Protecting farmlands amid urban and industrial expansion: Community mechanisms in Yothaka and Khao Din under Thailand’s EEC development

Restricting NGOs: From Pushback to Accommodation

Author's Introduction Civil society has become one of the most popular concepts within international development discourses. But, what is civil society? Civil society is defined as an arena of collective social interaction situated between the state, market and household, encompassing a range of non‐state organisations, groups and associations, including non‐governmental organisations (NGOs). The article assesses the range of different interpretations of civil society highlighting its diverse makeup at local, national and transnational scales. Why has civil society become so important within international development? Democracy and delivery of services . As people organised collectively against totalitarian regimes in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and the Global South, civil society emerged as a manifestation of democratisation processes. The neoliberal agenda also wanted to capture and channel civil society to foster democracy, but also to take on service delivery functions as the role of the state diminished. This article outlines how these roles relate to two theoretical viewpoints – the Marxist or Gramscian that sees civil society as a site of resistance and counterhegemony, and the liberal democratic that views it as a beneficial force for good. Civil society in practice. In the 1990s, development agencies championed civil society from an undertheorised liberal democratic viewpoint as a saviour or ‘magic bullet’ as it channels more and more funds via NGOs. But, civil society has increasingly been criticised as undemocratic, unable to reach the poor and unaccountable. This article describes this evolution. The emergence of global or transnational society . In these days of globalisation, global civil society is increasingly important. This is neither civil society at a global level, nor is it a unified global force for good, lobbying and challenging the neoliberal order. Instead, viewed as ‘transnational civil society’, it is a complex mix of competing, overlapping and intersecting groups that operate beyond national borders for a range of reasons. Especially important actors in transnational civil society are diasporic civil society groups in the form of migrant associations. This article argues that as international migration increases, these groups are growing in economic, social and political importance, yet we do not know very much about them. Author Recommends Anheier, H., Glasius, M., and Kaldor, M. (eds) (2004). Global civil society 2004/5. London: Sage. This book is one of the annual reports on the nature of global civil society produced by the Centre for the Study of Global Governance at the London School of Economics. It has a range of interesting articles and is available to download at http://lse.ac.uk/Depts/global/yearbook04chapters.htm Howell, J., and Pearce, J. (2001). Civil society and development: a critical exploration. London: Lynne Rienner. This book provides an excellent overview of the theoretical and empirical debates about civil society at a national level. It provides a range of examples from around the developing world. Lewis, D., and Opoku‐Mensah, P. (2006). Moving forward research agendas on international NGOs: theory, agency and context. Journal of International Development 18, pp. 665–675. This article is an engaging review of the main themes revolving around civil society and development in relation to international NGOs in particular. Mercer, C. (2002). NGOs, civil society and democratization: a critical review of the literature. Progress in Development Studies 2, pp. 5–22. This article is an excellent state‐of‐the‐art review of the relationships between civil society and democratisation from a development perspective. It outlines the main theoretical approaches and assesses them in relation to development policy. Mitlin, D., Hickey, S., and Bebbington, A. (2007). Reclaiming development? NGOs and the challenge of alternatives. World Development 35 (10), pp. 1699–1720. This article outlines the issue of why NGOs have been so popular with development agencies and why this popularity is on the wane. Mohan, G. (2002). The disappointments of civil society: the politics of NGO intervention in northern Ghana. Political Geography 21, pp. 125–154. This article outlines the main thinking about civil society and then illustrates it with an interesting case study from Ghana. Munck, R. (2007). Global civil society: royal road or slippery path? Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 17, pp. 325–332. This article is one of the most‐up‐to‐date accounts on the advantages and disadvantages of global civil society. Useful Links http://www.jhu.edu/~ccss/ website of the Centre for Civil Society, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. This site reports on policy‐related research on civil society and other more practically oriented projects. http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/CCS/ website of the Centre for Civil Society, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. This site publishes a range of research papers on civil society and runs academic events. http://www.nu.ac.za/ccs/</jats:ext-lin

Is urban spatial expansion on track to achieve low-carbon cities? An empirical comparative study of Xi’an and Chengdu in western China

The western China, especially near the Wenchuan region witnessed a terrible earthquake in the year 2008, which led to some severe damage in the country. Several interviews and studies are conducted to explain the impact of this Sichuan earthquake on the development of the various grass-root associations present in the country.

