Saving Multilateralism: Renovating the House of Global Economic Governance for the 21st Century

Last December, the eyes of all those with a stake in international affairs turned to Europe. First they looked to Geneva, for signs that the long-running Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) would get back on track after years of stalemate. Then observers turned to Copenhagen, hoping to see a binding and comprehensive agreement reflecting a commitment on the part of the world’s governments to address the pressing global challenge of climate change. They were to be sorely disappointed. Inscribed on the faces of those struggling to reach agreements was a deep frustration with multilateral processes that were proving incapable of delivery. Instead of agreement, the images playing out on television screens and in newspapers around the world were of fractiousness and division, due in part to the large number of participants and contentiousness of the issues faced; of anger, on the part of all those who felt marginalized by the process; and of concern, from those looking for signs that the world still has the capacity to reach accords when it really matters. The failure of these meetings to produce formal agreements—or even specific paths to reaching agreements in the future—despite the high stakes and the political capital that had been invested in advance left many questioning the ability of the world’s leaders to meet global challenges, shedding a spotlight on the institutions and fora that were established for the purpose of achieving multilateral solutions to the most pressing collective problems of the 21st century. Why did these meetings fail? Many had assumed that the most significant economic crisis since the Great Depression and the overwhelming scientific and circumstantial evidence of damaging changes to our climate would compel world leaders to set aside their differences and reach meaningful agreements. But it did not happen. It is not that the problems are not big enough or urgent enough. The failure to reach agreements can best be seen as part of a long-term trend toward increased complexity in the world that makes it nearly impossible to reach traditional multilateral binding accords, combined with a waning of faith on the part of many countries in multilateralism and multilateral institutions

Impact of the Sierra Health Foundation's Clinic Capacity Building Program: Final Evaluation Report

Sierra Health Foundation (Sierra Health) launched the Clinic Capacity Building Program in 2013 as part of the Sacramento Region Health Care Partnership. The goal of the Clinic Capacity Building Program was to respond to the anticipated growth in demand (i.e., number of patients) created by the implementation of the Affordable Care Act by strengthening community health centers' administrative and operational capacity. The program aimed to improve clinic leadership, care quality and financial sustainability, thereby increasing the number of high performing Federally Qualified Health Centers in the region.In July 2014, Sierra Health contracted with the Center for Community Health and Evaluation (CCHE) to evaluate the effectiveness of its Clinic Capacity Building Program. The goal of the evaluation was to assess the effectiveness of the Clinic Capacity Building program and contribution of the program to changes in capacity among the five grantees. This is the Executive Summary of the final evaluation report, which was submitted to Sierra Health in December 2015

Efforts for improving buildings conditions in public schools in Egypt : SWOT analysis of two governmental renovation programs

The buildings conditions of public schools are a key component of Egypt\u27s education reform plan. Recently, the Ministry of Education introduced a number of reforms to improve the public schools conditions. These reforms include renovation programs focusing on solving all the damages inside public schools and make them safe for the students. This study relies on qualitative research methods through structured and semi-structured in-depth interviews with several ranks in the education sector for schools improvement .Interviews covered those people involved in two governmental renovation programs, which are the One Hundred Schools Development Program and the National Renovation Program including supervising engineers, managers of the programs as well as teachers and contractors involved in both programs. This study applied the SWOT analysis technique to analyze the two programs effectively. Findings demonstrate that both programs had many strengths and opportunities which are mainly in renovating schools buildings, providing technology tools and following strategic planning; however, there are serious weaknesses and threats that should be avoided in any coming school development program such as the limited number of labors and the insufficient budget. The study recommends having good time management, well developed strategic plan, regular documentation, depending on institutions and regular maintenance of the renovated buildings

Internet y la capacidad de innovar en América Latina

(Disponible en idioma inglés únicamente) En este trabajo presentamos una panorámica general de la situación de internet en América Latina y sostenemos que si bien los países latinoamericanos se han incorporado relativamente tarde, en principio pueden ponerse al día con mayor rapidez y a un costo menor. Pero eso depende del entorno de la innovación en esos países; en ese respecto, puede que la adopción de internet no se diferencie de la de otros avances tecnológicos. En este trabajo también se trata cómo el grado de innovación de un país explica en parte el grado al que se pueden absorber nuevas tecnologías con mayor eficacia. Lo sorprendente de esta relación es que sea válida, incluso cuando se aísla el hecho de que los países con mejor infraestructura telefónica también son los que tienen más proveedores de servicios de internet. Hallamos que la capacidad de innovar y asimilar nuevas tecnologías no es sólo cuestión de ingresos o de la capacidad de la infraestructura.

