The trend towards privatization and "public-private partnerships" (PPPs) in the delivery of basic municipal services and in primary and district level health service provision has received enormous research attention over the past two decades. Less well studied (and less common in practice) are "public-public partnerships" (PuPs). This research is intended to act as a baseline "concept paper" for additional research by the MSP and EQUINET. It aims to provide information on the state of research on PuPs, an analysis of the conceptual and logistical framework of PuPs that have been implemented, and a discussion of the lessons to be learned from PuPs in SADC countries and elsewhere.
Jobs and Announcements
Public-Public Partnerships: International Experiences and Lessons for SADC Countries
Call for Research Proposals
Further details: /newsletter/id/30342
Putting Public in Public Services: Research, Action and Equity in the Global South, Cape Tpwn, South Africa April 13-16, 2014
Register by: March 14 2014
The Municipal Services Project (MSP) explores alternatives to the privatization and commercialization of essential services, focusing on health, water and electricity in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We are convening an international conference to bring together researchers, activists, labour representatives, development practitioners and policy makers working to promote progressive public services in Cape Town from April 13-16, 2014. The event will showcase promising service provision alternatives, pushing forward our conceptual and methodological understandings of how public attitudes and practices arise, how they are constituted, and how they might be sustained. It will also offer practical alternatives and help advance debates about public services in South Africa. Registration is open to South Africans and participants from the region who would like to take part as observers for the full length of the conference. Registration is free but you will be responsible for your own expenses. Space is limited and MSP will review applications on a first come, first served basis and give priority to people with a demonstrated interest in conference themes.
PUTTING THIRD FIRST:
VACCINES, ACCESS TO TREATMENT & THE LAW
Satellite Meeting, Barcelona, Spain, 5 July 2002
A one-day satellite meeting on vaccines, access to treatment and the law will be held on Friday, 5 July 2002, in Barcelona, Spain, just prior to AIDS 2002. The meeting is being organized by the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, the AIDS Law Project (South Africa), and the HIV/AIDS Unit of The Lawyers Collective (India), and will be co hosted by UNAIDS. Two issues will be examined in substantial depth:
1. HIV VACCINES: Participants will discuss the inadequacies of current approaches; the obstacles to vaccine development; strategies to mobilize greater support for vaccine development; and strategies to facilitate the widest possible access to HIV vaccines once they are developed.
2. ACCESS TO TREATMENT: Participants will discuss strategies for using the law to advance access to treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries – both directly through the use of legal proceedings, and indirectly by using legal norms to complement other forms of advocacy.
Background papers on each issue will be distributed in advance to participants and presented in plenary. Most of the day will be spent in workshops where each issue can be explored in detail. Registration is limited to 100 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. To register or obtain more information, visit the website of the Canadian
HIV/AIDS Legal Network or contact Glen Bugg.
Further details: /newsletter/id/29019
Contact: gbugg@aidslaw.ca
Qualitative Research Methods
University of Cape Town School of Public Health and Family Medicine
The nature and role of qualitative research in public health—and the health sciences more broadly—has been, and continues to be, the subject of intense debate. This course provides a practical introduction to qualitative research and addresses these questions both through the development in groups of a detailed qualitative research protocol and through the close examination of published qualitative research in public health. Interested candidates may contact the convener, Christopher Colvin, for more information about the course, costs, credits, etc.
Further details: /newsletter/id/31830
Questionnaire for shaping the agenda of the Geneva Health Forum 2012
Geneva Health Forum: February 2011
The Geneva Health Forum is calling for public participation to help refine the agenda for the next Geneva Health Forum in 2012. All interested parties are invited to complete their questionnaire to help determine what will be the focus of the next Forum. Participants will be asked to rank four themes and give suggestions on what must be addressed at the GHF 2012. The four themes are: urbanisation and access to health; gender and global access to health ; chronic diseases and access to services ; and empowerment and self-reliance for individuals and communities. The questionnaire should take only a minute to complete.
Racial Equity 2030
Deadline for Applications: January 28, 2021
Racial Equity 2030 calls for bold solutions to drive an equitable future for children, their families and communities. This $90 million challenge seeks ideas from anywhere in the world and will scale them over the next decade to transform the systems and institutions that uphold inequity. Solutions may tackle the social, economic, political or institutional inequities one sees today. Teams of visionaries, change agents and community leaders from every sector are invited to join. Up to 10 Finalists will each receive a one-year $1 million planning grant and nine months of capacity-building support to further develop their project and strengthen their application. At least three awardees will each receive a $20 million grant and two will each receive a $10 million grant. Grants will be paid out over nine years.
RAINBO grants for African organisations working against female circumcision
The Communicative Initiative
Research Action and Information Network for Bodily Integrity of Women (RAINBO) started this Small Grants Project in 1995 in order to provide modest funds and technical assistance to African non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that might not otherwise have access to mainstream sources of funding. The main objectives of the project are: to support effective and innovative projects that combat Female Circumcision (FC)/Female Genital Mutilation (FGM); to strengthen the institutional capacity of African NGOs working on the FC/FGM issue as part of advancing the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls; and to expand collaborative relationships among NGOs, activists, academics and researchers in Africa. The deadline is rolling.
Randomised Controlled Trials training course
Date: December 6-8, Venue: Cape Town, S.Africa
The Health Systems Research Unit at the Medical Research Council, South Africa's pleased to announce a three-day training course: "Randomised Controlled Trials" 6-8 Dec, 2001. Randomised controlled trials are the most reliable way to evaluate the effects of an intervention, be it a drug, a new technology, a new way of training health care providers or organising health care. Over 10 000 RCT's are published in the scientific medical literature every year, and they have become an important aspect of the advance of knowledge. The course is designed for people, who may not have yet conducted an RCT, or who wish to deepen their knowledge. The course is open to all. There is no cost for the training course itself for participants from developing countries. The course fee for developed country participants, or employees of agencies able to sponsor such training will be R5000.
Further details: /newsletter/id/28909
Contact: alomo@mrc.ac.za
Re-launch of African Journals OnLine (AJOL)
The International Network for Scientific Publications (INASP) launched AJOL in 1998 with only 14 journals. By January 2004 it had over 175 African journals covering most subject areas. It is now being re-launched on its own website that continues to provide free access to tables of contents and abstracts for all titles - but also provides a number of additional facilities. AJOL offers a document delivery service, and full (improved) searching and browsing facilities, as well as a new Email alert function. The service remains free to both users and participating journals (with charges only for document delivery requests from outside developing countries).
Further details: /newsletter/id/30334
Reaching the Poor with Effective Health, Nutrition, and Population Services
Conference Announcement
The World Bank, in cooperation with the Gates Foundation and the Dutch And Swedish Governments, is hosting a conference "Reaching the Poor with Effective Health, Nutrition, and Population Services: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why."
The conference will take place 18-20 February 2004, in Washington, D.C.