An assessment of the progress of the community-policing and violence-prevention programs in Oakland funded by Measure Y, a 10-year initiative to reduce violence in the city. Implementation of community policing has been delayed by lack of problem-solving police officers and poor community participation, but violence-prevention programs have been implemented as planned. Recommendations are made for improving programs and oversight.
This report is one of two from a research study commissioned from RAND by the Welfare Policy Research Project’s advisory board on behalf of the State of California. Welfare reform of the mid-1990s was intended to encourage recipients to leave cash assistance while continuing their participation in other work-support programs, in particular, the Food Stamp, Medi- Cal, and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) programs. Early reports suggested that participation in, or “take-up” of, such programs was low. In response, WPRP issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), “Employed Former Recipients’ Use of Income Support Programs,” to study the use of Food Stamps, Medi-Cal, and the federal EITC among Californians who left cash assistance. The RFP focused on people who left cash aid with paid employment and who remained eligible for one or more of the three programs.
This paper uses the implementation of the new Medicaid 1931(b) program in California and its 58 counties to consider multi-site implementation. Given California’s county-operated welfare system, the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) made policy that each of the state’s 58 counties was to implement. Combining unusually rich administrative data, official documents, and qualitative field work, the authors find that actual implementation occurred as much as several years later than was required by state-level policy, with considerable heterogeneity across the counties, and that the heterogeneity was to a great extent due to the details of computer systems. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these results for implementation and the study of implementation.
The Biochemical Society's Awards recognize scientists for excellence and the profound implications that their work has for the research community and wider society.
Participants in the federal 8(a) Business Development Program can receive low-value procurement contracts without competitive bidding; certain firms can receive contracts of any size. Concern over these firms' advantage led Congress to require a justification and approval process for contracts over $20 million. The effect is still emerging, but it may delay large contracts more than reduce the number awarded because the underlying need remains.
Abstract : In recent years, the Air Force and, particularly, its suppliers have pursued various ways to improve performance, reduce costs, and otherwise adopt best industry practices. These include outsourcing, global sourcing, supply base rationalization, single sourcing, just-in-time deliveries, and lean inventories. Although these practices offer many benefits in efficiency and effectiveness, they can also make supply chains more brittle and increase the risks of supply disruptions. This report examines supply chain risk management, including evolving commercial and Air Force practices, and makes recommendations for modifying Air Force practices. The research was performed as part of a project titled Identifying and Managing Risks Associated with Agile Supply Chains, conducted in RAND Project AIR FORCE s Resource Management Program and commissioned by the Director of Transformation, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations, and Mission Support; Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition Integration, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition; and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Logistics, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment, and Logistics. After this research was completed, the Air Force reorganized the Air Force Materiel Command. The new structure established an Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) and an Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC). The AFLCMC consolidates product development and support system design. The AFSC integrates depot maintenance and Air Force supply chain activities. The findings and recommendations presented in this report are relevant to how the Air Force will identify and manage supply chain risk under the new organizational structure.
