“Round Peg in a Square Hole”: Lessons from Community Health Promotion Practice on Dynamics of Accountability, Reporting and Evaluation, and Governance
This paper presents results from a small-scale institutional ethnography study of reporting requirements and evaluation practices in two urban community health centers (CHCs), as a sample of community-based nonprofit organizations that focus on social justice and health equity. The study illuminate...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Midwest Public Affairs Conference
2024-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs |
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| Online Access: | https://jpna.org/index.php/jpna/article/view/632 |
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| author | Julia Fursova Gillian Kranias |
| author_facet | Julia Fursova Gillian Kranias |
| author_sort | Julia Fursova |
| collection | DOAJ |
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This paper presents results from a small-scale institutional ethnography study of reporting requirements and evaluation practices in two urban community health centers (CHCs), as a sample of community-based nonprofit organizations that focus on social justice and health equity. The study illuminated complex relationships among accountability, reporting and evaluation, and governance. Among the CHCs, reporting and evaluation practices consistent with goals of obtaining social justice and health equity were undermined by an imbalance toward funder-oriented functional accountability. Analysis of accountability and reporting practices as systemic factors shaping knowledge production, decision-making, and action revealed notable consequences for CHCs’ health promotion practice. This paper proposes a wholistic accountability model to encourage equitable power relations in evaluation, enable participatory methods, and better align CHC knowledge production and governance systems with their health promotion goals. This study further adds to the growing literature supporting critical attention to nonprofit accountability in the context of systems change work.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b0a321f0ae9d45c79b44835bbc12405e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2381-3717 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-09-01 |
| publisher | Midwest Public Affairs Conference |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs |
| spelling | doaj-art-b0a321f0ae9d45c79b44835bbc12405e2025-08-20T01:55:21ZengMidwest Public Affairs ConferenceJournal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs2381-37172024-09-0110.20899/jpna.wzqz7m46“Round Peg in a Square Hole”: Lessons from Community Health Promotion Practice on Dynamics of Accountability, Reporting and Evaluation, and GovernanceJulia Fursova0Gillian Kranias1University of New BrunswickTransform Practice Cooperative This paper presents results from a small-scale institutional ethnography study of reporting requirements and evaluation practices in two urban community health centers (CHCs), as a sample of community-based nonprofit organizations that focus on social justice and health equity. The study illuminated complex relationships among accountability, reporting and evaluation, and governance. Among the CHCs, reporting and evaluation practices consistent with goals of obtaining social justice and health equity were undermined by an imbalance toward funder-oriented functional accountability. Analysis of accountability and reporting practices as systemic factors shaping knowledge production, decision-making, and action revealed notable consequences for CHCs’ health promotion practice. This paper proposes a wholistic accountability model to encourage equitable power relations in evaluation, enable participatory methods, and better align CHC knowledge production and governance systems with their health promotion goals. This study further adds to the growing literature supporting critical attention to nonprofit accountability in the context of systems change work. https://jpna.org/index.php/jpna/article/view/632accountabilityevaluationgovernancecommunity healthsystems change |
| spellingShingle | Julia Fursova Gillian Kranias “Round Peg in a Square Hole”: Lessons from Community Health Promotion Practice on Dynamics of Accountability, Reporting and Evaluation, and Governance Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs accountability evaluation governance community health systems change |
| title | “Round Peg in a Square Hole”: Lessons from Community Health Promotion Practice on Dynamics of Accountability, Reporting and Evaluation, and Governance |
| title_full | “Round Peg in a Square Hole”: Lessons from Community Health Promotion Practice on Dynamics of Accountability, Reporting and Evaluation, and Governance |
| title_fullStr | “Round Peg in a Square Hole”: Lessons from Community Health Promotion Practice on Dynamics of Accountability, Reporting and Evaluation, and Governance |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Round Peg in a Square Hole”: Lessons from Community Health Promotion Practice on Dynamics of Accountability, Reporting and Evaluation, and Governance |
| title_short | “Round Peg in a Square Hole”: Lessons from Community Health Promotion Practice on Dynamics of Accountability, Reporting and Evaluation, and Governance |
| title_sort | round peg in a square hole lessons from community health promotion practice on dynamics of accountability reporting and evaluation and governance |
| topic | accountability evaluation governance community health systems change |
| url | https://jpna.org/index.php/jpna/article/view/632 |
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