Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Coalition research'

Master of Public Health
Human Nutrition
Sandra B. Procter
Background: Engaging community has become a fundamental approach to improving health outcomes in resource-limited settings. Community coalitions, comprised of resident activists that mobilize to improve local conditions, are frequently utilized as partners for community-engaged research. However, there is limited research that documents how these partnerships affect the coalitions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of researcher-coalition collaboration in the pilot year of a four-year intervention program targeting childhood obesity in rural, low-income communities. Methods: Twelve pre-established community coalitions from seven states were selected to partner with academic researchers in a quasi-experimental study, and then assigned to either the control (n=6) or intervention (n=6) group. Both study arms received funding and access to a menu of evidence-based tools, but the intervention groups were also provided a trained community coach. Member survey data from a Coalition Self-Assessment Survey (CSAS) tool was completed at baseline and at one-year follow-up. Results: CSAS data were analyzed to identify factors related to coalition function and efficacy, and significant changes in both experimental groups were identified. Change in measures of membership recruitment, coalition capacity and coalition communication were unique to the intervention group. Problems for participation were alleviated significantly on all measures in the control group. Comparison of the study groups at follow-up demonstrated that greater research involvement positively impacted membership recruitment and coalition action plan. Conclusion: The data suggest that coalitions with a higher degree of partnership interaction may be more successful in addressing problems impacting their communities.

Introduction: Community coalitions with public health-related missions are formal, semi-permanent, action-oriented partnerships comprised of community members, representatives of government agencies, policymakers, and academic partners. Despite their potential to promote sustainable change, coalitions have had mixed success in effecting long-term improvements in community health. There is a need to assist them in developing strategies for improving and sustaining their functionality. The purpose of this study was to improve understanding of the elements of coalition success and sustainability that are vital to health-related community-based participatory research. Methods: Although the literature describes coalition functions for effecting sustainable programs and policies, most research reports on individual programs only, rather than looking at the breadth of community coalitions and the commonalities that contribute to their effectiveness. Semi-structured interviews (N = 42) with academic and community partners followed by a grounded theory analysis of the data address this gap and provide theoretical underpinnings of factors sustaining coalition effectiveness. Results: Seven domains emerged: (1) Characteristics related to coalition structure and processes; (2) Partner characteristics, e.g., diversity, patience, flexibility, expertise; (3) Community characteristics, e.g., capacity, ownership; (4) Partnership dynamics and synergy; (5) Tangible benefits; (6) Available resources, and; (7) Project characteristics. In all, 70 elements representing these categories influenced coalition effectiveness over time. Discussion: Sustained effectiveness means continual improvement, ongoing development of skills and structures to support positive change, and expanded program or policy activities that benefit stakeholders. Whereas community researchers have yet to reach consensus on the universal elements of sustainability, this study expands knowledge of the factors contributing to coalition effectiveness beyond initial project implementation.

Master of Science
Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science
Thomas Logan
Typical building sanitary lines are sloped at a minimum of 1/8” to utilize gravity and prevent liquid separation from solid waste. The purpose of this research is to analyze how a lesser amount of water from a 1.6 gallon per flush water closet affects drainage in a four inch diameter pipe at 1/4" slope. Low flow water closet manufacturers ensure that waste clears the bowl, but there is no significant research following the flushed water further down the pipe line. This research utilizes a 1.6 gallon per flush floor-mounted water closet connected to 30 feet of sloped four inch PVC Drain Waste Vent piping. Data presented from 25 flush trials indicates that further research needs to be conducted at a smaller pipe diameter. Four-inch piping is too large, causing the 1.6 gallons of water to quickly lose the required force over the course of 30 feet, resulting in pipe line clogs. An average of four additional water-only flushes are necessary to completely clear the test media and toilet paper from the pipe. This research references previously published research and focuses on test results presented by the Plumbing Efficiency Research Coalition. Two case studies of city wide replacements of old water closets are presented to discuss the viability of city wide mandates in relation to water conservation.

