Rural Policy Implementation in Contemporary China: New Socialist Countryside, by Anna L. Ahlers. Oxon and New York: Routledge, 2014. xiii+268 pp. £90.00 (cloth).

Flavored tobacco products appeal to youth, and jurisdictions have implemented policy interventions to reduce youth tobacco initiation. This study reviews the process, challenges, and compliance monitoring of a flavored tobacco sales restriction. New York City (NYC) passed a policy restricting the sale of flavored non-cigarette tobacco products in 2009. To describe the policy’s passage, legal defense, implementation, and enforcement, we conducted stakeholder interviews, reviewed legislative and legal records, and analyzed administrative data on retailer inspections and violations. Extensive public and policy maker education efforts preceded this policy. Barriers included opposition to the policy’s passage and a tobacco manufacturer’s lawsuit that sought to halt the law’s implementation and to establish that NYC lacked the authority to restrict the sale of flavored products. The city implemented the flavored tobacco policy as intended and it withstood legal challenges. NYC integrated enforcement into the city’s retailer compliance monitoring infrastructure, and the violation rate is low. Our investigation of NYC’s experience with flavored tobacco policy implementation and enforcement can provide policy makers and health professionals with insights relevant to policy implementation, expand understanding of the potential impact of these kinds of policies, and inform compliance monitoring efforts.

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Policy Implementation, Principal Agency, and Strategic Action: Improving Teaching Effectiveness in New York City Middle Schools

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis ◽

10.3102/0162373719893338 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 134-160

Author(s):

Julie Cohen ◽

Susanna Loeb ◽

Luke C. Miller ◽

James H. Wyckoff

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

New York City ◽

Teacher Evaluation ◽

Policy Implementation ◽

Teacher Effectiveness ◽

York City ◽

Evaluation System ◽

Teaching Effectiveness ◽

Strategic Action ◽

Evaluation Policies

Ten years ago, the reform of teacher evaluation was touted as a mechanism to improve teacher effectiveness. In response, virtually every state redesigned its teacher evaluation system. Recently, a growing narrative suggests these reforms failed and should be abandoned. This response may be overly simplistic. We explore the variability of New York City principals’ implementation of policies intended to promote teaching effectiveness. Drawing on survey, interview, and administrative data, we analyze whether principals believe they can use teacher evaluation and tenure policies to improve teaching effectiveness and how such perceptions influence policy implementation. We find that principals with greater perceived agency are more likely to strategically use tenure and evaluation policies. Results have important implications for principal training and policy implementation.

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