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Complexity and hybrid effects in the delivery and evaluation of youth programmes in a remote Indigenous community
Author(s) -
Staines Zoe,
Moran Mark
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
australian journal of public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-8500
pISSN - 0313-6647
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8500.12371
Subject(s) - indigenous , disadvantage , context (archaeology) , modalities , closing (real estate) , crowding , political science , crowding out , economic growth , public relations , sociology , psychology , geography , economics , social science , law , ecology , archaeology , neuroscience , biology , monetary economics
Indigenous Australians continue to experience entrenched disadvantage. Despite billions being spent, ‘Closing the Gap’ indicators remain resistant to change. It has become increasingly apparent that progress has been hindered by persistent administration and implementation issues in Indigenous Affairs, especially with the funding modalities deployed. This study uses the remote Queensland Indigenous community of Aurukun as a case study to examine the effectiveness and evaluation problems arising from overlapping programmes delivered to Aurukun children and youth (5–18 years of age). It documents programmatic crowding occurring in Aurukun, which has the potential to place considerable demands on the intended participants, and results in hybridised effects that are not understood. Within this context, robust evaluation – even through the use of sophisticated methods – is near impossible.