The Christian Right has been a major contributor to the policy process since the 1980s, helping shape the national agenda by illuminating a number of social issues and influencing elections with strong grassroots campaigns. For political scientists, Christian Right organizations provide a rich source of information for studying interest group activity, electioneering, and general political theory. In particular, their efforts to lobby various policy issues such as prayer in school, education, abortion, and traditional marriage, has caused them to become a distinct coalition of advocacy groups, and the focus of much research by many scholars. However, as we advance into the twenty-first century, new biotechnology-related issues have emerged that challenge Christian Right organizations and their values. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the involvement of the Christian Right between 2001 and the beginning of 2009 in legislative debates regarding stem cell research policy, and attempt to distinguish its effective and non-effective lobbying strategies, and the general perception of its influence. This study addressed three research questions. First, to what extent do Christian Right organizations participate in the legislative process regarding stem cell research? Second, what is the perceived influence of its lobbying activities on federal stem cell research legislation? Third, in what ways does the Christian Right engage in lobbying legislators on stem cell research legislation? Within these broad research questions, the following subsequent study objectives were pursued: 1) learn about the reasons for the Christian Right’s influence or lack of influence; 2) understand the goals of its advocacy efforts; 3) learn about its use of outside and inside lobbying strategies; 4) better understand the approach used by Christian Right organizations in lobbying legislators who were undecided about a particular stem cell research legislation; 5) learn about the kind of rhetoric it used; and 6) find out what, if any, forms of coalition building it engaged in as part of its advocacy efforts. In addition, this study examined why legislators voted against the majority of their political party when it came to stem cell research legislation. The epistemological approach for this study was qualitative. Data consisted of verbal responses to semi-structured questions during telephone interviews with representatives from Christian Right organizations, advocacy groups that support the expansion of stem cell research policy, former legislators, and current staff members. In addition to the in-depth interviews, data was also obtained through organizational and government documents. Finally, this dissertation analyzed the Christian Right and its participation in the development of stem cell research legislation through the lens of the advocacy coalition framework. In doing so, the study captures of the essence of the stem cell debate and the role of the Christian Right within it, and offers a new theoretical framework for examining the Christian Right.

Para uma comparação intercultural das influências do contexto sobre a codificação de etnia, duas variações do Protocolo de Confusão de Memória (PCM) foram aplicadas em brasileiros. Ambas as variações consistem em uma exibição de slides de uma discussão entre duas equipes esportivas rivais, com membros negros e brancos em ambos os times, em duas condições: Controle (times com roupas de cores idênticas) e Experimental (times com roupas de cores distintas). As variações são: Traduzida, com fotos de jogadores de basquete usadas no experimento original e diálogo traduzido; e Adaptada, com fotos de brasileiros com camisetas de futebol e com o diálogo reelaborado visando consistência com o esporte. O estudo foi dividido em três fases: (I) exposição de 84 participantes, do estado de São Paulo ao PCM Traduzido (II) exposição de 569 participantes em sete estados brasileiros (BA, ES, MT, RJ, RN, SC, SP) ao PCM Traduzido (III) exposição de 77 participantes do estado de São Paulo ao PCM Adaptado. Na Fase I, a codificação etnia acompanhou o aumento da intensidade da codificação de coalizão (condição experimental), em contraposição ao experimento original (Kurzban et al., 2001). Na Fase II, a codificação de etnia diminuiu de intensidade quando a codificação de coalizão aumentou, em taxa similar à da aplicação original, mas a codificação de coalizão manteve taxa mais baixa, em ambas as condições, em relação aos dados originais. Na Fase III os resultados em ambas as dimensões foram análogos aos da aplicação original. O conjunto de dados reforça a teoria da universalidade do módulo de codificação de coalizão e que a codificação de etnia seja subproduto deste. Também refletem a importância de uma adaptação cuidadosa em estudos interculturais.
For a cross-cultural comparison of context influences in ethnicity encoding, two variations of the Memory Confusion Protocol (MCP) were applied on Brazilians. Both variations consist in a slide-show exposition of a discussion between two rival teams, with black and white players on both sides, in two forms: Control (teams with identical grey colour) and Experimental (teams with different colours). The two variations were: Translated Only, with photographs of basketball players used in the original experiment, and the respective translated dialog; and Adapted, with photographs of Brazilian models with soccer uniforms and a re-elaborated dialog, more fitting to this sport. The research was divided, then, in three different phases: (I) a 84 participants experiment with the Translated MCP, in the state of São Paulo (II) a 569 participants experiment with the Translated MCP, in seven different Brazilian states (BA, ES, MT, RJ, RN, SC, SP); and (III) a 77 participants experiment with the Adapted MCP, in the state of São Paulo. In Phase I, the ethnicity encoding, contrary to the original experiment (Kurzban et al., 2001), accompanied the intensity grown of the coalition encoding. In Phase II ethnicity encoding lowered in intensity during a the raise of intensity of coalition encoding, but coalition encoding kept a lower intensity, in both conditions, if compared to the original experiment coalition encoding rates. In Phase III, the results of both dimensions are analogue to those of the Kurzban et al., 2001 experiment. The data obtained strengthens the theory of a universal coalition encoding module, and encoding ethnicity as a byproduct of it. The data also reveals the importance of a carefully planned adaptation in order to run cross-cultural studies.

