title: Community-led initiatives: reforms for better accountability?

authors: Awio, Godwin

subjects: health services

abstract: Purpose – This paper sets out to contrast the ubiquitous, globalizing influence of new public management (NPM) with an alternative approach more attuned to the local needs of communities, especially those with health and economic problems in less-developed countries. The Ugandan Community-led HIV/AIDS Initiative is drawn on to contrast the operation of “bottom-up” accountability – whereby the deliverers of public services are accountable primarily to the communities they serve – with the usual expectations of an NPM model, which instead focuses on holding public sector managers accountable to their political masters. 
Design/methodology/approach – A hermeneutics approach is adopted to interpret evidence from: government policy documents; interactions and interviews with public sector actors at national, district and community levels; and one author's own pre-understanding from his role with the Uganda AIDS Commission. 
Findings – This Ugandan illustration suggests potential benefits from importing workable aspects of NPM reforms while at the same time exploring other service delivery and accountability options that fit the needs of target communities in less-developed countries. 
Research limitations/implications – Uganda's adoption of the outlined community-led approach has important implications for the (ir)relevance debate around NPM reforms in developing countries. However, as this paper is based on a single initiative in one country, it represents only a first step towards understanding the potential for innovative public sector models to add value in developing countries. 
Practical implications – The findings point to community-led approaches, such as those adopted in Uganda, as a promising alternative to NPM models for improving public service delivery and financial accountability in less-developed countries. 
Originality/value – Communitarian and social capital theoretical perspectives are drawn on to analyse novel public sector management and accountability mechanisms and compare the findings with dominant NPM perspectives. The research context contributes new understanding of how NPM reforms might be adapted and supplemented to benefit developing nations.

text: Community-led initiatives: reforms for better accountability? Purpose – This paper sets out to contrast the ubiquitous, globalizing influence of new public management (NPM) with an alternative approach more attuned to the local needs of communities, especially those with health and economic problems in less-developed countries. The Ugandan Community-led HIV/AIDS Initiative is drawn on to contrast the operation of “bottom-up” accountability – whereby the deliverers of public services are accountable primarily to the communities they serve – with the usual expectations of an NPM model, which instead focuses on holding public sector managers accountable to their political masters. 
Design/methodology/approach – A hermeneutics approach is adopted to interpret evidence from: government policy documents; interactions and interviews with public sector actors at national, district and community levels; and one author's own pre-understanding from his role with the Uganda AIDS Commission. 
Findings – This Ugandan illustration suggests potential benefits from importing workable aspects of NPM reforms while at the same time exploring other service delivery and accountability options that fit the needs of target communities in less-developed countries. 
Research limitations/implications – Uganda's adoption of the outlined community-led approach has important implications for the (ir)relevance debate around NPM reforms in developing countries. However, as this paper is based on a single initiative in one country, it represents only a first step towards understanding the potential for innovative public sector models to add value in developing countries. 
Practical implications – The findings point to community-led approaches, such as those adopted in Uganda, as a promising alternative to NPM models for improving public service delivery and financial accountability in less-developed countries. 
Originality/value – Communitarian and social capital theoretical perspectives are drawn on to analyse novel public sector management and accountability mechanisms and compare the findings with dominant NPM perspectives. The research context contributes new understanding of how NPM reforms might be adapted and supplemented to benefit developing nations.

year: 2007

title: 'A Story to Tell': learning from the life-stories of older people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland

authors: Hamilton, Carol

subjects: digital archives

abstract: This article draws on life-stories told by older people with intellectual disabilities for a research study in the Republic of Ireland. Research participants recalled their experiences of confinement, coercion and exclusion that resulted from their being labelled as having intellectual disabilities. Participants also recalled the positive interactions with workers and family members that sustained them during these difficult times. Extracts from these narratives show how past medical and social processes interlinked to classify members of this group as 'deficient' or 'lacking' in some way. Life-stories collected in this project illustrate the value of a narrative approach to exploring how services might begin to enhance the quality of support currently provided to older people with intellectual disabilities. However, life-story work in a service setting is far from straightforward, and support is needed for staff involved in this process.

text: 'A Story to Tell': learning from the life-stories of older people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland This article draws on life-stories told by older people with intellectual disabilities for a research study in the Republic of Ireland. Research participants recalled their experiences of confinement, coercion and exclusion that resulted from their being labelled as having intellectual disabilities. Participants also recalled the positive interactions with workers and family members that sustained them during these difficult times. Extracts from these narratives show how past medical and social processes interlinked to classify members of this group as 'deficient' or 'lacking' in some way. Life-stories collected in this project illustrate the value of a narrative approach to exploring how services might begin to enhance the quality of support currently provided to older people with intellectual disabilities. However, life-story work in a service setting is far from straightforward, and support is needed for staff involved in this process.

year: 2009

title: The science-society relationship in Aotearoa: practicing responsible innovation in the New Zealand research and innovation system

authors: Finlay-Smits, Susanna

subjects: Responsible innovation

abstract: Reports on Aotearoa New Zealand’s research, science, and innovation (RSI) system suggest the sector could improve its social responsibility and create more social value. However, researchers and innovators within the sector find this challenging. Through qualitative interviews and a national survey of RSI system participants, this study explores the current perceptions, practices enacted, and support given around responsible research and innovation practices. Findings indicate that researchers and innovators have diverse understandings of what responsible research and innovation entails, viewing anticipation and reflexivity-aligned practices as the most important aspects of responsible research and innovation. Participants feel most supported by research organisations and funding bodies to enact such aspects of responsible practice. However, they perceive a discrepancy, across all dimensions explored, between what researchers and innovators should do, and what they actually do in terms of enacting responsible practices. Thus, significant room for improvement is identified, particularly regarding practices that align with researchers’ and innovators’ obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and requirements under Vision Mātauranga.

text: The science-society relationship in Aotearoa: practicing responsible innovation in the New Zealand research and innovation system Reports on Aotearoa New Zealand’s research, science, and innovation (RSI) system suggest the sector could improve its social responsibility and create more social value. However, researchers and innovators within the sector find this challenging. Through qualitative interviews and a national survey of RSI system participants, this study explores the current perceptions, practices enacted, and support given around responsible research and innovation practices. Findings indicate that researchers and innovators have diverse understandings of what responsible research and innovation entails, viewing anticipation and reflexivity-aligned practices as the most important aspects of responsible research and innovation. Participants feel most supported by research organisations and funding bodies to enact such aspects of responsible practice. However, they perceive a discrepancy, across all dimensions explored, between what researchers and innovators should do, and what they actually do in terms of enacting responsible practices. Thus, significant room for improvement is identified, particularly regarding practices that align with researchers’ and innovators’ obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and requirements under Vision Mātauranga.

year: 2023-05-17