Underpinnings of Public Administration Education in the United States: Implications for Public Administration Pedagogical Discourse in Africa

Public administration is a dynamic and context-driven field of application. Similarly, educational programs devoted to the subject must reflect that flexibility. The article begins by addressing the history. evolution, and current status of the field of public administration education and its pedagogical underpinnings in America. The analysis leads to an examination of the pedagogical questions necessary in curriculum development and design in public administration education in African historical context. Also. it delineates some problems often associated with and responsible for inappropriate adaptation of public administration design processes. It concludes with a brief discussion of the pedagogical questions raised that are to guide in designing public administration education discourse in the context of Africa

Bureaucratic Neutrality in an Ethnic Federalism: The Case of Ethiopia

The question addressed in this paper is whether bureaucratic neutrality, or the depoliticization of civil service, is compatible with ethnic federalism. This question is explored by reviewing the classic theories of bureaucracy as a foundation for examining the research question and contextualizing bureaucratic neutrality in Ethiopian ethnic federalism

Privatization in Theory and Practice: The Issues to be Considered

The concept of privatization is fairly recent. This paper examines the different perspectives of the privatization literature, analyzes and assesses the proposed advantages and disadvantages of privatization as a strategy for providing public goods. The paper concludes by instilling a conceptual framework that should be considered before undertaking a privatization policy

The Impact of the Higher Education Regulatory Environment on For-Profit Higher Education Institutions

- 84 - I The Impact of the Higher Education Regulatory Environment on For-Profit Higher Education Institutions Rhonda L. Myers Northern Virginia Community College Berhanu Mengistu Old Dominion University The growing presence and transient nature of for-profit higher education institutions in the United States (US) pose governance and regulatory challenges for bureaucratic structures, legislatures and non-profit postsecondary institutions. One such challenge is the perceived lack of governance and regulation of for-profit higher education institutions. The inability of data to meet the assumptions of both multiple linear regression and Poisson regression required utilization of ordinal logistic regression to investigate the impact of the higher education regulatory environment (independent variables) in the US on the presence of for-profit higher education institutions (dependent variable). The study found that state higher education governance structure and two regional accrediting agencies influence the prevalence of for-profit colleges and universities. These findings suggest that policies that support the growth of for-profit higher education institutions as part of state economic development goals undermine policies that attempt to regulate higher education in that state, resulting in the need for strengthened state governance as well as laws and policies that are congruent with state and federal economic development goals

Crime and Community Policing in South Africa

This analysis examines the concept of community policing in the context of new South African disposition. With the radical change in social order that accompanied the fall of apartheid, many aspects of South African administration are shifting focus to more community- and citizen-centered ideals. The article first analyzes the qualitative and quantitative nature of crime in South Africa in order to identify the practicality and possible effectiveness of community policing. With this in mind, the concept of community policing as philosophy and practical application is then addressed, citing modern examples of its use. The particulars of current South African culture and resources are then considered and compared with factors necessary to the effective use of community policing. In sum, the analysis reveals that South Africa\u27s current infrastructure seems to be inadequate to the task of efficient community policing

Predictors of compliance with community-directed treatment with ivermectin for onchocerciasis control in Kabo area, southwestern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Compliance with annual ivermectin treatment is a major challenge in community-directed treatment with ivermectin (CDTI) implementation. There are individuals who do not comply with the annual mass treatment, which contributes to the continuity for disease transmission. Hence, ensuring high treatment coverage and sustained compliance should be given due emphasis in the control of onchocerciasis. The aim of this study was to determine CDTI compliance rate and predictors of compliance where the CDTI was in its 9(th) round in Kabo area, southwestern Ethiopia. METHODS: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Kabo area, three weeks after the 9th round of annual ivermectin distribution. Systematic random sampling was used to select head of households and structured, pre-tested questionnaire was used to interview the study participants. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16. Descriptive statistics was used to compute mean and standard deviation of continuous variables and frequency for categorical variables, while bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to assess the effects of independent variables on the outcome variable. Variables which showed association in multivariate analysis were considered as final predictors of compliance and strength of association was measured through adjusted odds ratio (AOR). RESULTS: A total of 308 respondents (age range 18-70, mean age ± SD, 32.21 ± 9.64) participated in the study. Of these, 249 (80.8%) reported that they took ivermectin during the 9(th) round annual treatment. Significantly higher rate of treatment compliance was reported by participants age ≥35 years (AOR = 5.48, 95% CI; 1.97 - 15.23), participants who stayed in the area for more than ten years (AOR = 3.86, 95% CI; 1.83- 8.11), participants who perceive that they are at risk of contracting the disease(AOR = 7.05, 2.70- 18.43), participants who perceive community drug distributors (CDDs) are doing their work well (AOR = 2.35 95% CI; 1.15- 4.83) and participants who know at least one CDD in their village (AOR = 2.83, 95% CI; 1.26- 6.40). CONCLUSION: The majority of the study participants in the present study area complied with ivermectin treatment. Nevertheless, intervention packages should consider factors such as age, residence duration and community’s perception of the disease to improve compliance and make drug distribution sustainable

Students Time Utilization Practices in School and Home Environments in the Primary Schools of Boloso Sore Woreda, Wolaita Zone Southern Ethiopia

Students on the task time and off task behavior can affect student academic achievement in quality of education in school Thus the major purpose of this study was to examine the students time utilization practices in schools and at home in the primary schools of Boloso Soro woreda wolaita zone To this effect descriptive survey method was employed The study was conducted in 3 target public primary schools In this study 3 schools and 65 students were selected by randomization Whereas 3 principals 3 vice principals 10 teachers and 10 Parent-Teacher-Association members were selected on the bases of availability sampling technique Questionnaire interview and document analysis were used to collect data Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage were used for data analysi