Duas visões diferentes podem ser identificadas na literatura sobre codificação de raça no processo de formação de primeiras impressões (categorização social): 1) A codificação de raça é um processo automático, inevitável e obrigatório; 2) é um processo dependente do contexto, que diminui com a explicitação de pistas visuais indicativas da afiliação a grupos, mostrando que a codificação de raça não é obrigatória. O objetivo da presente pesquisa foi: medir a codificação de coalizão e raça e seus efeitos na presença e ausência de pistas visuais de coalizão, confrontar o desempenho de uma amostra brasileira com uma amostra norte-americana e comparar os resultados de homens e mulheres. No primeiro estudo, foi usado o protocolo de confusão de memória, uma medida discreta para revelar quais dimensões os participantes estão categorizando dos indivíduos-alvo. Através deste protocolo, 569 participantes de sete estados brasileiros (BA, ES, MT, RJ, RN, SC, SP), 280 homens e 289 mulheres de 17 a 58 anos, foram expostos a uma situação experimental de rivalidade entre dois times em duas condições distintas: pista visual de coalizão presente (camisetas com cores diferentes para cada time) versus ausente (camisetas com cores iguais para os dois times). Foi encontrado que a codificação de coalizão aumentou e de raça diminuiu quando pistas visuais de coalizão foram amplificadas. Esses resultados são semelhantes aos obtidos na amostra norte-americana. Além disso, encontramos, de maneira geral, semelhança entre o desempenho de homens e mulheres, mas uma sutil diferença na condição onde todos os jogadores vestiam camisetas com cores iguais. Adicionalmente, foi realizado um estudo avaliando características atribuídas por juízes aos indivíduos-alvo do primeiro estudo. Verificamos que o indivíduo-alvo mais escolhido pelos homens no primeiro estudo foi julgado como o mais forte no segundo, enquanto o avaliado como mais rico e bem-sucedido tendeu a ser mais escolhido pelas mulheres quando todos os jogadores vestiam camisetas da mesma cor. Os resultados gerais sugerem a universalidade do mecanismo de detecção de coalizões e alianças, que codificação de raça pode ser um subproduto da psicologia da coalizão e que diferenças intersexuais na codificação de informações ambientais podem ter evoluído a partir de diferentes pressões evolutivas relacionadas às dinâmicas da seleção sexual.
Two different perspectives could be identified in literature about race encoding in the formation of first impressions (social categorization): 1) race encoding is an automatic, inevitable and mandatory process. 2) race encoding is a context-dependent process which decreases with the amplification of visual cues indicating group affiliation. The objective of this work was to measure the coalition and race codification and their effects in the presence and absence of coalition visual cues, to compare the results of the Brazilian sample with a North American sample, and to compare the results of men and women. In the first study, the memory confusion protocol - an unobtrusive measure developed to investigate how people use the features of others as a basis of social categorization - was used to assess encoding. 569 participants from seven different states (BA, ES, MT, RJ, RN, SC, SP), 280 males and 289 females, between 17 to 58 years old, were exposed to an experimental context of rivalry between two teams in two different conditions: shared visual appearance (each team wore jerseys of different colors) versus absence of shared visual appearance (all individuals were wearing jerseys of same color). We found that coalition encoding increased and race encoding decreased when visual cues of coalition were amplified, which implies that race encoding is not an inevitable and mandatory process. These results are generally similar with the North-American findings. Moreover, we found, in general, resemblance in men and women performances, but a slight difference in the conditions where all individuals were wearing jerseys of same color. Additionally, another study was conducted to assess features of the experimental models attributed by judges. We verified that the model chosen more by men was judged as the strongest, and the model tended to be chosen more by women was judged as the richest and well succeed, when all models were wearing jerseys of same color. The general results suggest the universality of the detecting alliance and coalitions mechanism; that the encoding by race could be a byproduct of coalitional psychology, and sexual difference in the codification of environmental informations could have evolved by sexual selection.