Creating safer cities for salmon: A policy analysis of the Lower Fraser Watershed

Rapid urbanization in the Lower Fraser Watershed (LFW) of British Columbia (BC) directly and indirectly degrades the health of aquatic ecosystems that are home to the ecologically, culturally, socially, and economically significant Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). Using the scientific standards of the Salmon-Safe BC urban program as an evaluative framework, this study undertakes a comparative review of government policies and offers a series of recommendations that could facilitate the use of green infrastructure (GI) to mitigate adverse impacts on wild salmon. During consultations with LFW experts, the disparities in policy objectives and requirements were cited as a major barrier to their effective implementation. Addressing these gaps in policy requires development of well-defined statutory foundations and enforcement, and awareness-raising among developers, the public, and politicians to understand GI solutions. This approach can garner the support needed for the use of GI systems to protect wild salmon and ensure long-term watershed health

e-Government in a connected society: a friend or a foe (32)

Organisations in the last decade are faced with the challenges posed by modern technology, changes in consumer behaviour and the emergence of new enterprises, whose operations are entirely based on innovative business models and the digital business. Digitization itself is the concept, which often occurs during the strategic plans of the organizations. Although public administration does generally not fall within the areas of high competition, the external environment is also forcing it into changes. These changes may be seen through the renewed portal of public administration, an increasing emphasis on digitization of the services, connecting e-Government towards the people etc. However, it is often forgotten that digitization is not based merely on technology itself, but it should include also organizational aspect and business process management as well. The purpose of this research in progress is to present the concepts behind e-Government and to demonstrate the extent to which digitization of public services is following objectives such as reducing costs, shortening business cycles and improving the quality of service. The paper will through the eyes of the end user highlight the shortcomings of the public administration digitalization and indicate possibilities for future development

Trends in Smart City Development

This report examines the meanings and practices associated with the term 'smart cities.' Smart city initiatives involve three components: information and communication technologies (ICTs) that generate and aggregate data; analytical tools which convert that data into usable information; and organizational structures that encourage collaboration, innovation, and the application of that information to solve public problems

Towards evaluation design for smart city development

Smart city developments integrate digital, human, and physical systems in the built environment. With growing urbanization and widespread developments, identifying suitable evaluation methodologies is important. Case-study research across five UK cities - Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Milton Keynes and Peterborough - revealed that city evaluation approaches were principally project-focused with city-level evaluation plans at early stages. Key challenges centred on selecting suitable evaluation methodologies to evidence urban value and outcomes, addressing city authority requirements. Recommendations for evaluation design draw on urban studies and measurement frameworks, capitalizing on big data opportunities and developing appropriate, valid, credible integrative approaches across projects, programmes and city-level developments

The New Knowledge Environment: Quality Initiatives in Health Sciences Libraries

published or submitted for publicatio

Master Plan: Achieving Distinctiveness and Excellence in Form, Function, and Design at Illinois State University 2000-2020

Educating Illinois defines our vision: to be the first-choice public university in Illinois for high-achieving, motivated students by providing a small-college experience with large-university opportunities. The Master Plan supports our academic mission and service operations by providing physical development guidelines and design standards for the campus of Illinois State University. At Illinois State University, students, faculty, and staff work together to advance teaching, learning, and scholarship. Our campus is collegiate, traditional, and stately, and it emphasizes our prominence and stature as Illinois\u27 first public university. Continuing these traditions, The Master Plan has three main themes: 1) reinforcing the benefits of a small-college experience, 2) supporting large-university opportunities, and 3) embracing partnerships with our local communities