Speeding up the “evolution” of policy could help promote the survival of the fittest in policy solutions, argues Stephen Muers, Director, Sentencing and Rehabilitation, Ministry of Justice, United Kingdom, in this post originally published on Civil Service Quarterly.
Read MorePublic service professions have lagged behind the medical profession in using empirical evidence to guide decision making. David Halpern, National Adviser on What Works & CEO of Behavioural Insights Team, explains how the emergence of ‘What Works Centres’ can change this, and outlines the case for ‘radical incrementalism’.
Read MoreFamily violence is headline news in Victoria these days. The Victorian Labor Government has established a much-needed Royal Commission into the support system, including a review of the justice system, government, service organisations, police, corrections, and child protection, with the aim of decreasing instances, improving victim support, and ensuring perpetrators are held to account. Susan Maury, Policy and Research Specialist with Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, argues that, as the least-understood form of family violence, economic abuse needs to receive significant attention.
Read MoreStrategic participation in international legal processes can be extremely valuable for NGOs undertaking policy and law reform work. The Universal Periodic Review, a process of the United Nations Human Rights Council, is one method by which Australia’s human rights record is assessed on the international stage. Internationally and in Australia, the UPR is proving to be a useful mechanism for NGOs to engage with governments on issues of human rights and related law and policy. Anna Lyons, Senior Lawyer at Justice Connect Homeless Law explains.
Read MoreIn the modern world, time poverty and income poverty can be closely related, particularly for those without the financial resources to outsource tasks of daily living (cleaning,shopping, childcare). Celia Green reports on the impact of being 'time poor' on health.
Read MoreThere is a noticeable shift from purely profit-driven capitalism towards the notion of an 'integrated social citizen.' The founder of Pro Bono Australia, Karen Mahlab, sees it happening in Australia and around the world. This post first appeared on the Open Forum blog.
Read MoreDo we have the 'right' to a job, with decent working conditions, and to be protected from unemployment? In this post, social policy researcher Dr Veronica Sheen explores the humans rights implications of Australian labour market policy and activation schemes.
Read MoreThe future of national urban policy in Australia has been in doubt since the closure of the federally-funded Major Cities Unit in late 2013. In this post, former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe reflects on the contributions of previous federal governments to coordinated policy, planning and infrastructure investment in Australia's cities.
Read MoreLast year we ran pieces by Brian Howe and Richard Madden on the proposed changes to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Below, Richard provides further insight into the challenges facing government statistical agencies in response to a piece in the Sydney Morning Herald. Richard is a Professor at the University of Sydney and has been Director of AIHW and previously Deputy Australian Statistician
Read MoreThe arts are a great tool for connecting the community to policy making processes. Both communities and policy makers find artistic processes fun and engaging. If used correctly, artistic process can help communities manage the way their issues are presented to the wider community. It can also complement more traditional community engagement and research methods, adding depth and shine.
Zoe Dawkins from Storyscape Consulting discusses her experiences in using the arts as a tool to connect communities to people of influence.
Read MoreCivil Servants have significant influence on the lives of the individuals they govern. Yet we have little knowledge as to how Civil Servants themselves are governed.
Mark Jarvis has been conducting research to understand how civil servants are held to account. Whilst there is a lot being done well, Jarvis identifies ways in which civil service accountability could be improved and suggests there is room for improvement in the way we think about accountability.
Read MoreI dreamt I had a phone call from Scott Morrison now Minister for Social Services. He explained that his newly repentant government had realised it was out of step with the Australian people on social policy matters. He wanted to establish better communication with the people and, hearing that I had studied Australian social policy for so many years, wondered if we might chat about the ‘Australian Way’.
Read MoreBelow, Leon Feinstein provides further background on the longitudinal data discussed and defends the findings against some key misunderstandings of the data. This post first appeared on the LSE Impact Blog.
Read MoreThere's a broad consensus that the NLP's loss in Queensland and rumours of a leadership challenge can be sheeted back to poor policy choices by both governments. Below, a timely piece from Paul Cairney (@Cairneypaul) on whether personal beliefs can in fact be separated from facts when making policy. Paul Cairney is Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the University of Stirling.
This piece originally featured on Paul's personal Blog.
Read MoreThis case study explains how I used an outcomes framework to help design an Indigenous youth program.
Read MoreIn this case study we talk about how we used digital storytelling in a longitudinal evaluation of a school-based orchestral music program.
Read MoreThis is the first of three case studies I will be posting about evaluation this week.
Read MoreThis week is all about practical case studies in evaluation. In particular, this week is all about how I do on-the-ground evaluations with programs.
Read MoreBelow, CEO of the Council to Homeless Persons (@cphVIC) provides CPH's perspectives on the short and longterm challenges of tackling homelessness in Victoria for the incoming government
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