In the last few decades, the focus on building healthy communities has grown significantly (Ashton, 2009). There is growing evidence that new approaches to planning are required to address the challenges faced by contemporary communities. These approaches need to be based on timely access to local information and collaborative planning processes (Murray, 2006; Scotch & Parmanto, 2006; Ashton, 2009; Kazda et al., 2009). However, there is little research to inform the methods that can support this type of responsive, local, collaborative and consultative health planning (Northridge et al., 2003). Some research justifies the use of decision support systems (DSS) as a tool to support planning for healthy communities. DSS have been found to increase collaboration between stakeholders and communities, improve the accuracy and quality of the decision-making process, and improve the availability of data and information for health decision-makers (Nobre et al., 1997; Cromley & McLafferty, 2002; Waring et al., 2005). Geographic information systems (GIS) have been suggested as an innovative method by which to implement DSS because they promote new ways of thinking about evidence and facilitate a broader understanding of communities. Furthermore, literature has indicated that online environments can have a positive impact on decision-making by enabling access to information by a broader audience (Kingston et al., 2001). However, only limited research has examined the implementation and impact of online DSS in the health planning field. Previous studies have emphasised the lack of effective information management systems and an absence of frameworks to guide the way in which information is used to promote informed decisions in health planning. It has become imperative to develop innovative approaches, frameworks and methods to support health planning. Thus, to address these identified gaps in the knowledge, this study aims to develop a conceptual planning framework for creating healthy communities and examine the impact of DSS in the Logan Beaudesert area. Specifically, the study aims to identify the key elements and domains of information that are needed to develop healthy communities, to develop a conceptual planning framework for creating healthy communities, to collaboratively develop and implement an online GIS-based Health DSS (i.e., HDSS), and to examine the impact of the HDSS on local decision-making processes. The study is based on a real-world case study of a community-based initiative that was established to improve public health outcomes and promote new ways of addressing chronic disease. The study involved the development of an online GIS-based health decision support system (HDSS), which was applied in the Logan Beaudesert region of Queensland, Australia. A planning framework was developed to account for the way in which information could be organised to contribute to a healthy community. The decision support system was developed within a unique settings-based initiative Logan Beaudesert Health Coalition (LBHC) designed to plan and improve the health capacity of Logan Beaudesert area in Queensland, Australia. This setting provided a suitable platform to apply a participatory research design to the development and implementation of the HDSS. Therefore, the HDSS was a pilot study examined the impact of this collaborative process, and the subsequent implementation of the HDSS on the way decision-making was perceived across the LBHC. As for the method, based on a systematic literature review, a comprehensive planning framework for creating healthy communities has been developed. This was followed by using a mixed method design, data were collected through both qualitative and quantitative methods. Specifically, data were collected by adopting a participatory action research (PAR) approach (i.e., PAR intervention) that informed the development and conceptualisation of the HDSS. A pre- and post-design was then used to determine the impact of the HDSS on decision-making. The findings of this study revealed a meaningful framework for organising information to guide planning for healthy communities. This conceptual framework provided a comprehensive system within which to organise existing data. The PAR process was useful in engaging stakeholders and decision-making in the development and implementation of the online GIS-based DSS. Through three PAR cycles, this study resulted in heightened awareness of online GIS-based DSS and openness to its implementation. It resulted in the development of a tailored system (i.e., HDSS) that addressed the local information and planning needs of the LBHC. In addition, the implementation of the DSS resulted in improved decision- making and greater satisfaction with decisions within the LBHC. For example, the study illustrated the culture in which decisions were made before and after the PAR intervention and what improvements have been observed after the application of the HDSS. In general, the findings indicated that decision-making processes are not merely informed (consequent of using the HDSS tool), but they also enhance the overall sense of ‗collaboration‘ in the health planning practice. For example, it was found that PAR intervention had a positive impact on the way decisions were made. The study revealed important features of the HDSS development and implementation process that will contribute to future research. Thus, the overall findings suggest that the HDSS is an effective tool, which would play an important role in the future for significantly improving the health planning practice.

