London School of Economics and Political Science

About: London School of Economics and Political Science is a education organization based out in London, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Politics & Population. The organization has 8759 authors who have published 35017 publications receiving 1436302 citations.

The Impact of Audit on Social Work Practice

Abstract: Public sector services in all developed economies have had to meet new demands for accountability and transparency, leading to the creation of complex audit systems. This article examines the way that this has been done in relation to social work practice in the UK. Auditing is a dynamic process and the aim of the Audit Commission is to be a driving force in improving services. However, it is argued that social work presents particular challenges because of the nature of its knowledge base. Improvement in services to users cannot be achieved just by managerial changes but requires rigorous research to increase our understanding of what works. The process of making social work ‘auditable’ is in danger of being destructive, creating a simplistic description of practice and focusing on achieving service outputs with little attention to user outcomes. Alternatively, however, if it is linked to research methods, it could be highly constructive, producing reliable evidence not only on efficiency but on effectiveness.

Re‐thinking the “Feminization of Poverty” in Relation to Aggregate Gender Indices

Abstract: The “feminization of poverty” is often referred to without adequate specification or substantiation, and does not necessarily highlight aspects of poverty that are most relevant to women at the grassroots. The United Nations Development Programme's gender indices go some way to reflecting gendered poverty, but there is scope for improvement. In order to work towards aggregate indices that are more sensitive to gender gaps in poverty as identified and experienced by poor women, the main aims of this paper are two‐fold. The first is to draw attention to existing conceptual and methodological weaknesses with the “feminization of poverty”, and to suggest how the construct could better depict contemporary trends in gendered privation. The second is to propose directions for the kinds of data and indicators that might be incorporated within the Gender‐related Development Index or the Gender Empowerment Measure, or used in the creation of a Gendered Poverty Index.

Probability of an obese person attaining normal body weight: Cohort study using electronic health records

Abstract: Objectives: Obesity is an increasing clinical and public health concern. This study aimed to answer the question: ‘What is the probability of an obese person attaining normal body weight?’ Methods: A sample of men and women aged 20 years and over was drawn from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). Participants who received bariatric surgery were excluded. The probability of attaining either normal weight, or 5% reduction in body weight, were estimated. Findings: Data were analysed for 278,982 participants including 76,704 obese men and 99,791 obese women. During a maximum of 9 years’ follow-up, 1,283 men and 2,245 women attained normal body weight. In simple obesity (BMI 30•0-34•9 Kg/m2), the annual probability of attaining normal weight was 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women, increasing to 1 in 1,290 for men and 1 in 677 for women with morbid obesity (BMI 40•0-44•9 Kg/m2). The annual probability of achieving a 5% weight reduction was 1 in 8 for men, and 1 in 7 for women with morbid obesity. Among participants who lost 5% body weight, 52•7% (95% confidence interval 52•4 to 53•0%) showed weight regain at two years and 78•0% (77•7 to 78•3%) at five years. Conclusions: The low probability of attaining normal weight, or maintaining weight loss, raises questions concerning whether current obesity treatment frameworks, grounded in community-based weight management programmes, may be expected to achieve public health impact.

Implementation and adoption of nationwide electronic health records in secondary care in England: final qualitative results from prospective national evaluation in “early adopter” hospitals

Abstract: Objectives To evaluate the implementation and adoption of the NHS detailed care records service in "early adopter" hospitals in England.

IT and organizational change: an institutionalist perspective

Abstract: This article challenges the tendency of the information systems literature to subsume IT innovation in processes of organizational change, either with the role of “enabler” of organizational objectives, or as an instrument appropriated by situated organizational actors. Using institutionalist theory, the relationship between information systems development and organizational transformation is studied as the interaction of two institutionalization processes: the increasing momentum and legitimation of IT innovation; and the organizational efforts for the substitution of established structures and activities with new ones which often do not command adequate legitimacy. Such analysis suggests that IT innovation in organizations is to a large extent sustainable by its own institutional forces, irrespective of contribution to the processes of organizational change. This perspective is demonstrated with the case study of the Mexican oil company, Pemex, where IT projects have played a large part in its transformation from a state‐owned to private enterprise.