By Leo Fieldgrass, National Director of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition (AYAC) and Manager of Participation and Development at the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic)
Read MoreIn this post below, republished with permission, Professor Christina Boswell asks how we can tell what function research is playing in policy-making? It's a timely question ahead of tomorrow's 2014 Power to Persuade symposium.
Christina Boswell is Professor of Politics at the University of Edinburgh and writes on politics, knowledge and immigration at her blog, where this article was originally published.
Read MoreThe current government’s reform agenda has been analysed from many angles. In this article Susan Maury, Social Policy Researcher from Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, suggests using the lens of motivational psychology to design effective responses to complex social problems. Policies such as ‘work for the dole’ have not proven nearly as effective as holistic support such as Youth Connections, which had 94% of participants still engaged in employment or education six months after completing the program. There is a wealth of evidence about what motivates people to change their behaviour that does not seem to be part of the current policy debate.
Read MoreThe McClure interim report raises many questions about the structure and adequacy of Australia’s welfare system. It highlights that single parents, carers and people with disability have lower levels of employment than others in the community, and that the income support and welfare systems need to reflect the needs and challenges of these groups.
What is not explicit is the gendered nature of this problem. Dr Rhonda Cumberland, CEO of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, reflects that by ignoring gender, the review neglects some of the preventable costs that can be reduced in the Australian welfare system.
Read MoreThe role of the academic humanist has always been a public one – however mediated through teaching and publication, argues Tim Hitchcock. As a central means to participate in public conversations, Twitter and blogging just make good academic sense. Hitchcock looks at how these new platforms are facilitating academic collaboration, teaching and public engagement. What starts as a blog, ends as an academic output, and an output with a ready-made audience, eager to cite it.
Read MorePart Two of Professor Christina Boswell's (from the University of Edinburgh) thoughts on the use of targets in public policy. A no win situation?
Read MoreResearchers often bemoan the beatups in the media about their work, yet a recent UK study shows that many university press releases exaggerate or hype research findings or made them more determinist. UK scientist and blogger Alasdair Taylor looks at the risks of "churnalism" and asks in the wake of a recent conference: can scientists themselves offer the needed reflection on their research that an investigative journalist might do?
Read MoreResearchers Dr Gemma Carey (@gemcarey) and Brad Crammond have interviewed a range of politicians, senior past and present bureaucrats, government advisors and lobbyists to find ways to break down barriers between sectors, close research practice gaps and create policy change. Their report was released this week at a research forum hosted by the national Social Determinants of Health Alliance (SDOHA).
Read MoreIt is vital that those impacted by policies are given the opportunity to express their needs and have a voice in the policy process. This is often easier said than done. In this post, Tanya Corrie from Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service reflects on what this means for those who are financially excluded andwho access the fringe lending market. While regulation is imperative, Tanya also notes it is important to understand the underlying, cultural reasons that people prefer to 'pay their own way' rather than 'accept charity' and why this is such an emotive proposition.
Read MoreThe Shergold review of social services has put outcomes based funding back on the table. Below, Simon Smith from Wesley Mission Victoria unpacks what lies behind interest in 'outcomes based funding' and what it might mean for program delivery.
Read More
Outcomes-based funding gets a lot of flack from the community sector. As Simon Smith from Wesley Mission raised in a post earlier this week, its ambiguity is taken as cause for concern.
Simon's post got us thinking about what some of the upsides of outcomes-based funding might be. So, as we like to do from time-to-time at PTP, we asked some academics to lend a hand.
In this article Dr Fiona Buick (@fibuick) from the University of Canberra, Dr Gemma Carey (@gemcarey) from ANU and Dr Pauline McLoughlin (@PJ_McLoughlin), Lighthouse Institute and Centre for Youth Mental Health affiliate, ask: 'what’s so bad about outcomes-based funding?'
Read MoreHow do we influence the decision-makers? Duncan Green, strategic adviser for Oxfam GB and author of ‘From Poverty to Power’, considers a recent study of US national security policymakers through a non-government organisation (NGO) lens. We thank him for his permission to republish his post here.
Read MoreMoral and ethical arguments sit at the core of public policy. Politics and policymaking is, after all, a contest over ideas and world views.
The evidence-based policy paradigm has encouraged academics and, to a lesser extent, advocates to disengage from the moral dimensions of the arguments they make. But, by disengaging we sidestep the very ground upon which policy arguments are fought and won.
Below, Associate Professor Brent Sasley and Associate Professor Mira Sucharov reflect on the opportunities presented when we combine evidence with a moral stance through social media:
Read MoreWe've seen widespread criticism of the budget (some of it on this blog!), particularly around cuts to social policy and the (potential) removal of the safety net. While critique is important, Prof. Paul Smyth from the University of Melbourne draws our attention to the lack of feasible alternatives put forth in post-budget commentary. In particular, Paul urges us to think wider than individual social policies to begin to (re)image what the Australian welfare state should look like for this century.
Read MoreIn part two of our budget wrap-up, the CEO of VCOSS and the team at Good Shepherd Social Policy and Research Unit sum up the key societal costs and implications of the Federal budget:
Out of balance: Tanya Corrie, Kathy Landvogt, Susan Maury and Denis Sheehan, Good Shepherd Youth & Family Service
Read MoreYoung people leaving state care are one of the most vulnerable groups in Australia. We know that care leavers frequently transition from out of home care with few of the financial, emotional and social supports they need. Many face significant challenges in accessing housing and jobs, and pursuing educational opportunities.
Following recent out-of-home care policy reforms, such as the Victorian Government Five Year Plan, it is timely to consider this often overlooked aspect of our care systems. Reflecting on more than 15 years of research, Associate Professor Philip Mendes (Director of the Social Inclusion and Social Policy Research Unit (SISPRU) at Monash University) writes about the challenges and signs of change for leaving care policy in Australia:
Read MoreTo get our blog rolling, we at Power to Persuade have set ourselves the challenge of imagining what a cross-sectoral blog focusing on the policy process can offer. Below, I reflect on this from an academic perspective:
Read More