In tracing the history of the TIROS meteorological satellite system, this dissertation details the convergence of two communities: the DOD space scientists who established US capability to launch and operate these remote sensing systems and the US Weather Bureau meteorologists who would be the managers and users of satellite data. Between 1946 and 1964, these persons participated in successive coalitions. These coalitions were necessary in part because satellite systems were too big—geographically, fiscally, and technically—to be developed and operated within a single institution. Thus, TIROS technologies and people trace their roots to several research centers—institutions that the USWB and later NASA attempted to coordinate for US R&D. The gradual transfer of persons and hardware from the armed services to the non-military NASA sheds light on the US’s evolution as a Cold War global power, shaped from the “top-down” (by the executive and legislative branches) as well as the “bottom-up” (by military and non-military scientific communities). Through these successive coalitions, actor terms centered on “basic science” or the circulation of atmospheric data were used to help define bureaucratic places (the Upper Atmospheric Rocket Research Panel, International Geophysical Year, NASA, and the World Weather Watch) in which basic research would be supported by sustained and collaboration could take place with international partners.

Nanotechnology, the scientific study of manipulating matter on an atomic scale (1 to 100 nanometers) that provides new properties in materials and devices had received considerable research attention and public funding support during the last decade in the US. This emerging technology promises to improve the competitiveness of most of the US industrial sectors. Malerba (2004) an innovation system researcher has developed the theoretical framework "Sectoral System of Innovation (SSI)" to study the process by which new technologies and knowledge are produced and transferred to industrial sectors, where actors interact based on an institutional framework to generate innovation processes. In this dissertation I studied the agriculture and food processing sector, which is a key sector of the US economy that has provided with enough food for the US population, but in an unsustainable way that has harmed the environment, natural resources and human health. The US agrifood sector is facing new challenges of increasing food demand, which need to be addressed in a more sustainable way that takes consideration on economic, environment, and social aspects. The main questions that this dissertation research focuses on studying how much attention the public nanotechnology agrifood research agenda has paid to sustainability issues during the last decade in the US and what role has played the system's actors in influencing this research agenda. The analysis of the policy process in which system's actors try to influence the research agenda is framed in the Advocacy Coalition Framework (Sabatier 1993) that complemented the Sectoral System of Innovation approach in studying the formation of advocacy groups to achieve their coalition's policy goals. Three data sources were utilized to achieve my research goals, the CNS-ASU nanotechnology publications dataset 2000-2010(Porter A, Youtie J et al. 2007; De Bellis 2009)which was used to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the agrifood nanotechnology research publications in the US, semi-structured interviews with key actors and their interaction in advocacy coalition groups, and a literature review of several official documents and public hearing with respect to the US nanotechnology system to evaluate the influence of advocacy groups in the policy process. Utilizing Vantage point data mining and Nvivo qualitative analysis software I conducted the data analysis of my research. The results show increasing research attention toward environmental research and food safety issues that can indirectly impact positively on sustainability development, as well as increasing research attention in studying environmental, health and safety issues (EHS) that can reduce potential risks. The analysis of actors' interaction to influence the policy process, two advocacy coalitions was identified. On one side, a coalition that advocate for more research funding oriented to applied research to achieve the potential that this coalition members believe this technology has to revolutionize the way food is produced giving more competitiveness to the US agrifood sector, this coalition is composed by researchers, federal agency managers and industry representatives. On the other side, a rival coalition that raise concerns respect to potential risks associated to this technology that required to be addressed by the public research agenda. This coalition mainly composed by environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other social actors claim for a regulatory framework that guarantee a nanotechnology development environmental friendly that benefit the society. The influence of these two coalitions have succeed in allocating more federal funding resources to research nanotechnology in the agrifood sector, with particular emphasis in EHS research that show the right path to a sustainable development that guarantee enough resources for the future generations.

