'Creaming' and 'parking' are endemic concerns within quasi-marketised welfare-to-work (WTW) systems internationally, the UK's flagship Work Programme for long-term unemployed is something of an international pioneer WTW delivery, based on outsourcing, payment by results provider flexibility. In design, providers' incentives to 'cream' 'park' differently positioned claimants intended be mitigated through existence nine groups (based claimants' prior benefit type) into which different...

ABSTRACT Long‐term and well‐managed marine protected areas (MPAs) can, under the right circumstances, contribute to biodiversity conservation fisheries management, thus contributing food security sustainable livelihoods. This article emphasizes (1) potential utility of MPAs as a management tool, (2) costs benefits for fishing communities, (3) foundations good governance processes creating effective with dual mandate. highlights case studies from numerous regions world that demonstrate...

The UK has been a high profile policy innovator in welfare-to-work provision which led the Coalition government's Work Programme to fully outsourced, 'black box' model with payments based overwhelmingly on job outcome results. A perennial fear such programmes is providers' incentives 'cream' and 'park' claimants, Department for Pensions sought mitigate provider behaviours through design, particularly via use of claimant groups differential pricing. In this article, we draw qualitative study...

Social Impact Bonds are considered a highly marketised form of public service delivery and understood to "work" through the introduction new capital into payment-by-results contracts. This paper, for first time, connects findings from UK SIBs evaluation conventional contracts theoretical literature on governance accountabilities. Markets emerge as potential red herring with hybridity "social" positioned important dimensions facilitating qualitatively different services. raises questions...

Abstract Well‐being and employment activation have become central intertwined policy priorities across advanced economies, with the mandation of unemployed claimants towards employability interventions (e.g. curriculum vitae preparation interview skills). Compelled job search transitions are in part justified by well‐being gains that resulting is said to deliver. However, this dominant focus within field on outcome – improvement triggered a transition paid work neglects how participation...

Transaction cost economics is applied in this paper to social impact bonds explore how public service commissioners could improve outcomes-based contracts. The authors supply a framework for assessing the quality of outcomes specifications and clarify trade-off between robust value case government transaction costs associated with specifying such deal. Illustrated by two examples, suggest that aim 'requisite' contract: one minimizes opportunism while balancing developing more specification.

Private sector bodies can be important owners and managers of conservation areas. However, little is known about the extent, scale scope private protected Understanding defining characterizations areas are problematic, as involvement in involve an array different tenure arrangements, management approaches levels control. This review examines challenges developing area categorization beyond traditional state-led model. We Kenya Tanzania, exploring their tenure, nature organizations managing...

The past 15 years have seen considerable change in how welfare-to-work provision (WTW) is organised and delivered across the advanced economies with a consistent trend towards new public management (NPM) principles of contractualism, managerialism marketisation. financial crisis 2008, ensuing economic downturn, has done nothing to move European policies leftwards drift these neoliberal inspired WTW arrangements as strong ever. aim this article focus on governmentalities regimes raise...

Outcomes-based contracting (OBC) has been heralded as a mechanism for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of social programmes yet persistently failed to deliver meaningful support people experiencing disadvantage. This mixed-method study evaluates contractual shift British service adults with multiple, complex needs from bilateral fee-for-service arrangements an outcome contract in form 'social impact bond'. Our findings add much-needed empirical evidence on implications OBC...

When the social impact bond (SIB) model was first introduced in 2010, there were many claims about how these projects could transform public service delivery. This article investigates SIB have been designed relation to two original intentions: (1) shifting focus of delivery achieving and (2) transferring risk from government external investors. Qualitative content analysis launched until 2020 US UK (n = 114) is used plot analyze design vary across intentions. We find that practice has...

(2020). Debate: Would a Social Impact Bond by any other name smell as sweet? Stretching the model and why it might matter. Public Money & Management: Vol. 40, Theme: Futures in social investment? Learning from emerging policy practice of Bonds (SIBs), pp. 183-185.

Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) are an innovation wherein, in theory, private investment, instead of government funding, is levered to fund social interventions (Warner, 2013; Edmiston & Nicholls 2018)....

Abstract Outsourcing of public services is under heightened scrutiny. Public managers are asked to conduct thorough “make or buy” assessments help assure deliverability, affordability, and value for money services. The naivety this request dramatically overlooks the subtlety challenge faced by managers. In paper we connect a range differently configured contractual agreements underlying components “value money”, namely, pursuit economy, efficiency effectiveness. We set out framework...

Abstract Since the early 1990s, “activation turn” has become a standard welfare orthodoxy at heart of international systems. Although policymakers talk confidently about well‐being gains activation interventions and their employment outcomes, growing body research focused instead on questions around process well‐being”—the potential effects participation in programmes themselves. The present article makes three main contributions to theory, knowledge, policy practice this literature. First,...

Waves of successive Devolution Deals are transforming England’s landscape spatial governance and transferring new powers to city-regions, facilitating fundamental qualitative policy reconfigurations opening up opportunities as well risks for citizens local areas. Focused on city-region’s recently emerging roles around employment support policies the article advances in four ways what currently conceptually geographically underdeveloped literatures accountability levers. Firstly, paper...

Over the last 25 years, central government has attempted to join up local public services in England on at least 55 occasions, illustrating 'initiativitis' inflicted upon governments by large volume and variety of coordination programmes. By analysing mapping some characteristics these initiatives, we have uncovered insights into ways sought achieve coordination. We observe a clear preference for use funding fiscal powers as lever, competitive allocation process, constrained discretion model...

The sheer number of research outputs published every year makes systematic reviewing increasingly time- and resource-intensive. This paper explores the use machine learning techniques to help navigate review process. ML has previously been used reliably 'screen' articles for - that is, identify relevant based on reviewers' inclusion criteria. application subsequent stages a review, however, such as data extraction evidence mapping, is in its infancy. We therefore set out develop series tools...

Abstract The indigo Impact Bond Dataset is an open-access dataset that describes a specific form of impact-focused cross-sector partnership adopted worldwide since 2010. These partnerships are data-rich in principle, yet historically, little data shared and re-used. the result engaged, collaborative process where different organisations involved impact bond projects share with initiative stewards so practitioners researchers can analyse learn from these partnerships. This article introduces...

Abstract The sheer number of research outputs published every year makes systematic reviewing increasingly time- and resource-intensive. This paper explores the use machine learning techniques to help navigate review process. Machine has previously been used reliably “screen” articles for – that is, identify relevant based on reviewers’ inclusion criteria. application subsequent stages a review, however, such as data extraction evidence mapping, is in its infancy. We, therefore, set out...

As academic literature proliferates, traditional review methods are increasingly challenged by the sheer volume and diversity of available research. This article presents a study that aims to address these challenges enhancing efficiency scope systematic reviews in social sciences through advanced machine learning (ML) natural language processing (NLP) tools. In particular, we focus on automating stages within reviewing process time-intensive repetitive for human annotators which lend...

Outcome-based contracting (OBC) seeks to improve public services by paying for service outcomes rather than activities. This article explores the link between how are contractually specified and much is paid their achievement. Using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis, we test a framework assessing strength of outcome specifications in 34 UK-based social impact bonds, particular form OBC. Results show that contract features which define intended participant cohorts include deadweight...