Urban center expansion represents a significant characteristic of modern urban development. However, this expansion does not necessarily enhance urban vitality directly, and may instead lead to vitality decline in traditional core areas. To analyze this spatial paradox, this study examines the spatial mismatch between urban center expansion and vitality loss in Guangzhou from 2013 to 2023, utilizing Dianping data and deep learning methods. The results show that from 2013 to 2018, Guangzhou’s urban center expansion mainly concentrates in peripheral areas with limited vitality loss, while from 2018 to 2023, the spatial mismatch between urban expansion and vitality loss significantly intensifies, particularly showing vitality decline in core areas. This phenomenon reveals a structural contradiction in current urban development - urban center expansion does not necessarily mean “the bigger, the better.” When promoting urban modernization, cities should balance development between inner and outer areas, diversify functions, and enhance social inclusiveness, with particular emphasis on supporting functional reconstruction and vitality revitalization in core areas to achieve sustainable urban development goals. This study not only provides new perspectives for understanding the relationship between urban center expansion and vitality loss, but also offers scientific foundations and policy recommendations for optimizing urban spatial structures and improving urban governance efficiency.

Strategies, Struggles, and Sites of Transformation in Korean Political Economy

Successful leadership in local development requires not only a vision, but good communication skills, stakeholder involvement, strategic planning and coordination and popular support via public participation. Our empirical study contributes to filling the gap in the literature about the role of non-profit leadership in urban and regional development. We study the characteristics of politicians in civil society and that of civil society’s leaders in politics as a prerequisite for successful local development. For this, we draw on the survey data of 374 local politicians from four large cities in Central Europe: Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Poznań. The research affirms that non-profit non-governmental organisations do play an important role in local development and reveals similarities in all analysed cities, though with some variance. Local political elites are identified as engaging significantly in civil society organisations, despite low levels of general trust in these countries. About two-thirds of the local politicians who took part in the survey participate actively in civil society organisations in their respective cities but not coming from a previous non-profit non-governmental organisation employment. Not only are they active, but many of them also have positions as managers or directors, or as members of the board of directors in these organisations. Although neither membership nor leadership in non-profit non-governmental organisations appears to increase a local politician’s chance of being elected, except when those are engaged in local development or environmental issues. As spatial leadership plays an important role in the construction of new agendas and identities we have also investigated the views of local politicians on decentralisation, government service provision efficiency and the importance of several local policy topics, and found some puzzling differences across our V4 cities that possibly reflect cultural differences. Non-profit leadership in urban development is a neglected topic so far in the literature, our study adds empirical results from Central and Eastern Europe, yet there is ample room for future research.

Lesotho is a country completely surrounded by South Africa. Since independence in 1966 the country attracted a lot of foreign aid interventions in most of its development programmes, including those channelled to civil society organisations. This research is a case study of one indigenous community-based organisation (CBO) in the northern part of the country. The aftermath of the massive Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) also created collaboration and partnerships with international donor organisations. This study investigated the impact of foreign aid interventions and donations to the country and the partnerships created with civil society organisations in Lesotho. The qualitative design through a case study approach to research identified an indigenous CBO, in the northern part of Lesotho within the vicinity of the LHWP to investigate foreign aid funding models and partnerships with civil society organisations. This is a study conducted over an extended period and its accounts give a series of interviews, focus group interviews, transect walks to some community development projects areas. The study used a qualitative inquiry where the Boseele CBO was used as a case study revealing its history with partnerships over 10 years of its existence. The results were analysed thematically, chronologically and narratively and the CBO's successes with Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funding reflected positive foreign aid contribution towards the work of civil society organisations and that of community development. However, setbacks and lack of continuity with some projects questioned some of the funding models of some foreign agencies. Foreign aid partnerships and success with Civil Society Organisations and in community development should not be a marriage of convenience, but culminate in a spirit of collaboration, human capital development and benefits of civil society and community ownership. While the study cannot make claims to provide solutions to the funding models and challenges in each, the purpose of this study was achieved because it identified and obstacles that civil society organisations face, while they strive to advance their social mandate of serving their communities with meagre resources at their disposal.