Tese submetida como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Doutoramento em Psicologia especialização em Psicologia Comunitária
As parcerias comunitárias são estruturas privilegiadas para a adopção de recursos sociais e abordam problemas que uma organização, serviço ou população não podem autonomamente resolver ou ultrapassar. Com este estudo desenvolvido através de uma abordagem de investigação multi-método, procurou-se explorar as antinomias e complementaridades das abordagens preventivas e de resposta directa articulada às situações de abuso ou negligência de crianças e jovens através das Comissões de Protecção de Crianças e Jovens (CPCJ’s). Foram conduzidas trinta e três entrevistas-chave, a nível nacional, com presidentes das Comissões ou um representante por este designado, procurando compreender as suas prioridades, como consideram ter alcançado os objectivos a que se propunham e documentar os seus esforços para promover uma colaboração frutífera com a comunidade e 244 questionários de eficácia percepcionada foram validados para a prossecução deste estudo, a membros das referidas CPCJ’s. O estudo destas parcerias a partir de um mesmo enquadramento legal (Lei 174/ 99 1 de Setembro), permitiu a análise da implementação de uma mesma proposta em contextos diversificados, tendo sido possível compreender a diversidade e a confluência de padrões organizacionais e procedimentais. Os resultados demonstraram a variabilidade das realidades em função da localização geográfica das Comissões (urbanas, rurais, mistas), como o tempo de funcionamento, remetendo para a experiência acumulada também influencia os resultados e que as variáveis associadas ao clima social (partilha de poder no processo de decisão, a resolução de conflitos, a liderança inclusiva e a presença de uma missão partilhada) tem uma influência positiva significativa na eficácia e na influência percepcionada pelo trabalho em parceria desenvolvido pelas CPCJ’s e não tem uma influência significativa nas mudanças sociais observadas ao longo do tempo nas comunidades. ---------- Abstract ---------- Community Coalitions are privileged endeavors to activate social resources and address problems that a single organization, service or group cannot autonomously solve or overcome. With this proposal we aim to present a multi-method study that explores antinomies and complementarities of preventive efforts and the search for articulated response to child abuse and neglect. Key-Informant Interviews (N=33), were conducted in Portugal (nationwide) to presidents of county Commissions for the Protection of Children & Youth, probing to understand their priorities, the perceived levels of goal attainment, to document successful collaborative efforts, and identify preventive and articulated response at the community level. Perceived effectiveness questionnaires (N=244) were validated to members of these community councils. Results indicate that though these coalitions are created by Law (147/99, Sept 1st), which provided a common set of procedures and aims, facilitating the emergence of patterns for organizational, procedural and result analysis, the achievements and actions have a high degree of variance determined by the location of the commissions (Urban/ Rural), by the length of time in place. Significant differences were also found in the variables associated with social climate (shared power in decision making; conflict resolution, inclusive leadership and the presence of a shared mission) that are positively correlated with the perceived influence and effectiveness concerning the coalition’s work with the community. No significant correlations were observed with the social climate factors and changes in the community overtime.
Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia

This dissertation is a participant observer’s account of implementing a multisite, randomised controlled trial within Her Majesty’s Prison Service. It adds to a scarce literature detailing the steps involved in implementing experiments in custodial settings by providing a candid account of the route from planning to successful implementation. The randomised controlled trial was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Sycamore Tree Programme. This programme’s goal is to teach prisoners the wider harm of crime and includes a face-to-face meeting between a victim of crime and the participating offenders. It derives its rehabilitative potential from restorative justice and seeks to foster hope that change is possible for offenders, thus aiding them to desist from crime. Its development and theoretical basis are described for the first time. In an in-depth narrative the dissertation details how at every stage strategies were developed to manage participant procurement, random assignment, maintaining treatment integrity, and preparing for final outcome measurements. The randomised controlled trial was designed to produce an individual experiment in eight prisons. These will be combined in a meta-analysis as well as analysed as a pooled sample. Overall the implementation process took close to two years and involved a charitable body, Her Majesty’s Prison Service, the National Offender Management Service, and two police forces. This work has demonstrated how the unstable nature of English prison populations and the risk-averse climate must be addressed when conducting experiments in that environment. It has also illustrated the gap between the rhetoric of evidence-based policy and the facilitation of research designed to seek that evidence. Nevertheless, developing trusting relationships and combining rapidly learnt skills with inherent abilities ensured that the evaluation methodology was supported and protected through the various challenges it met. Finally, the dissertation suggests conditions for closer collaboration between government executive bodies and researchers that might increase the number of experiments undertaken in prisons. It also aims to encourage researchers that prison experiments, although not easy, are feasible, defendable, and, above all, worthwhile.

