies’ cross-sector CSR alliance network. Organizations affiliated or endorsed by the central Chinese government are the most desirable CSR stakeholders. Additionally, the study also revealed that for Internet companies, devoting their attention to Internet-related social issues could increase their desirability as strategic stakeholders from other sectors and among Internet companies.