Simulating the impact of urban expansion on ecosystem services in Chinese urban agglomerations: A multi-scenario perspective

Urban expansion studies typically distinguish three main processes: infill, edge expansion, and outlying development. These general processes do not specifically capture another type of urban expansion: the clumping or coalescing of multiple individual urban areas (patches) into one larger urban agglomeration. This paper develops a new Urban Patch Expansion (UPE) framework that characterises coalescence as an urban expansion process that occurs simultaneously with the three commonly distinguished processes. We characterise two types of coalescence: merging and joining. Merging is defined as the amalgamation of at least two initial patches whose combined area is smaller than the newly added urban area merging them, while joining refers to cases where the total area of the initial urban patches is larger than the newly developed urban area connecting them. In an application of this framework, we analyse urban development in the functional urban area of Bandung (Indonesia) in the period 1975–2015 focussing on the variation in urban development processes along the gradient from the urban centre to the most outward edges of the urban agglomeration. The analysis employs the latest release of the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) that provides a highly detailed rasterised account of urban development since 1975. This new spatial analysis approach enriches our understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of urban expansion by providing a more specific account of when and where specific development types prevail. Our research characterises urban development in the Bandung area as a sequence of phases. Outlying development is the most important process in the initial period (1975–1990), highlighting a phase of diffusion. From 1990 coalescence sets in, with joining as the prevalent process in the second period (1990–2000). Infill and edge expansion are steady processes throughout the analysis period, where the latter gradually increases in importance as the urban area continues to grow. Both processes further compact the urban landscape. The final period (2000–2015) shows approximately equal shares of joining, infill and edge expansion. Joining can thus be seen as the first step in the transition from the diffusion to the coalescence stage, whereas the infilling of urban voids and the expansion of city at its edges reflect a more continuous growth process. We observe a similar development sequence over space: edge expansion dominates the zone between 5 and 9 km from the core, joining in the zone up to 17 km and outlying beyond that. The latter process, however, became less important over time. Our approach can be used to compare refined development trajectories in different periods and regions and thus supports our understanding of urban growth. • Novel approach to characterise coalescence along other urban expansion processes. • Identifying both merging and joining of urban patches. • Urban development characterised by subsequent phases of outlying, joining and infill development.

Making Sense of 'Weakness' of Post-Communist Civil Society: Individual vs. Organized Engagement in Civil Advocacy in the Czech Republic

