Transnational policy entrepreneurs and the cultivation of influence: individuals,organizations and their networks

ABSTRACT

The ‘policy entrepreneur’ concept arises from the Multiple Streams’ theory of agenda setting in Policy Studies. Through conceptual stretching’, the concept is extended to global policy dynamics. Unlike ‘advocacy networks’ and ‘norm entrepreneurs’, the discussion addresses the strategies of ‘insider’ or ‘near-governmental’ non-state actors. The analysis advances the policy entrepreneur concept in three directions. First, the discussion develops the transnational dimensions of this activity through a case study of International Crisis Group. Second, rather than focusing on charismatic individuals, the discussion emphasizes the importance of organizational resources and reputations for policy entrepreneurship and access into international policy communities. Organizations maintain momentum behind policy solutions and pressures for change over the long term when individuals retire or depart for other positions. Third, the discussion outlines four distinct entrepreneur strategies and techniques that both individuals and organizations cultivate and deploy to enhance their power and persuasion in global policy processes and politics.     

Evaluation of an intervention supporting breastfeeding among late-preterm infants during in-hospital stay

BackgroundLate-preterm infants show lower breastfeeding rates when compared with term infants. Current practice is to keep them in low-risk wards where clinical guidelines to support breastfeeding are well established for term infants but can be insufficient for late-preterm.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate an intervention supporting breastfeeding among late-preterm infants in a maternity service in the Basque Country, Spain.MethodsThe intervention was designed to promote parents’ education and involvement, provide a multidisciplinary approach and decision-making, and avoid separation of the mother-infant dyad. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with a control (n = 212) and an intervention group (n = 161). Data was collected from clinical records from November 2012 to January 2015. Feeding rate at discharge, breast-pump use, incidence of morbidities, infant weight loss and hospital stay length were compared between the two groups.ResultsInfants in the control group were 50.7% exclusive breastfeeding, 37.8% breastfeeding, and, 11.5% formula feeding at discharge, whereas in the intervention group, frequencies were 68.4%, 25.9%, and 5.7%, respectively (p = 0.002). Mothers in the intervention group were 2.66 times more likely to use the breast-pump after almost all or all feeds and 2.09 times more likely to exclusively breastfeed at discharge. There were no significant differences in morbidities and infant weight loss between groups. Hospital stay was longer for infants who required phototherapy in the intervention group (p = 0.009).ConclusionThe intervention resulted in a higher breastfeeding rate at discharge. Interventions aimed to provide specific support among late-pretem infants in maternity services are effective.     

政治课“激凝·讨论”教学模式优化选择的实践与研究

政治课教学“激疑·讨论”模式,不同于传统的讲授法单向信息传递与谈话法一对一信息交流的模式,而是由教师主动设置疑问(激疑),以引起学生兴趣并质疑,然后通过师生间的互动讨论(释疑),最后求得共识与真知(无疑),从而培养学生的求知能力与主体意识,并进行思想政治上的自我教育。     

读《永生医院》，想象“永生”——从“写什么”说到“生生”

文章以郝景芳在《永生医院》中遭遇到的"永生"问题为切入点,在中西方生命哲学的大背景下,对当代科技手段制造出来的"新人"所带来的文化冲击和个体生命的意义危机进行了深入的思考。作者从中国传统的"生生"哲学出发,深入剖析了以技艺人的工作经验为基础的古希腊"制造"哲学借助于当代科技手段造成的生命哲学危机,指出"永生"不是生命的最高目标,唯有在变动不息的"生生"之中,才有生命的真实意义。     

Pragmatic decisions in the evaluation of consumer satisfaction with mental health treatment

This article examines pragmatic choices which must be made in conducting consumer satisfaction assessment of mental health treatment. It is argued that choices involving sample, format, and procedure for examining satisfaction may influence the results of such research, and must be considered when creating or evaluating these efforts. These choices are examined in detail.     

Priority Setting for the Distribution of Localized Hazard Protection

We address the problem of distributing safety-enhancing devices across a region, where each identical device provides for only local protection of the population. The devices protect nonidentical sectors of the population. The sectors of population are exposed to nonidentical intensities of hazard. A method for the screening and prioritizing of needs for the protective devices is described. An approach of risk-benefit-cost analysis under uncertainty is recommended as follows. Measures of hazard intensity and population exposure are identified. Exogenous parameters that influence assessments of risks, benefits, and costs are identified. Uncertainties of the exogenous parameters are propagated by interval analysis. Several tiers of the plausibility of need for protection are identified. The tiers are useful in setting priorities for the distribution of the safety devices. The method is demonstrated in an engineering application to roadway lighting, but has implications for disaster preparedness, anti-terrorism, transportation safety, and other arenas of public safety.     

语言多属性决策的目标规划模型

研究了只有部分属性权重信息、属性值以语言变量或不确定语言变量形式给出且决策者对方案有偏好信息的语言多属性决策问题.给出了语言变量和不确定语言变量的运算法则,以及不确定语言变量之间比较的可能度公式,定义了语言变量的偏离度概念.在属性值以1)语言变量和2)不确定语言变量,这两种形式给出的情形下,分别建立了一个基于偏离度的目标规划模型,并通过求解这两种模型分别获得相应的属性权重.然后对于情形1),利用语言加权平均(LWA)算子,对语言决策信息进行加权集成,继而对方案进行排序和择优;对于情形2),利用不确定语言加权平均(ULWA)算子,对不确定语言决策信息进行加权集成,并利用可能度公式构造可能度矩阵(互补判断矩阵),继而利用互补判断矩阵排序公式对决策方案进行排序和择优.最后进行了实例分析.     

我国医院经济未来发展问题研究

医院建设和发展的实践充分证明，作为管理经济不可缺少的资本积累，已越来越被人们所重视，这也是未来我国医院发展迫切的一种经济活动方式。     

Efficacy of Statistical Outlier Analysis for Monitoring Quality of Care

Researchers have proposed that hospitals with excessive statistically unexplained mortality rates are more likely to have quality-of-care problems. The U.S. Health Care Financing Administration currently uses this statistical “outlier” approach to screen for poor quality in hospitals. Little is known, however, about the validity of this technique, since direct measures of quality are difficult to obtain. We use Monte Carlo methods to evaluate the performance of the outlier technique as parameters of the true mortality process are varied. Results indicate that the screening ability of the technique may be very sensitive to how widespread quality-related mortality is among hospitals but insensitive to other factors generally thought to be important.     

关于高校管理中“双肩挑”问题的探讨

为了做好专业技术岗位聘用工作,高校应该认真研究普遍存在的“双肩挑”人员的管理现状和探索新的使用方法。笔者对高校中“双肩挑”管理模式现行管理政策与措施进行了调查和研究,提出了应加强对“双肩挑”岗位设置的管理,同时,应注重管理队伍朝着专职和专业的方向发展,并在高校中逐步提高学术权力的领导地位、建立新时期高校管理体制的新格局和确保高校人事管理科学发展的建议。