碩士
明道大學
管理研究所
101
Basketball leagues have been developed for more than two decades in Taiwan. Several levels of leagues haves also been formed, including HBL, UBA, as well as CBA. In an unfortunate sense, however, the development of professional games has not been so successful owing to several reasons. Among others, the structural relationships and power struggles have long been in the way of a matured development of professional basket game. This study is aimed to explore the possible power distribution and decision-making mechanism in the light of the institutional operations of European Council (EC).A power index perspective developed earlier in the political science will be deployed to establish an analytical framework. It is hoped that this cross-discipline application will shed the light on the way for the practitioners in the industry toward a better development of the professional basketball games in Taiwan.

碩士
國立中興大學
國家政策與公共事務研究所
104
The purpose of this research is to understand the cause of formation, operation process, resource integration and utilization of location alliance of WuFong district via studying the historical developing context and current operating situation of WuFong district community care and attention location alliance in Taichung City. At last, a few practical and feasible suggestions are proposed as the references of strategy regulation and scenario planning for relevant units This research took the organizations that participate in WuFong district community care and attention location alliance in Taichung city as the research objects and used partnership perspective to explore how the organization of WuFong district community care and attention location alliance was established and what is the organization partnership in operation process as well as the status of resource integration. The methods used are indepth interview, literature survey, individual case analysis and MAXQDA qualitative software analysis, etc., respectively. Research findings: 1) The WuFong district location alliance is originated from the matchmaking of counseling teams and through the autonomic alliance the common vision of "resource sharing" was built; 2) The WuFong district location alliance plan clearly defines member''s duty and through resource integration and sharing the combined effect was generated, which complies to the type of "cooperative partnership"; 3) The key factors that affect WuFong district location alliance include five factors such as "vision building", "communication mechanism", "participation mechanism", "resource integration" and "execution accomplishment". The following research suggestions were proposed according to the foregoing findings: 1) Plan to promote the orientation of the role of district office; 2) Plan to define work regulations; 3) Plan for alliance experience succession

abstract: This project seeks to explore how organizations work toward refugee and immigrant integration through forming different types of coalitions and strategic networks. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify when coalitions emerge between refugee organizations and immigrant rights groups in order to examine their development, from how the coalitions broadly conceive of refugee and immigrant rights, to how they organize resources and information sharing, service provision, policy advocacy, and policy implementation. The project is guided by the question: What explains the formation of coalitions that advocate for both immigrant rights and refugee rights? Through examining the formation and development of these coalitions, this thesis engages at the intersections of immigration federalism, refugee studies and human rights scholarship to reveal deeper complexities in the politics of immigrant integration. The project sharpens these three scholarly intersections by three multi-level jurisdictions – California and Arizona in the United States and Athens in Greece – and by employing comparative analysis to unpack how national governments and federalism dynamics shape coalition building around immigrant integration.
Dissertation/Thesis
Masters Thesis Social Justice and Human Rights 2019

碩士
國立臺北大學
公共行政暨政策學系
94
This research is mainly to carry on the discussion to that policy changes course. The author attempts to explain and distinguish this policy changes course with the ACF（Advocacy Coalition Framework） of the third generation of combining type. Study the purpose and hope to achieve the following several points: 1. Use ACF to explain the interdynamic of this secondary system of policy 2. Find out faith system and policy broker in the secondary system of the policy 3. Find out the factor influencing this policy changes Research methodology include literature review and in-depth interview. In-depth interview is to rely mainly on ' Key-case Sampling ' while making ' Snowfall Sampling ' subsidiary to visit the target. The study shows that this policy changes course is influenced by the alliances of different positions deeply. This research points out that influences the main factors of policy changes to be to support the push of the alliance and the leader's attitude.

