Melbourne School of Government - Theses
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ItemGoverning disability in Indonesia: lesson learnt from self-directed disability support in Australia( 2019)This study investigates the possibilities of implementing self-directed disability support (SDDS) in Indonesia by drawing on Australian SDDS framework as case study. Through a thematic analysis of documents relating to the most recent reforms to Australian disability policy, the study explores the specific issues arising from the Australian case in implementing SDDS framework and define the six care and support right principle to be taken in the study of Indonesian case. It highlights the ethics of care perspective, right-based discourse and citizenship rights framework which manifested through a set of principles for designing and evaluating care and support policy. The principle is an extending previous academic effort from a scholar that used in the study that provide a more comprehensive guidance to formulating policies that promoting equal choice, control and independence to PwD. Applying the principle to the case study demonstrates how SDDS framework is successfully in governing disability in Australia. It shows Australian experience in designing policies that afford equal care and support rights to PwD by situating choice, control and independence as core of social citizenship. Given the detailed guidance in formulating disability policy, Australian SDDS context is useful as policy learning for exploring how promoting citizens right through independence, choice and control could address Indonesian paternalistic disability policy. Using the principle to the existing Indonesian disability policy, the findings shows that the current Indonesian disability policy does not fully address either ethics of care perspective and social citizenship right to obtain and to give care and support right services. The policy at best indirectly offers a continuing payment cohort of PwD particularly with severe medical condition yet only to fulfill basic needs. As regard to the great differences of both Australian and Indonesian context, it is evident from the study that the socio-cultural and political context in Indonesia is creating new possibilities of SDDS as the new framework to reform the current disability in Indonesia because SDDS framework is relevant in terms of sociologically, philosophically and juridically in the contemporary Indonesia.
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ItemEvaluation and value for money: development of an approach using explicit evaluative reasoning( 2019)There is increasing scrutiny on social investments to determine whether they deliver value for money (VFM), but current approaches to assessing VFM are incomplete. The disciplines of economics and evaluation share an interest in valuing resource use, but tend to operate as complementary or rival disciplines rather than being integrated within an overarching logic. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is often regarded as the gold standard for evaluating VFM, but has recognised limitations. For example, collective values, distributive justice, power dynamics, public dialogue, and qualitative evidence are peripheral to the method. Conversely, program evaluation offers more capacious approaches to determining value but rarely includes costs, let alone reconciling value added with value consumed. This disciplinary divide may diminish capacity for good resource allocation decisions. The aim of this theory-building research was to develop a model to guide the evaluation of VFM in social policies and programs. A conceptual model was developed through critical analysis of literature, proposing requirements for good evaluation of VFM. Gap analysis was conducted to determine the extent to which CBA can meet the requirements of the conceptual model. Cumulative findings from the first two studies were dissected into a series of theoretical propositions. A process model was developed, identifying a series of steps that should be followed to operationalise the conceptual model. Case studies of real-world VFM evaluations in two international development programs were analysed to assess the conceptual quality of the theoretical propositions. This research makes seven significant and novel contributions to the field of evaluation. First, VFM is an evaluative question, demanding a judgement based on logical argument and evidence. Second, VFM is a shared domain of two disciplines, because it is concerned with merit, worth and significance (the domain of evaluation) and resource allocation (the domain of economics). Third, CBA is not a rival to evaluation; it is evaluation. It evaluates an important dimension of VFM (aggregate wellbeing) and can strengthen the validity of an evaluation. Fourth, CBA is not the whole evaluation; it is usually insufficient on its own because of limitations in its scope and warrants. Fifth, a stronger approach involves explicit evaluative reasoning, with methods tailored to context including judicious use of economic methods where feasible and appropriate. Sixth, program evaluation standards should guide economic evaluation, and this has implications for the way CBA is used including the nature and extent of stakeholder involvement, the use of CBA in conjunction with other methods, and decisions about when not to use CBA. Seventh, the case studies are themselves a contribution, modelling the use of probative inference to corroborate the propositions of the conceptual model. Ultimately, this thesis provides proof of concept for a practical theory to guide evaluation of VFM in social policies and programs.