Challenge For Programs Research Articles

Implementation of the Direct Cash Assistance Program for Village Funds

General Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated government interventions in Indonesia to support vulnerable populations. Specific Background: One such intervention is the Direct Cash Assistance Program from Village Funds (BLT-DD), aimed at alleviating economic burdens. Knowledge Gap: Despite its implementation, challenges in recipient targeting and data accuracy remain. Aims: This study analyzes the BLT-DD program's implementation in Sidodadi Village, focusing on success factors and barriers. Results: Qualitative methods reveal that while communication among stakeholders is strong, issues like multiple assistance to some beneficiaries lead to inequalities. Novelty: The study utilizes Van Meter and Van Horn’s implementation theory to provide insights into the program's challenges. Implications: Findings highlight the need for improved data management and stakeholder engagement to enhance equitable distribution of assistance and foster economic recovery in rural areas. Highlights: Targeting Issues: Some beneficiaries received multiple forms of assistance, leading to inequities. Communication Strength: Effective coordination among stakeholders facilitated the program's implementation. Data Management Needs: Improved data validity is crucial for enhancing program effectiveness and fairness. Keywords: BLT-DD, COVID-19, Village Funds, Economic Assistance, Implementation

The Role of Ghana’s Planting for Food and Jobs Policy in Local Economic Development

This study investigates the role of Planting for Food and Jobs in local economic development. Specifically, it assessed challenges faced by planting for food and jobs in local economic development, and how planting for food and jobs has affected Ghana's local economic development. The study adopted the interpretive paradigm and the case study approach to emphasize how Planting for Food and Jobs affects local economic development from the participant's point of view and perception of reality. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods and was conducted in Ghana. The study found that the program's challenges with service delivery can be attributed to a lack of government financing, which has also led to other issues including the failure of various programs that were intended to promote development. Findings revealed that the creation of jobs through Planting for Food and Jobs has increased the number of farmers, which has a direct impact on the pace of output. The introduction of the program has helped farmers improve their businesses and provided opportunities for individuals to engage in farming, which led to a minor improvement in the status of the local economy. It is then recommended that the Government should support the program with enough funds to increase the program’s local economic development potential.

Implementation evaluation of cocoa hand pollination program in Ghana

The study examines the Cocoa Hand Pollination Program (CHPP) and its potential to revolutionize cocoa farming in Ghana's cocoa industry. The study employed an exploratory research design, collecting primary data through structured questionnaires from 367 cocoa farmers, 159 pollinators, and 30 extension staff. Data were analyzed descriptively. The study revealed that cocoa farmers have a relatively low level of knowledge about CHPP's objectives but perceive these goals as highly important. Farmers have successfully increased cocoa yield per hectare but face challenges in boosting overall cocoa production. Farmers exhibit a good understanding of CHPP activities and consider them crucial for program success. Pollinators have successfully enhanced natural pollination but are less positive about their contributions to socioeconomic livelihood improvement and entrepreneurship skills. Extension staff perceive the program as successful in helping farmers increase yield per hectare. However, the goals of integrating hand pollination into routine GAP activities have faced challenges. The efforts and goals of CHPP are generally valued by extension administrators who are committed to the program. Organizational and community characteristics generally favoured the program, but there were inconsistencies in the timely delivery of essential tools. This study offers valuable insights into the program's challenges and opportunities, providing essential information for policymakers and researchers working to improve cocoa production, uplift farmer livelihoods, and address similar agricultural contexts. Addressing challenges, enhancing knowledge sharing, and optimizing program elements can ensure cocoa farming's long-term sustainability and success, benefiting local farmers and the cocoa industry as a whole

Analysis of Program Development, Benefits, and Challenges of Implementing "Kampus Mengajar" in Improving Teaching Skills of Muhammadiyah Makassar University Students

