The logic behind a cohesive youth care system:Understanding the design, integration and dynamics of complex child service networks

A cohesive youth care system that organizes integrated care for children and families in need of help depends largely on the effective collaboration between a wide range of organizations with diverse expertise and resources within child service networks. Organizations in these networks operate across several sectors, such as mental healthcare, education, childcare and nursery, specialized youth care and community services. To date, however, there is little insight into the construction and evolution of complex child service networks.This thesis describes one of the few longitudinal comparative whole network studies in the field of child and youth services, specifically looking at network design, integration and dynamics. A comparative case study approach and social network analysis were used to examine three interorganizational networks, consisting of 65 to 135 organizations from various sectors in the Dutch youth care system. In 2018 and 2019, the data were collected through a mixed-method approach using semi-structured interviews with the network managers and an online questionnaire fielded among the representatives of the network members.The findings offer a promising basis for a cohesive delivery system. The child service networks consist of the desired range of organizations with diverse expertise and resources and the network organizations are connected as a whole; their relationships are often strong and based on the required key processes; and at least some of the expected core organizations have a key network position. However, this thesis also identifies five serious flaws in the Dutch youth care system. Beside the network-level tension between the required strong relationships for integrated care and the limited resources to maintain those relations, the child service networks have to deal with actors’ inaccurate perceptions of network governance, segmented information exchange structures, the lack of linking-pin positions for gatekeepers, and major internal dynamics that jeopardize a successful delivery of youth care. To work towards a more sustainable youth care system that ensures a comprehensive, tailor-made and seamless service delivery to children and families in need, municipal governments should invest extra attention, time and resources to achieve the desired selective integration. They should actively manage the interplay of interorganizational relationships within child service networks. In order to satisfy these network-level demands, municipal governments should develop network-level coordination skills and task-specific competencies. A learning system as promised in the renewed Child and Youth Act should be facilitated as well, which requires a continuous evaluation of and reflection on the logic behind a cohesive youth care system and the permanent monitoring of network-level outcomes. _Een goed functionerend jeugdzorgsysteem is van groot belang. Dat vraagt om sector-overstijgend werken en een passend hulpaanbod. In de praktijk betekent dit dat vele organisaties - van preventie tot zeer specialistische zorg - lokaal in een netwerk samenwerken om kinderen en gezinnen tijdig passende hulp en ondersteuning te kunnen bieden, aangestuurd door de gemeente als verantwoordelijke voor het jeugdbeleid. Om dat goed te kunnen doen, is het streven al jaren: meer samenhang, betere samenwerking en goede aansluiting op hulpvragen. Toch is er maar weinig bekend over hoe organisaties in het jeugddomein zich ook echt in netwerken organiseren, ordenen en manifesteren. Het verkrijgen van een dieper inzicht in deze netwerklogica is het doel van dit proefschrift.Het onderzoek is één van de weinige longitudinale vergelijkende netwerkstudies op het gebied van jeugdzorg waarbij specifiek gekeken is naar het ontwerp, de samenhang en de ontwikkeling van complexe jeugdhulpnetwerken. Daarvoor werden in gemeenten van verschillende grootte drie jeugdhulpnetwerken onderzocht en vergeleken. Die bestonden uit 65 tot 135 organisaties in diverse sectoren zoals geestelijke gezondheidszorg, onderwijs, kinderopvang, veiligheid, specialistische jeugdzorg en welzijnswerk. In 2018 en 2019 werden daartoe de managers van deze netwerken geïnterviewd en vertegenwoordigers van de organisaties kregen een online vragenlijst voorgelegd.De bevindingen in dit proefschrift laten zien dat er al een veelbelovende basis is voor een samenhangend jeugdzorgsysteem. De jeugdhulpnetwerken bestaan uit genoeg verschillende soorten organisaties die met elkaar verbonden zijn; hun relaties zijn meestal sterk en gebaseerd op de taken die nodig zijn: het delen van kennis en overdragen van cliënten; en kernorganisaties zoals Centra voor Jeugd en Gezin hebben een centrale positie in het netwerk, doordat zij met veel andere organisaties verbonden zijn in het netwerk. Er zijn echter ook belangrijke tekortkomingen. Zo vraagt integrale jeugdzorg om sterke relaties tussen veel organisaties, terwijl daar niet altijd tijd, energie en middelen voor zijn; is het voor organisaties onduidelijk hoe het netwerk wordt aangestuurd; zijn er aparte kennisstromen met inhoudelijke of bestuurlijke informatie, wat kan leiden tot onvoldoende aansluiting van hulpvraag en -aanbod; missen cruciale toegangsorganisaties bij het verwijzen van cliënten een centrale positie in het netwerk en komt de samenhang van het hulp- en ondersteuningsaanbod in gevaar omdat veel sterke relaties tussen organisaties binnen een jaar wegvallen.Om te komen tot een jeugdzorgsysteem waarin sprake is van meer samenhang, betere samenwerking en goede aansluiting op hulpvragen, zouden gemeenten moeten investeren in het formuleren en uitvoeren van een selectieve integratiestrategie. Daarbij geldt: wie met elkaar moet samenwerken, doet dat - en wie dat niet hoeft, doet dat vooral ook niet. Het is belangrijk dat er een sterke (informatie)verbinding is tussen inhoud, beleid en bestuur en dat netwerkcoördinatievaardigheden en taakspecifieke competenties van gemeenten versterkt worden. Ook aandacht voor een lerend systeem is cruciaal. Dat kan door continu te evalueren en reflecteren op de logica van een samenhangend jeugdzorgsysteem en permanente monitoring van de resultaten van het netwerk

