Monday, October 20, 2008

[EQ] Measuring the Impact of Research: What do we know?

Measuring the Impact of Research: What do we know? (Part I)

Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, Insight–Action Issue 46 (October 16, 2008)

Available online as PDF file at:
http://28784.vws.magma.ca/other_documents/insight_action/documents/InsightandAction_46_e.pdf

Organizations that fund research are under intense pressure to show that the research they support brings value to their communities.i In fact, in Canada, demonstrating the impact of research is a requirement of the federal government’s science and technology strategy. Due mainly to the applied nature of their research, health services and policy researchers in particular face high expectations to describe the benefits of their work.

KEY MESSAGES

• A common reason for measuring the impact of research is to demonstrate accountability, but results of measuring can also be used to guide improvements in research and programming.

• Health research impacts generally include: knowledge production; research capacity-building; informed decision-making; health and health sector benefits; and economic benefits.

• Among some of the widely used methods for measuring the benefits from research are bibliometric analysis, economic rate of return, peer review, case studies, logic modelling, and benchmarking. Taking a multi-indicator, multi-method approach is advised.

Related online Papers:

RAND Europe. 2006. “Measuring the benefits from research.” Policy Resource.

Government of Canada. 2007. Mobilizing science and technology to Canada’s advantage.

Hovland, I. 2007. “Making a difference: M&E of policy research.” Working Paper 281 Results of ODI research presented in preliminary form for discussion and critical comment.

Davies, H., Nutley, S., & Walter, I. 2005. “Assessing the impact of social science research: conceptual, methodological and practical issues.” Research Unit for Research Utilisation (RURU), University of St. Andrews.

Canadian Institutes of Health Research. 2005. “Developing a CIHR Framework to Measure the Impact of Health Research – Synthesis Report of Meetings

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/ KMS Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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[EQ] Australia: the healthiest country by 2020

Australia: the healthiest country by 2020

Prepared by the National Preventative Health Taskforce, 2008

Available online as PDF file [74p.] at:
http://www.preventativehealth.org.au/internet/preventativehealth/publishing.nsf/Content/A06C2FCF439ECDA1CA2574DD0081E40C/$File/discussion-10oct.pdf

“….The discussion paper outlines the case for reform in our approach to the prevention of illness and the promotion of health. Major changes in the way we behave as individuals, as families, as communities, as industries, as states and as a nation will be required.

The solutions are not only about individual choice and personal responsibility but also about the role of governments, business and industry, and non-government organisations….”

Targets for the healthiest country

The Taskforce is convinced that we can achieve the following targets by 2020:

- Halt and reverse the rise in overweight and obesity

- Reduce the prevalence of daily smoking to 9% or less

- Reduce the prevalence of harmful drinking for all Australians by 30%

- Contribute to the ‘Close the Gap’ target for Indigenous people, reducing the 17-year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people[1]

Content:

Executive summary vii

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Raising the bar for prevention 1

1.2 Setting targets for obesity, tobacco and alcohol 2

1.3 Understanding the challenges 3

1.4 About prevention 3

1.5 A framework for prevention 5

1.6 Principles for preventative health 5

1.7 Working together 8

2 The case for prevention: overweight and obesity 9

2.1 The scale of the epidemic 9

2.2 High-risk groups 10

2.3 The need for urgent action 10

2.4 The costs of overweight and obesity 11

2.5 Challenges 12

2.6 Halting the epidemic 13

2.7 Priorities for action 14

3 The case for prevention: tobacco 19

3.1 The current situation 19

3.2 Historical trends in mortality 20

3.3 High-risk groups 21

3.4 Benefits from reducing smoking levels 21
3.5 Challenges

3.6 Future outlook 22

3.7 Priorities for action 23

4 The case for prevention: alcohol 29

4.1 The current situation 29

4.2 Patterns of drinking 30

4.3 High-risk groups 32

4.4 Benefits of reform 32

4.5 Challenges 33

4.6 Future outlook 36

4.7 Priorities for action 36

5 Supporting prevention 43

5.1 Common aspects across obesity, tobacco and alcohol 43

5.2 Support structures 44

5.3 Major policy imperatives to strengthen support systems 45

6 Measuring performance 47

6.1 Choosing performance indicators 47

6.2 Monitoring the indicators 50

6.3 Setting targets 50

6.4 Governance and performance monitoring 50

6.5 The monitoring system 51

7 Conclusion 53

7.1 Towards a National Preventative Health Strategy 53

References

The same publication in smaller sections:

