Nudging is the flavour of the moment in public policy, with the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet recently announcing they will follow NSW and establish a new high-level behavioural economics team in PM&C. But what are the risks, ethically and otherwise, of a focus on the psyche? And what can we learn from the experiences of international development practitioners in how we nudge our citizens at home? Elise Klein explores these questions, and more, in this new post.
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Dr Gemma Carey, NHMRC Fellow & Senior Lecturer UNSW Canberra
The Productivity Commission is an interesting body that warrants a great deal more scrutiny and attention that it has historically been given....
Read MoreIn this post, Asit Biswas and Julian Kirchherr outline how and why academic entrepreneurship is a key part of impact in the modern university. The ‘social policy entrepreneur’ fits squarely in that picture. However, Asit and Julian argue, we need a shift in incentives to unleash the creative potential of scholars for the overall benefit of society.
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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS – DUE 1/7/2016
Gender, power relations and the use of evidence in policy – starting a new conversation
Australian Journal of Public Administration
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Discussion around immigration and asylum seekers in Australia has become increasingly populist and emotive and too often devalues evidence-based decision making. This piece by Professor Christina Boswell, originally published on her blog, explores how the immigration debate in the UK has evolved over time and how to develop a more nuanced and realistic conversation based on evidence and experience.
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David Tennant provides a service provider perspective on the Social Service Futures dialogue;
Read MoreNSW Council for Intellectual Disability has been having lots of conversations and engaging with many people about the NDIS Information Linkages & Capacity Building Framework which is currently in consultation. Submissions on the framework can be made until 22 April. This post, originally published on the CID website, explores some of their initial thoughts on the framework and shares some of the ideas and themes that they are developing.
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Our next instalment of the Social Service Futures Dialogue
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Gemma Carey & Lara Corr examine the orms and values of the Productivity Commission and how this influences the way PC reviews are conducted and the advice that is given to government. The full article is available online.
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In its November 2015 response to the Harper Competition Policy Review (CPR), the Australian Government stated its intention to commission a Productivity Commission review to explore how competition principles can be applied in practice to the human services sector. This further review has not yet been implemented – it’s not clear if there has even been any consultation with the states and territories on the terms of reference – and it’s unlikely to be put forward as a Liberal National Party (LNP) campaign issue in the looming federal election, but if the Turnbull Government is returned, we can expect to see the topic of the marketisation of healthcare services reappear.
Read MoreToday’s post is from Lanie Stockman, Outcomes and Evaluation Specialist at Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, asking us to consider the power dynamics behind the ‘results mantra’ in social service provision.
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Positive psychology is the emerging field that examines what allows people to thrive. In this blog post, Policy Whisperer Susan Maury of Good Shepherd AustraliaNew Zealand makes a case for considering self-efficacy when designing or evaluating government policy.
Please note that some links embedded in this blog post contain photos of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people who may be deceased.
Read MoreInternational Women’s Day is celebrated every year on or around 8th March. In 2015 Kathy Landvogt, head ofGood Shepherd’s WRAP (Women’s Research, Advocacy and Policy) Centre, attended an event reflecting on two questions: “What took you into a career in politics?” and “What do we need to do next to further women’s equality?” Organised by the Member for Bentleigh Nick Staikos, three eminent former politicians – Kay Setches, Janice Munt and the late Joan Kirner – took us back to darker days when many of the gains for women’s equality were yet to be won, and urged us to keep working for equality.
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Social Service Futures Dialogue: Toward an Inclusive Governance Reform Agenda (Part One)
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Today's post comes from our very own Sophie Yates (@MsSophieRae) from ANZSOG (and also completing her PhD). Sophie explores whether there is a divide between politics and administration (or implementation) of policy, or whether in fact we all live in the 'purple zone'.
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Today's post comes to from the UK, specifically from Liam Stanley who is is an Associate Fellow, SPERI, & Lecturer in Politics, University of Sheffield. Liam notes the drmatic rise in the use of welfare and the negative connotations that accompany this rise. Sounds familiar right?
Read MorePolicy-makers, we presume, want to solve social problems. Therefore, they select policy measures. In practice, these measures tend to trigger different reactions in society. How might a government avoid bad reactions, such as the tuition fees protests and ‘bedroom tax’ campaigns? Peter van Wijck and Bert Niemeijer present a conceptual framework to which looks to align the perspectives of policymakers and citizens. This post originally appeared on the LSE Politics and Policy Blog.
Read MoreAt the Jesuit Social Services annual fundraising dinner on Saturday 19 March, CEO Julie Edwards talked about the organisation staying true to its purpose in a changing service environment. This edited version of Julie’s speech continues our dialogue on the future of social services and the community sector, and will interest anyone contemplating the role and resilience of not-for-profit organisations in civil society.
Read MoreThis post by Ruth Levine, director of the Hewlett Foundation’s Global Development and Population Program, challenges the assumption that the slow pace of research diminishes its value for policymaking. The post originally appeared on the Hewlett Foundation’s Work in Progress Blog.
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