Enabling Effective and Equitable Marine Protected Areas: Guidance on Combining Governance Approaches

Human life depends on the benefits the ocean provides for health, well-being and economic growth. But we are using the ocean's resources faster than they can naturally recover. There is a widening gap between the declining health of the ocean and the growing demand for its benefits. Securing healthy oceans and coasts to contribute to sustainable development requires widespread changes in how we manage our activities in and around coastal and marine areas. The need for change is clear as the impacts of over-exploitation, pollution, coastal development and climate change on oceans and coasts become increasingly visible.Marine protected areas offer one of the best options for maintaining or restoring the health of ocean and coastal ecosystems, particularly when they form part of holistic policy and integrated management systems.Strong governance that influences human behaviour and reduces impacts on marine and coastal ecosystems is essential for marine protected areas to be truly effective. This Guide provides evidence-based advice on how to use the governance of marine protected areas to promote conservation and share sustainable marine resources. It has been developed using 34 marine protected area case studies from around the world. It provides a governance framework and highlights key issues in order to address specific governance situations.The Sustainable Development Goals and targets on oceans recognize the need to combine biodiversity conservation and sustainable use, with a clear role for people and the equitable sharing of costs and benefits.The Guide shows how integrated governance can combine the roles of national governments, local communities, and market schemes to enhance the effectiveness of marine protected areas. There is no "one size fits all" solution. This guidance therefore provides a flexible approach to governance that can be relevant to any marine protected area.The case studies used in the Guide cover a variety of marine protected area types, including no-take, multiple-use, small, large, remote, private, government-led, decentralized and community-led protected areas. They highlight different governance approaches, challenges faced, and solutions implemented to achieve conservation objectives. Further details can be found in the Case Study Compendium that supports the guide.Global in scope, the guide recognizes the essential aspects of gender, class and ethnicity-related equality as fundamental factors to achieving sustainable development goals and delivering effective and equitable governance of marine protected areas.People who can benefit from this Guide include planners, decision-makers and practitioners engaged in marine protected area development and implementation, or those who have a general interest in protected area governance.Ultimately, governing the oceans in a sustainable way could see marine protected areas as a driver - not a limit - for the vital economic and social benefits that we derive from the global ocean