The purpose of this study is to analyse the development of the Kampus Mengajar programme and its role in improving the teaching skills of students at the University of Muhammadiyah Makassar, as well as the opportunities, benefits, and challenges of the program. This research uses a qualitative case study approach, with the participants being students of Muhammadiyah University of Makassar and the school staff, including the principal, teachers, and staff of SDI Bontoramba in Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi. The results showed that the Kampus Mengajar programme plays a very important role in developing and improving student teaching abilities and skills obtained through implemented programmes and teaching assistance in terms of increasing student literacy and numeracy. In addition, other programmes such as technology adaptation and administrative assistance also provide great benefits to the school, especially training on the implementation of online learning and the development of learning media. Teachers in the school are also able to practise directly and develop the ability to use technology in the teaching and learning process with the help of students at Kampus Mengajar. The role of universities also has a major impact on improving students' teaching abilities through evaluation and student teaching feedback. The program's challenges for students are related to a lack of student ability in terms of using technology during learning, as well as some students' low literacy and numeracy skills, requiring more intensive assistance, and also requiring creativity and innovation in creating learning media that are fun, useful, and on target.

The challenges of urban family physician program over the past decade in Iran: a scoping review and qualitative study with policy-makers.

Despite all the advantages of urban family physician program (UFPP), there is still a gap between UFPP and what is actually achieved by the community after its implementation in Iran. In response, this study attempted to review published studies related to the barriers to the implementation of the UFPP in Iran as well as potential solutions to improve it. Further, a qualitative study was conducted to learn the perspectives of experts at the national level and in the Fars province in order to better understand the program's challenges. This study was conducted in two phases. First, a scoping review was done, aiming to identify the common barriers and potential solutions to implementing UFPP in Iran. Second, a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted to investigate the views of decision- and policy-makers regarding barriers to and solutions for implementing the UFPP in the Fars province over the last decade. The findings were classified using the five control knobs framework (organization, financing, payment, regulation, and behavior). The most common barriers to UFPP were: 1) organization (ununited stewardship function of the Ministry of Health, weak management and planning, inadequate training of human resources, and a weak referral system); 2) financing (fragmented insurance funds, insufficient financial resources, and instability of financial resources); 3) payment (inappropriate payment mechanisms and delay in payments); 4) regulation (cumbersome laws and unclear laws); and 5) behavior (cultural problems and conflict of interests). On the other hand, several solutions were identified to improve the implementation of UFPP, including: enhancing the role of government; improving the referral system; providing comprehensive training for UFPP providers; considering sustainable financial resources; moving towards mixed-payment mechanisms; employing appropriate legal and regulatory frameworks; enhancing community awareness; and elevating incentive mechanisms. Our research found that, despite the UFPP having been in place for a decade in Iran, there are still significant challenges in all five components. Therefore, the promotion of this program requires solving the existing implementation challenges in order to achieve the predetermined goals. The ideas in this study can be used to improve the current program in Fars Province and bring it to other cities in Iran.

Meeting the COVID Challenge to a Research-intensive Pre-college Science Education Program.

The objective of our program is to foster and facilitate authentic research experiences in middle and high school classrooms. We achieve this directly by providing students with a complete experience in scientific experimentation and communication. The centerpiece is a set of experiment modules which students use to investigate the effects of toxic chemicals on living organisms through the use of model organisms such as the earthworm, fathead minnow, and the zebrafish, and chemical contaminants commonly found in the environment. In parallel, we partner with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee science teacher certification program to prepare pre-service teachers to offer real research experiences in their future classrooms. With the COVID virus restricting or eliminating in-person learning, the program's challenge was (i) to create new ways to conduct experiments virtually that retain elements of the authentic research experience and (ii) to move all of the accompanying facets of the program to online formats. This paper will describe the new online materials and activities that were introduced this past year as well as the challenges they presented and the opportunities that they offer for the future.

