JDC-Israel implements a large number of innovative programs that cover a wide range of social areas and are aimed at various target populations (children and youth at risk, the elderly, new immigrants, and people with disabilities) in localities throughout Israel. Beyond the direct contribution of each specific program to the populations that it serves, JDC Israel has become more and more interested in the question of how the programs contribute to the broader municipal capacity to develop and deliver services effectively. This capacity is related to what one may define as the municipal social infrastructure. Moreover, the question has arisen as to whether there are potential synergies among the different programs, and whether a focused effort is made to take advantage of these synergies through various forms of cooperation. This study is an innovative attempt to examine the issue, which presented both conceptual and methodological challenges.
The study had three main goals:
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To examine the overall impact of JDC-Israel activities at the local level on six social infrastructures that were expected to be affected by JDC’s activities: 1.New professional approaches and new methods of intervention with the target populations; 2.Cooperation among organizations and sectors involved in the provision of social services at the local level; 3.Voluntarism; 4.Lay leadership; 5.Information systems about target populations and the services provided to them; 6.The professional level of service providers
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To examine the extent and type of cooperation among JDC-Israel programs at the local level, within each JDC-Israel division and among the divisions, which could enhance their overall contribution to the social infrastructure
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To develop a conceptual framework for dealing with these issues that could be used for ongoing planning within JDC-Israel or other organizations.
The study was conducted in 3 localities – Karmiel, Sakhnin and Acre. The information was collected from the division heads at JDC-Israel, key informants at the local and national levels, and the directors of the JDC programs in Karmiel.
Among the key findings:
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In all three cities we found that the key informants did believe that JDC Israel’s programs had impacted in a broader way on municipal capacity to develop and deliver services effectively. This was also echoed by the local project directors who were interviewed in Karmiel.
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Most of the division heads and program directors in Karmiel attributed great importance to investing more in strengthening the local infrastructures. Many indicated that they were already pursuing efforts to this end.
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There was cooperation among the JDC programs at the local level, mainly among those belonging to the same JDC division. The respondents attributed great importance to strengthening the cooperation between JDC programs while focusing on those opportunities that were most cost-effective.
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The respondents defined the concept of “cooperation” in various ways, such as synchronization, coordination, cooperation, collaboration, reciprocal assistance and client referrals.
The conceptual framework developed by the study provides an important input for JDC and other organizations to address the overall impact of social programs. It also assisted the Maccabi program initiated by JDC-Israel to create synergy between all the JDC activities at the local level to define its outcomes and develop tools for ongoing measurement of these outcomes.
The study was funded by JDC-Israel in partnership with Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute.
הצעה לציטוט באנגלית:
Korazim, M. & Peleg, T. (2012). Evaluation of the Overall Impact of the Activities of JDC-Israel at the Local Level on the Development of Social Infrastructures: An Exploratory Study. RR-612-12. Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute. (Hebrew)