We undertake the first quantitative and broadly comparative study of the structure and performance of partnership communities to our knowledge. Our study addresses several important research questions. How connected are the members of partnership communities? How can we understand the quality of the projects a community undertakes? How do political institutions shape their structure and performance? After defining partnership communities as networked communities of private firms which form the consortia that enter into long-term contractual arrangements with governments, we show how they are affected by government demand for partners. We then provide an overview of those factors predicting success in financing projects. Finally, we focus on the political economy of partnership communities. We develop and test theoretical predictions about how national institutions shape partnership communities and the quality of projects. We also investigate voters' preferences over alternative arrangements of infrastructure delivery before drawing out implications for research and practice.

This collection examines the interdependence between families and other social institutions, and the need for families and communities to work together to meet the needs of families and children. It documents the need for partnerships among families, churches, schools, human service organizations, and the government, and provides strategies for building such partnerships. This book is targeted for church, lay, and academic audiences including diocesan family life, social justice, religious education, and youth ministry staffs. Other persons who will benefit from reading this book include Catholic charities staff members, other health and human services professionals, family and child advocates, family life ministers, educators, and pastors, deacons, lay leaders and volunteers. Families and Communities in Partnership will also serve as excellent reading material in courses on religion and society. Contents: Preface, Patricia Voydanoff; Acknowledgments; PART ONE: CONCEPTUALIZING PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES; Families in the Context of Community, Robert N. Bellah; PART TWO: BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS; Contemporary Family Life: Pastoral Challenges and Responsibilities for Religious Leadership, Dolores R. Leckey; Partners in Learning: Families, Communities, and School, P. Michael Timpane; Taking a Community Approach to Preventing the Creation of a Biological Underclass, Vernellia R. Randall; Clamoring for Justice: Families, Communities, and Government, Sharon Daly; PART THREE: BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS THROUGH THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY; The Church and Regional Collaboration to Support Families, Raymond L. Fitz, S.M.; We're All in This Together: Children, Families, and the Church, John L. Carr; PART FOUR: CONCLUDING REMARKS; Balance, the Presence of Men, and Collaboration in Caring for Families, James Healy; The Challenge of Partnership: Some Concluding Thoughts, H. Richard McCord, Jr.; Index; About the Contributors.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.