Challenges and Strategies of Implementation Rural Family Physician in Iran: A Qualitative Study

Background and Objectives: Rural family physician is one of the strategic reforms in Iranian health system. It has been implemented since 2005 with the aim of improving people's access to health services. Despite its pivotal role in health system programs, the program has not progressed according to its original policies. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to identify the challenges of the rural family physician to provide solutions to these problems. Material and Methods: The present study is in the field of qualitative studies. This was done by interviewing and reviewing the documentation. The sampling was purposive and the documents were systematically selected. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 key informants. Data were analyzed using MAXQDA software by content analysis method. Results: After more than a decade of practicing family physician, the program still faces a number of key challenges in the areas of leadership and governance, financing, service providers, training and making culture, customer behavior, and monitoring and evaluation. Most of the program's challenges are related to leadership and governance, such as the negligible role of the private sector in service delivery, politicians are not justified about the program, and failure to anticipate the infrastructure required for the program. Conclusion: Given the importance and key role of the family physician in the field of health and completing primary health care (PHC), especially the effective role in achieving UHC, with proper planning, appropriate and practical interventions should be designed and implemented to remove barriers and enhance the family physician program.

Certifica Minas Café: um novo paradigma da atuação do Estado na proteção ambiental?

<p><span>O programa Certifica Minas Café é uma iniciativa do governo do Estado de Minas Gerais para a certificação de propriedades cafeeiras. É o único programa de certificação promovido pelo Poder Público. Esta pesquisa pretendeu abordar um dos desafios do programa: lidar com as não conformidades encontradas nas auditorias e que possam estar associadas a obrigações legais. Afinal, os auditores do CMC possuem também atribuições de fiscalização da utilização de agrotóxicos. A pesquisa teve acesso a 570 relatórios de auditorias realizadas pelo programa no ano de 2015, tendo selecionado aleatoriamente uma amostra de 230 propriedades. Dos relatórios foram extraídos os dados referentes a seis requisitos da certificação, associados aos agrotóxicos. Foram realizadas entrevistas com os gestores do programa e examinados os procedimentos e formulários da certificação. Como ficou evidenciado que existem situações de não conformidades associadas a obrigações legais, pode haver conflito na atuação dos auditores, que também são fiscais. No entanto, ao comparar as não conformidades das propriedades certificadas com pesquisas que abordaram propriedades não certificadas, observou-se que a certificação melhora o atendimento das normas. Ao optar pela não aplicação de sanções, o Estado transforma o CMC em um instrumento de educação ambiental. Neste sentido, as certificações públicas de produtos agrícolas podem ser um novo paradigma da atuação estatal na proteção do meio ambiente.</span></p>

In pursuit of the best ideas.

In this article the author, who is vice president (VP) and general manager (GM) of Information Systems & Global Solutions Civil at aerospace company Lockheed Martin shares how she learned the value of diversity while leading an integrated-product team for a mission-critical U.S. Navy program. She discusses the need for original thinking from a diverse group of people to overcome the program's challenges and establishing an environment that benefits from diversity.

Commentary: Innovations in programming for HIV among adolescents: towards an AIDS-free generation.

Ultimately achieving an AIDS-free generation might rely more than we thought on developing adolescent leaders as agents of change -- not simply behavior change but societal and legal change. Innovative programming may be expanding adolescents’ social networks and engagement increasing their HIV-specific knowledge and increasing demand for HIV testing and treatment; but what is to meet this demand; and how will the effects of these programs be rigorously measured? Technology companies and mobile host sites are not clinicians or experts in evaluation. Even dizzying advances in technology are useless if adolescents have no access to them or are not able to access health promoting information services or networks. Moving forward technology and social innovators -- young and old -- must task themselves with removing barriers to testing and treatment that will reduce the sheer numbers of HIV infections and AIDS deaths in this population. Innovations must support adolescents’ access to a wider array of confidential testing options available in the community and through the health sector link them to biomedical and other prevention services of proven efficacy such as antiretroviral therapy medical male circumcision and to specific harm reduction interventions. In the years to come it is network disruption -- of entrenched social mores stigma attitudes and discriminatory practices -- that will constitute true innovation. (Excerpts)

Overcoming challenges to achieving meaningful use: insights from hospitals that successfully received Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services payments in 2011