· Cover, Copyright, Acknowledgement (PDF 174 KB)
Foreword (PDF 63 KB)
Invitation from the Chair (PDF 44 KB)
Contents (PDF 98 KB)
Executive summary (PDF 172 KB)
1. Introduction (PDF 209 KB)
2. The case for prevention: overweight and obesity (PDF 217 KB)
3. The case for prevention: tobacco (PDF 224 KB)
4. The case for prevention: alcohol (PDF 202 KB)
5. Supporting prevention (PDF 124 KB)
6. Choosing performance indicators (PDF 136 KB)
7. Towards a National Preventative Health Strategy – your views (PDF 102 KB)
References (PDF 122 KB) (PDF 122 KB)

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[EQ] Measuring Inequality of Opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean

Measuring Inequality of Opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean

Ricardo Paes de Barros, Francisco H. G. Ferreira, José R. Molinas Vega, and Jaime Saavedra Chanduvi

With Mirela de Carvallo, Samuel Franco, Samuel Freije-Rodríguez, and Jérémie Gignoux

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank, 2008

Available online PDF [195p.] at: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/LACEXT/Resources/258553-1222276310889/Book_HOI.pdf

The problem is that we have never been able to systematically measure inequality of opportunity, in Latin America or anywhere else. The development community simply lacked the methodological tools to monitor equity, making it all but impossible to design, implement, and evaluate public policies that target human opportunity. While the citizens of the region feel the uneven playing field under their feet—that personal sense that one’s destiny is predetermined by circumstances over which one has no control or responsibility, such as skin color, gender, birthplace, or family wealth—their leaders have proved unable to do much about it….”

Content:

OVERVIEW

1 INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY: WHAT IT IS, HOW IT CAN BE MEASURED, AND WHY IT MATTERS

2 A HUMAN OPPORTUNITY INDEX FOR CHILDREN

3 USES AND POLICY APPLICATIONS OF THE HUMAN OPPORTUNITY INDEX

4 INEQUALITY OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY IN SEVEN LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES

5 INEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN FIVE LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES

HUMAN OPPORTUNITY INDEX

Website: http://go.worldbank.org/A9Z0NUV620

“….Between one fourth and one half of income inequality observed among Latin America and the Caribbean adults is due to personal circumstances endured during childhood that fell outside of their control or responsibility, such as race, gender, birthplace, parent’s educational level and their father’s occupation. These circumstances reveal the level of inequality of opportunity in the region

The new Human Opportunity Index, developed by a Group of economists from the World Bank, Argentina and Brazil, shows how personal circumstances play in gaining or preventing access to those services needed for a productive life, such as running water, sanitation, electricity or basic education among children in the region. This opens up a whole new field of study dedicated to designing public policy focused on equity

“……The inequality debate is a loud and acrimonious one. It has polarized Latin America’s politics and blurred its development vision. It has called into question the very role of the state: should it try to redistribute wealth or protect property rights? Encourage social equality or enforce private contracts? And yet, for all its ideological and emotional intensity, this has been the wrong debate. Much more important than inequality of outcomes among adults is inequality of opportunity among children.

The debate should not be about equality (equal rewards for all) but about equity (equal chances for all), because the idea of giving people equal opportunity early in life, whatever their socioeconomic background, is embraced across the political spectrum—as a matter of fairness for the left and as a matter of personal effort for the right….”

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