Research and Regions. a KWIC Indexed Bibliography

Computerized techniques applied to economics to produce bibliography of related materia

Evolving Institutions and Catching-up by the Candidate Countries of the EU

Since institutions include not only governmental and civic organizations and regulations, but also social customs and behavior, the post-transition development can not be analyzed or understood without the heritage of the past. All-encompassing state-ownership, monopolization and elimination of all kinds of competition reached unprecedented proportions in the Soviet-type economies, creating oligarchic organizations, mentalities, and behavioral patterns. The ruling communist elite enjoyed extreme privileges; citizens became much more alienated from the state than in democratic societies. Experiences of the fastest growing countries proved that by reforming the institutional system and the policy-regime the growth potential of an economy can be much better exploited and catching-up with the more developed countries can be faster. Because of the "velvet" character of transition in East Central Europe, many of the old special interest organizations were not destroyed, thus creating obstacles to faster growth and structural change. In the catch-up process much depends on the openness of an economy, however its performance is basically determined endogenously, by the allocation of resources and their efficient use depending on the institutional structure. The lack or weakness of the rule of the law is one of the main obstacles to the economic catching-up of the East Central European societies and their accession to the European Union. The share of the shadow economy in the transition countries increased very substantially and is about twice as big as in developed market economies. Increased criminal activities and large-scale tax-avoidance is closely related to corruption and is very damaging for the lawful and secure environment of growth. Corruption is strongly negatively associated with the investment rate, and through this it lowers the rate of growth. Clientelistic networks evolved around the political parties, creating a social network where political loyalty prevails against market relations, democratic decision making, and professionalism in public administration. In the political struggles, the question was not only which political group would govern the country, but also who would privatize the vast quantity of state assets, and to whom. In clientelist regimes corruption, favoritism, partiality, give-and-take, and nepotism abound, and thus democratic morale and the logic of the market is destroyed. The analysis shows that the institutions in place in most of the East Central European countries are suitable to achieve a faster growth rate than the EU average, thus catching-up in the not too distant future seems probable after accession. However, the deficiencies in the rule of law are seriously hindering the full utilization of the growth potential of these economies

Oil, Coffee and the Dynamic Commons Problems in Colombia

The dynamic commons problem arises when different groups in society engage in intense redistributive activity as a result of an export boom. This paper analyzes the role that institutions play in ameliorating that problem in the case of coffee and oil in Colombia. The paper presents a model that rationalizes the existence of a federation of coffee producers that effectively reduces inefficient redistribution to other sectors of society. According to the empirical evidence we find that domestic coffee prices have been unaffected by political factors, so that in practice appropriation of coffee rents does not depend on electoral and partisan cycles. The case of oil is substantially different. Here, rents are claimed by a large number of divided agents. According to the model, one feasible solution to the dynamic commons problem when the fiscal structure is not unitary is to impose a set of rules that restrict appropriations by different groups during windfalls. The major cost of this solution, embodied in the Oil Stabilization Fund, is the total loss of flexibility.

Environmental governance and resource tenure in times of change : Experience from Indonesia

The dissertation examines change and complexity in evolving systems of environmental governance in Indonesia, and explores interactions with resource tenure. The aim is to better understand how and why different actors have negotiated and contested resource tenure under conditions of changing environmental governance. The dissertation elaborates a notion of dynamic hybridity in environmental governance and resource tenure systems. The dissertation draws on three empirical case studies and focuses mainly on the period from the late 1990s through to 2015. The cases were geographically disbursed and covered the loosely categorized ideal states of state-led management, community-based management, and payments for environmental services. The findings show how different analytical and theoretical perspectives - for example, a more nuanced focus on trust between actors, considering ideational changes as captured in the changing values of resources, and the bundle of rights approach to understanding property rights - can explicitly encourage a temporal (dynamic) perspective in analyzing changes in resource tenure and environmental governance