In an effort to understand better the federal electronic health record (EHR) incentive programme's challenges, this study compared hospitals that did and did not receive meaningful use (MU) payments in the programme's first year based on the challenges they anticipated a year before. This cross-sectional study used 2010 American Hospital Association survey data and 2011 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data that identify hospitals receiving MU payments. Multivariate regression analysis assessed differences in 2010 anticipated challenges to MU for hospitals that were successful in earning 2011 MU payment compared to hospitals that intended to participate in the programme but were not yet successful. The study sample consisted of 2475 hospitals, 313 of which received MU payments in 2011. Controlling for standard hospital characteristics, hospitals that reported the computerized provider order entry (CPOE) MU criterion as a primary challenge were 18% less likely to receive a 2011 MU payment compared to hospitals that reported other criteria as primary challenges. CPOE was the main challenge among hospitals that failed to achieve MU in the first year of the programme. In order to maximize the incentive programme's effectiveness, policymakers, healthcare organizations, and EHR vendors may benefit from increased attention to hospitals' challenges with CPOE. As the EHR incentive programme matures, policymakers and other stakeholders should consider strategies that maintain the critical elements of MU while adequately supporting hospitals that desire to become MU but are impeded by specific technological, cultural, and organizational adoption and use challenges.

Peace through Economic Opportunity, Cross-Cultural Understanding and Public-Private Partnership: A Case Study of the Irish Peace Process Cultural Training Programme

In support of the Irish Peace Process, the Walsh Visa Programme provided job and training opportunities in the United States for unemployed youths from Northern Ireland and designated border counties of the Republic of Ireland. The premise was that unemployed youth from all sides of the sectarian divide could benefit from the experience of peaceful coexistence through living and working in a multicultural society and return home better able to contribute to their economy and sustainable peace. More than a thousand participants were involved in the programme over 10 years. This article summarises the programme's challenges, achievements and lessons learned through the lens of economic development and justice, reconciliation, and public-private partnerships.

An analysis of school pupils’ (with low social economic status) perceptions of university, regarding programmes of study

Through its “Aim Higher Project” and “Excellence Challenge Programmes”, the UK government is investing large sums of money into widening participation so that more school leavers stay on to study for higher education (HE) courses, especially those from lower social classes and ethnic groups. Universities are increasingly developing links with local schools and creating novel ways of enhancing these relationships. Nevertheless, as the costs of attending university rise, it may be difficult to widen access especially amongst those “less wealthy” young people which universities are desperate to attract and enrol, due to the more lucrative government funding that the universities will receive. The main aim of the research is to report research findings from a case study incorporating Year 11 pupils (n = 38) from an inner city school (placed second on the Aim Higher register for the most socially disadvantaged), focusing in the main on the programme of study. This exploratory work is longitudinal with the researcher entering the Roman Catholic High School every two weeks during the academic year (over a period of nine months).

Categorical medicine residents' experiential curriculum

To assess the case mix or experiential curriculum of a university-based categorical medicine residency program and compare the residents' continuity clinic case mix with the outpatients seen by practicing internists. Descriptive study during the 1991-1992 academic year of 24,218 inpatients and outpatients from the University of California, San Francisco, Department of Medicine's three core hospitals: the University of California, San Francisco Hospital; the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center; and the San Francisco General Hospital. The diagnoses and ages of patients who made office visits to practicing internists from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) were compared with corresponding data from the categorical medicine residents' continuity clinic patients. Seventy percent of the general medicine inpatients at the three core hospitals had one of the 25 most common principal diagnoses for inpatients. Eighty-seven percent of the patients seen by the residents in their continuity clinic had one of the 20 most common diagnoses seen by practicing internists in the NAMCS. The age distribution was similar in both groups. A systematic assessment of clinical training at one university-based hospital program shows that common internal medicine problems represent the case mix of the great majority of patients, both inpatients and outpatients, seen by categorical medicine residents. Residents' continuity clinic patients are similar to patients seen by practicing internists. The program's challenge is to ensure that residents have adequate time with general medicine experiences, both in the inpatient setting and in the ambulatory and longitudinal care settings, while balancing and integrating these activities.