Defining and refining effectiveness: Applying narrative and dialogue methods in aid monitoring and evaluation

In this chapter we argue that definitions of 'effectiveness' should be negotiated and that this can be assisted through the careful selection of monitoring and evaluation methods. A flexible view of 'effectiveness' is necessary because the world is complex and ever-changing, and even more importantly because the concept is contended. Inevitably, different stakeholders in development aid hold different perspectives about what 'effectiveness' means in their context. We propose that the use of certain types of qualitative methods in monitoring and evaluation is an important way to promote dialogue on the different definitions of effectiveness between stakeholders. In support of our argument, we demonstrate how two open-ended inquiry methods were applied in the field to first define and then refine the meaning of effectiveness. We also apply a validation framework to test the quality of these methods and to generate insight into the strengths and weaknesses of their application in the field. A key strength of these methods is found to be their attention to capturing diversity of perspective. In addition, both the narrative and dialogue methods are seen to indeed facilitate the negotiation of meaning of effectiveness between the different project stakeholders. We conclude that a thoughtful and flexible approach to monitoring and evaluation that incorporates such qualitative methods enables effectiveness to be defined and refined, and is conducive to more appropriate, better managed aid.© 2007 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved

Strengthening local governance arrangements for sanitation: case studies of small cities in Indonesia

Local governments in Indonesia have the primary responsibility for delivering sanitation (wastewater) services. However, in large part due to governance factors, local governments invest little in sanitation services and delivery of services is weak. This research adopted a participatory, case study approach to investigate governance and institutional arrangements for planning, budgeting and implementing sanitation services in small cities and towns in Sumatra, Indonesia. The research focused on the effectiveness of city/regency planning for sanitation, the effectiveness of pokja sanitasi (sanitation committees), the links between planning and investment, and local government roles and responsibilities. This paper presents the findings of three case studies. Barriers to effective delivery of sanitation services include: prescriptive local budgeting and approval systems; lack of local government ownership of assets; and policy, funding and technical arrangements that are biased against strategic delivery

Reducing or increasing inequalities? The role of private water enterprises in rural Viet Nam

Extreme inequalities are recognised as being detrimental to human rights and economic development (Stiglitz 2012), and in response, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has explicitly included addressing inequalities as one of the 17 Global Goals. In order to reduce inequalities an integrated approach across multiple dimensions of human development is required, including access to safe water. This research investigated stakeholder perceptions of rural piped water services in Viet Nam to better understand issues of equality, access and affordability. It asked the question: can poor households access piped water services provided by small scale private enterprises in rural Viet Nam? This question is important because little is known about whether or not poor households access piped water services, related issues of affordability of connection fees and tariffs, and other potential barriers. It is also important because private enterprises are increasingly providing piped water services in Viet Nam, supported by incentives from Government and international donors including some civil society organisations (CSOs

Planar, strong magnetic field source for a chip ion trap

We present a planar, scalable magnetic field source, originally conceived for a chip ion trap. It consists of two symmetric sections, each with several independent currents arranged in coplanar, concentric rectangular loops. The currents allow for tuning the strength of the field and its lowest-order derivatives at one discretional position along the source’s vertical symmetry axis, a few mm above its surface. We describe the construction and calibration of the device and the cryogenic setup. The two most important current configurations for a Penning ion trap, the homogeneous field and the magnetic bottle, are investigated experimentally. Homogeneous fields around 0.5 T are routinely reached. We discuss the maximum attainable field, and we briefly describe ongoing further developments aiming at homogeneous fields well above 1 T

NGO Legitimacy: Four Models

The aim of this paper is to examine NGOs’ legitimacy in the context of global politics. In order to yield a better understanding of NGOs’ legitimacy at the international level it is important to examine how their legitimacy claims are evaluated. This paper proposes dividing the literature into four models based on the theoretical and analytical approaches to their legitimacy claims: the market model, social change model, new institutionalism model and the critical model. The legitimacy criteria generated by the models are significantly different in their analytical scope of how one is to assess the role of NGOs operating as political actors contributing to democracy. The paper argues that the models present incomplete, and sometimes conflicting, views of NGOs’ legitimacy and that this poses a legitimacy dilemma for those assessing the political agency of NGOs in world politics. The paper concludes that only by approaching their legitimacy holistically can the democratic role of NGOs be explored and analysed in the context of world politics

Swimming Upstream: Identifying student anxieties and solutions

This study explores some of the sources of stress faced by students in higher education. Research identifies an association between stress levels and students’ academic performance. This study aims to determine the sources, level and impact of perceived stresses among students in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, years of study and degree major. Participatory action research was explored as a means of developing strategies and solutions for students experiencing stress-related problems. Eleven undergraduate students were recruited initially as co-researchers with four academic staff and one research assistant. One student continued throughout the cycle with two others having to withdraw because of academic work pressures. A collaborative process took place using narrative storytelling and discussions alongside extra-sessional research. A range of outcomes is anticipated related to the students’ experience and academic achievements. Academic staff responsiveness and concern for student wellbeing and successful achievement will contribute to increased student satisfaction. Identification and development of systematic and effective ways of managing anxieties and sharing this with other HEIs will contribute to student wellbeing. In terms of academic outputs, a paper based on the pilot will be developed and acknowledgement of co-authorship appropriately made. A wider research proposal - inclusive of other universities and programmes can be developed for the future

Strengthening governance arrangements for small city and town sanitation in Sumatra, Indonesia – a selection of key themes for local governments and policy makers. A Briefing Paper.

This project brief summarises key themes from research that investigated local government governance and institutional arrangements for sanitation (wastewater) planning, budgeting and implementation in small cities and towns in Sumatra, Indonesia

Coherent coupling of a trapped electron to a distant superconducting microwave cavity

We investigate theoretically the coupling of a single electron in a planar Penning trap with a remote superconducting microwave cavity. Coupling frequencies around Ω = 2π · 1 MHz can be reached with resonators with a loaded quality factor of Q = 10^5, allowing for the strong coupling regime. The electron and the cavity form a system of two coupled quantum harmonic oscillators. This is a hybrid and linear microwave quantum network. We show that the coherent interaction can be sustained over distances of a few mm up to several cm. Similar to classical linear MW circuits, the coherent quantum exchange of photons is ruled by the impedances of the electron and cavity. As one concrete application, we discuss the entanglement of the cyclotron motions of two electrons located in two separate traps

Intravital imaging tumor screen used to identify novel metastasis-blocking therapeutic targets

Cancer cell motility is a key driver of metastasis. Although the intravasation of cancer cells into the blood stream is highly dependent on their motility and metastatic dissemination is the primary cause of cancer related deaths, current therapeutic strategies do not target the genes and proteins that are essential for cell motility. A primary reason for this is because the identification of cell motility-related genes that are relevant in vivo requires the visualization of metastatic lesions forming in an appropriate in vivo model. The cancer research community has lacked an in vivo and intravital metastatic cancer model that could be imaged as motility developed, in real-time. To address this, we developed a novel quantitative in vivo screening platform based on intravital imaging in shell-less ex ovo chick embryos. We applied this imaging approach to screen a human genome-wide short hairpin RNA library (shRNA) versus the highly motile head and neck cancer cells (HEp3 cell line) introduced into the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of chick embryos and identified multiple novel in vivo cancer cell motility-associated genes. When the expression of several of the identified genes was inhibited in the HEp3 tumors, we observed a nearly total block of spontaneous cancer metastasis