Abstract in English
The overall aim of this study was to construct and describe a conceptual framework that can serve as a frame of reference for organisational stakeholders to sustain a community coalition to manage alcohol misuse as a risk factor of HIV infection in a specific community in the North West Province, South Africa. A Participatory Action Research (PAR) design that was qualitative and theory generative in nature was followed in this study. A phased approach with specific objectives aligned to the PAR cycle, namely observe (Phase One), reflect (Phase Two), plan (Phase Three) and act (Phase Four), was followed. These phases were actualised through an exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design, guided and theoretically influenced by critical theory. Data in Phase One were collected through 10 key informant interviews. Data were collected in Phases Two to Four through 10 dialogue meetings. Data collected in the four phases were used to construct and describe the conceptual framework that was evaluated by five experts in the field of mental health and substance misuse for refinement (Phase Five). Thematic data analyses was done to identify emerging themes. Key issues identified were that the community is characterised by fragile community coalitions that hamper the management of alcohol misuse as a risk factor of HIV infection. Factors to be considered to sustain the coalition were identified as sharing a common vision, promoting a trusting relationship, formalising the coalition, transformational leadership, strengthening organisational unity, and access to financial resources. This research adds knowledge in the field of mental health and substance misuse by providing a sustainable community coalition conceptual framework for organisational stakeholders to manage alcohol misuse as a risk factor of HIV infection. The conceptual framework could be used to inform policy, further research, education and improve practice in the field of mental health and substance misuse. Although the study was limited to a specific geographical area of a community in the North West Province, South Africa, the findings can be adapted to fit a specific setting.
Health Studies
D Litt et Phil. (Health Studies)

This presentation was one of several presentations delivered at the First International Open Access Day event held on October 14, 2008 at UBC. In support of the open access movement, the UBC Library joined with SPARC, PLoS (Public Library of Science), and Students for FreeCulture along with 65 other institutions in celebration of this worldwide event.

Improving systems of public education through the development and implementation of innovative reforms is a socially and politically complex process, particularly when systems of public education merge with external agencies that enter the process with unique resources and with perspectives and intents derived from experiences unlike those found in traditional public school cultures. Pursuing a better understanding of this process, this qualitative case study examines the interorganizational partnership that developed Metro High School, an innovative, STEM high school program in Columbus, Ohio. With this single, public/private partnership as a case, this study examined the school reform context within which the partners worked and from which they derived influential perspectives and resources. The objective was to better understand the interaction and manifestation of perspectives, resources, and intentions, as the now influential school was being developed and implemented. Data gathered through interviews, documents, and observations have been analyzed and synthesized into conclusions about the interactive effects of the partners on the development of the school and its subsequent policy influence. Factors found to have affected the effort include favorable reform policy conditions and experienced school designers, commitment to well-defined STEM and Coalition of Essential Schools principles, ample resources from skilled, high capacity partners with political and intellectual influence, conceptual alignment across the partnership, a commitment to equity, and effective community-based negotiations. Negotiations were facilitated by strong leadership working from the base of a multi-district foundation that provided the administrative space for the school’s largely autonomous development. This study, utilizing sociopolitical theories of educational change and implementation that recognize the influence and value of multiple perspectives and constructive variability, suggests implications for interorganizational partnership work that is undertaken for developing and negotiating the terms of new systems of public school organization and new learning environment designs. In regard to the research literature on implementation, school change, and reform, this study—though not generalizable and limited in scope to a single site—sheds light on the complexity of implementing collaborative educational change in urban environments.

The research objective of this diploma theses is to deeply understand the proces of policy change in the field of prevention and fight against domestic violence in the Czech republic. The aim of the research part of the theses is to identify the main resources and factors of the policy and belief change, which determine the policies in the field of prevention and fight against the domestic violence. This means the orientation among key policy change actors and identification of advocacy coalitions that enforced policy changes. The research design was case study based on the semistructured interviews with experts and key actors. The Advocacy Coalition Framework has proved to be useful in drawing attention to the notion of changing values and belies systems as key source of policy change. It also highlighted the need to take into account factors external to the policy subsystem under investigation. Potential usefulness of the Framework can be found in further application to the field of human rights issues in the Czech republic.

This qualitative study uses narrative inquiry (Connelly & Clandinin, 1988, 1990, 2001) and self-study to investigate ways to further understand and facilitate the integration of holistic philosophies of education with media literacy pedagogies. As founder and director of the Youth Media Literacy Project and a self-titled Imagitator (one who agitates imagination), I have spent over 10 years teaching media literacy in various high schools, universities, and community centres across North America. This study will focus on my own personal practical knowledge (Connelly & Clandinin, 1982) as a culture jammer, educator and cancer survivor to illustrate my original vision of a ‘holistic media literacy pedagogy’. This research reflects on the emergence and impact of holistic media literacy in my personal and professional life and also draws from relevant interdisciplinary literature to challenge and synthesize current insights and theories of media literacy, holistic education and culture jamming.