Polarisation-sensitive terahertz detection by multicontact photoconductive receivers

We have developed a terahertz radiation detector that measures both the amplitude and polarization of the electric field as a function of time. The device is a three-contact photoconductive receiver designed so that two orthogonal electric-field components of an arbitrary polarized electromagnetic wave may be detected simultaneously. The detector was fabricated on Fe+ ion-implanted InP. Polarization-sensitive detection is demonstrated with an extinction ratio better than 100:1. This type of device will have immediate application in studies of birefringent and optically active materials in the far-infrared region of the spectrum.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Widening perspectives on social impact bonds

Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) are a novel financing mechanism for public services delivery. This special issue about SIBs in the UK argues that they necessitate closer examination to understand the implications for all stakeholders. This introductory paper critically explores and challenges dominant practitioner narratives of SIBs as “win-win” solutions for governments and service providers. While SIBs may foster innovation it is unclear if they deliver better value given the complexity of public services. SIBs are a strategically ambiguous policy tool and policymakers should be cautious about SIBs due to contractual complexity and issues with ethics, governance, accountability and transparency

[Accepted Manuscript] Narratives of Promise, Narratives of Caution: A Review of the Literature on Social Impact Bonds

Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) are a new mechanism for delivering public services. This article reviews the emerging SIB literature in high-income settings. It identifies three distinct narratives: a public sector reform narrative; a financial sector reform narrative; and a cautionary narrative. These are analyzed relative to three themes: public versus private values; outcomes contracting; and risk allocation. The first two narratives are complementary and offer a ‘win-win’ portrayal of SIBs. The third narrative challenges this dominant commentary by highlighting potential risks. There is limited empirical evidence on active SIBs to support these narratives. SIBs may have the potential to align public and private interests while improving outcomes for people affected by entrenched social problems, but this is yet to be established and appears less probable than the third more cautionary narrative. More empirical research is needed to consider the potential risks, drawbacks, benefits and alternatives of SIBs in different settings

To SIB or not to SIB? A comparative analysis of the commissioning processes of two proposed health-focused Social Impact Bond financed interventions in England

We explore the development of two proposed Social Impact Bond (SIB) financed interventions in the UK. This is important because little is known about the processes involved in the localised development of these nascent financing mechanisms. We apply a “decentred” approach to network governance to the case studies–one in which a SIB financed intervention was initiated and another in which it was not. Moving from the prevailing competitive quasi-market commissioning traditions to new forms of integrated commissioning requires a more collaborative approach to service procurement than has typically been the case thus posing dilemmas for the relevant networks

An evaluation of Social Impact Bonds in Health and Social Care: Interim Report

This interim report describes the progress of the nine ‘Trailblazer’ projects that received funds from the Social Enterprise Investment Fund in 2013 to investigate the feasibility of setting up Social Impact Bond (SIB) projects in health and social care in England. The findings discussed in this report are based on a literature review of the SIB literature and on documentary analysis and qualitative interviews with key informants involved in UK SIB development undertaken between May and November 2014

Backing what works? Social Impact Bonds and evidence-informed policy and practice

Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) offer an opportunity to explore the use of evidence to inform public policy and commissioning decisions in both discursive and practical terms in what are frequently highly politicized contexts. We identify three potential mechanisms by which SIBs may promote evidence use and explore these through empirical findings drawn from a three-year evaluation of SIBs applied to health and social care in the English NHS. IMPACT: This paper highlights three mechanisms by which SIBs may encourage evidence-informed policy-making. First, the ability of SIB financing to promote specific interventions for which a positive evidence base already exists. Second, the opportunities that SIB-financed programmes offer for the promotion of evidence use through improved local data collection practices. Third, the opportunities that SIB-financed interventions offer for formal evaluation. The authors tested these mechanisms; the implications of the results for policy-makers, public managers and other interested parties are presented in the paper