Malaria and Related Outcomes in Patients With Intestinal Helminths: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: The effects of helminth co-infection on malaria in humans remain uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the nature of association of intestinal helminths with prevalence and clinical outcomes of Plasmodium infection. METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 1,065 malaria suspected febrile patients was conducted at Dore Bafeno Health Center, Southern Ethiopia, from December 2010 to February 2011. Plasmodium and intestinal helminth infections were diagnosed using Giemsa-stained blood films and Kato-Katz technique, respectively. Haemoglobin level was determined using a haemocue machine. RESULTS: Among 1,065 malaria suspected febrile patients, 28.8% were positive for Plasmodium parasites (P. falciparum =13.0%, P. vivax =14.5%, P. falciparum and P. vivax =1.3%). Among 702 patients who provided stool samples, 53.8%, 31.6% and 19.4% were infected with intestinal helminths, Plasmodium alone and with both Plasmodium and intestinal helminths, respectively. The prevalence of infections with Ascaris lumbricoides (A. lumbricoides), Trichuris trichiura (T. trichiura), Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni) and hookworm (9.8%) were 35.9%, 15.8%, 11.7% and 9.8%, respectively. Out of the 222 (31.6%) Plasmodium infected cases, 9 (4.1%) had severe malaria. P. falciparum infection was more common in febrile patients infected with A. lumbricoides alone (21.3%), T. trichiura alone (23.1%) and S. mansoni alone (23.1%) compared to those without intestinal helminth infections (9.3%) (p CONCLUSIONS: Infections with A. lumbricoides, T. trichiura and S. mansoni were positively associated with P. falciparum infection. However, further studies are required to investigate how these helminths could contribute to increased prevalence of P. falciparum infection

Day-to-Day Fluctuation of Point-of-Care Circulating Cathodic Antigen Test Scores and Faecal Egg Counts in Children Infected with Schistosoma Mansoni in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Determining the variation of circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) in urine and egg counts variation in stool between days in Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni) infected individuals is vital to decide whether or not to rely on a single-sample test for diagnosis of Schistosomiasis. In this study, the magnitude of day-to-day variation in urine-CCA test scores and in faecal egg counts was evaluated in school children in Ethiopia. METHODS: A total of 620 school children (age 8 to 12 years) were examined for S. mansoni infection using double Kato-Katz and single urine-CCA cassette methods (batch 32727) on three consecutive days. RESULTS: The prevalence of S. mansoni infection was 81.1% based on triple urine-CCA-cassette test and 53.1% based on six Kato-Katz thick smears. Among the study participants, 26.3% showed fluctuation in urine CCA and 32.4% showed fluctuation in egg output. Mean egg count as well as number of cases in each class of intensity and intensity of cassette band color varied over the three days of examination. Over 85% of the children that showed day-to-day variations in status of S. mansoni infection from negative to positive or vice versa by the Kato-Katz and the CCA methods had light intensity of infection. The fluctuation in both the CCA test scores and faecal egg count was not associated with age and sex. CONCLUSIONS: The current study showed day-to-day variation in CCA and Kato-Katz test results of children infected with S. mansoni. This indicates the necessity of more than one urine or stool samples to be collected on different days for more reliable diagnosis of S. mansoni infection in low endemic areas

Comparison of individual and pooled urine samples for estimating the presence and intensity of Schistosoma haematobium infections at the population level

Background There is a lack of cost-effective diagnostic strategies to evaluate whether mass drug administration (MDA) programmes to control Schistosoma haematobium progress as anticipated. The purpose of this study is to provide a proof-of-principle for examination of pooled urine samples as a strategy for rapid assessment of presence and intensity of Schistosoma haematobium infections at the population level. Methods A total of 640 urine samples were collected from 520 school-aged children (520 at baseline and 120 at follow-up) during a clinical trial that was designed to assess the efficacy of praziquantel against Schistosoma haematobium infections in Ethiopia. Individual and pooled urine samples were screened using the filtration technique (volume of 10 ml urine) to determine the number of S. haematobium eggs in 10 ml of urine. Samples were pooled into pools of 5 (n = 128), 10 (n = 64) and 20 (n = 32) individual samples. The sensitivity, the probability of finding at least one egg in a pooled sample when the mean urine egg count (UEC) of the corresponding individual urine samples was not zero, was calculated for each pool size. UECs of a pooled examination strategy were compared with the mean UECs of the corresponding individual samples. Results The sensitivity of a pooled examination strategy was 50.6 % for pools of 5, 68.6 % for pools of 10 and 63.3 % for pools of 20. The sensitivity of a pooled examination strategy increased as a function of increasing mean UEC of the corresponding individual urine samples. For each of the three pool sizes, there was a significant positive correlation between mean UECs of individual and those obtained in pooled samples (correlation coefficient: 0.81 – 0.93). Examination of pools of 5 provided significantly lower UECs compared to the individual examination strategy (3.9 eggs/10 ml urine versus 5.0 eggs/10 ml urine). For pools of 10 (4.4 eggs/10 ml) and 20 (4.2 eggs/10 ml), no significant difference in UECs was observed. Conclusions Examination of pooled urine samples applying urine filtration holds promise for rapid assessment of intensity of S. haematobium infections, but may fail to detect presence of infections when endemicity is low. Further investigation is required to determine when and how pooling can be optimally implemented in monitoring of mass drug administration programmes