The rapid urban development in the Hurghada area since the 1980s has dramatically enhanced the potential impact of human activities. To inventory and monitor this urban development effectively, remote sensing provides a viable source of data from which updated land cover information can be extracted efficiently and cheaply. In this study, data from three satellite datasets, Landsat Thematic Mapper (Landsat 5 TM), Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (Landsat 7 ETM+) and Terra/Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), acquired during 1987, 2000 and 2005, respectively, were used to detect and evaluate Hurghada's urban expansion. Five change detection techniques were tested to detect areas of change. The techniques considered were image differencing, image ratioing, image overlay, multidate principal component analysis (PCA) and post-classification comparison. The post-classification comparison was found to be the most accurate procedure and produced three land use/land cover (LULC) maps of the years 1987, 2000 and 2005 with overall accuracies of 87.8%, 88.9% and 92.0%, respectively. The urban expansion analysis revealed that the built-up area has expanded by 40 km2 in 18 years (1987–2005). In addition, 4.5 km2 of landfill/sedimentation was added to the sea as a result of the coastal urban development and tourist activities. The booming coastal tourism and population pressure were considered to be the main factors driving this expansion, and some natural and artificial constraints constrained the physical shape of the city. The expansion is represented by urban fringe development, linear, infill and isolated models. Topography, lithology and structures were also analysed as possible factors that influenced the expansion. The understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of Hurghada's urban expansion is the cornerstone for formulating a view about the future urban uses and for making the best use of the limited resources that are available [1]. A Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) image of 1987 and a Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) image of 2000 were used to examine changes in land use/land cover (LULC) around Hurghada, Egypt, and changes in the composition of coral reefs offshore. Prior to coral reef bottom type classification, the radiance values were transformed to depth invariant bottom indices to reduce the effect of the water column. Subsequently, a multi component change detection procedure was applied to these indices to define changes. Preliminary results showed significant changes in LULC during the period 1987–2000 as well as changes in coral reef composition. Direct impacts along the coastline were clearly shown, but it was more difficult to link offshore changes in coral reef composition to indirect impacts of the changing LULC. Further research is needed to explore the effects of the different image processing steps, and to discover possible links between indirect impacts of LULC changes and changes in the coral reef composition [2]. Knowledge and detecting impacts of human activities on the coastal ecosystem is an essential management requirement and also very important for future and proper planning of coastal areas. Moreover, documentation of these impacts can help in increasing public awareness about side effects of unsustainable practices. Analysis of multidate remote sensing data can be used as an effective tool in environmental impact assessment (EIA). Being synoptic and frequent in coverage, multidate data from Landsat and other satellites provide a reference record and bird’s eye viewing to the environmental situation of the coastal ecosystem and the associated habitats. Furthermore, integration of satellite data with field observations and background information can help in decision if a certain activity has caused deterioration to a specific habitat or not. The present paper is an attempt to utilize remote sensing data for assessment impacts of some human activities on the major sensitive habitats of the north western Egyptian Red Sea coastal zone, definitely between Ras Gemsha and Safaga. Through multidate change analysis of Landsat data (TM &amp; ETM+ sensors), it was possible to depict some of the human infringements in the area and to provide, in some cases, exclusive evidences for the damaging effect of some developmental activities [3]. The coastline of Hurghada has experienced considerable environmental stress from tourist and residential recreational activities. Uncontrolled tourist development has already caused substantial damage to inshore reefs and imbalance in the hydrodynamic pattern of the coastal sediments. The objective of this paper is to investigate environmental changes using multitemporal, multispectral satellite data to identify changes at Hurghada caused by anthropogenic influences. Major detected changes include resort beaches, protection structures and landfill areas; these changes are mainly due to human intervention. Two Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images acquired in 1984 and 1997 are used for this analysis. The landfill areas formed during this period are calculated at about 2.15 Km2 . Whilst landfill creates new inexpensive land and improves access to the sea for tourists, it is the cause of environmental problems. In addition, land-use/land-cover and beach changes are determined over the 13-year period [4]. The Red Sea coastal zone is characterized by its sensitive, fragile, unique natural resources and habitats. In the Hurghada coastal region, major changes in the tourism industry have taken place in the last few decades. The detection of environmental changes, in a selected site of the Red Sea coastal zone, will be helpful to protect and develop this coastal environment. A methodology for separating natural and man-made changes in satellite images was developed. It was based on the following assumptions: (1) slow changes, which occur within the range of the class reflectance, represent a natural change rather than an anthropogenic one; (2) natural changes tend to be in the same land-use/land-cover class in each date, i.e. slow changes in the reflectance, not leading to changes in the type of land-use/land-cover class from the master image to the destination one; and (3) rapid changes in the reflectance of the Earth's objects are usually related to anthropogenic activities. This technique is used to identify and assess changes along the coast of Hurghada and Ras Abu Soma, the Red Sea. Results indicate serious human impacts and the necessity for control measures and monitoring. Recommendations are presented [5]. The rapid urban development of the Hurghada area began in early 1980 to build villages and huge tourist resorts and this has continued urban development and subsequent land filling and dredging of the shoreline and the destruction of coral so far. These coastal developments have led to an increase in shoreline land filling and dredging. Despite all the environmental laws of the organization to reduce infringement on the shoreline, the abuses are still ongoing. Change detection analysis using remote sensing is a very good tool to monitor the changes condition in urban development and shoreline. Four sensors was used in this study, three of them are, Landsat Multispectral Scanner (Landsat 1 MSS), Landsat Thematic Mapper (Landsat 5 TM), Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (Landsat 7 ETM+) and the another one is SPOT XS 4 (Originally Système Probatoire de l’Observation de la Terre), acquired during 1972, 1984, 1992, 2004 and 2011, respectively, were used to detect and evaluate Hurghada’s urban expansion and shoreline changes. After the images have been geometrically, radio-metrically and atmospherically corrected using ENVI 5.0 software, the digital number was transformed to the reflectance values and the images were ready to change detection process with the integration of geographic information system using Arc GIS 10 software. The results show that changes during the 39 years of the shoreline is 6.29 km2, (5.65 km2 accretion and 0.64 km2 erosion) and urban development is 16.47 km2 the road network is the 8.738 km2.

EVALUATING SHORELINE, URBAN AND ROADS CHANGES IN THE HURGHADA AREA, EGYPT, USING MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE IMAGES

The institutionalisation of decentralisation among urban local governments in the Philippines since the 1990s has been highly documented. While most of the studies have hailed its progressive development, a few have argued that decentralisation has also led to the further entrenchment of traditional élites and their allied power structures in local governance. This paper argues that, while decentralisation has allowed some local governments to initiate effective, efficient and accountable structures, thus becoming more responsive to the needs of their constituents, it has also led to the strengthening of traditional élites/political families and allied power structures as well as the creation of new ones. In short, decentralisation has ‘selectively’ democratised as well as reinforced existing power structures through the entrenchment of élite political families in urban governance and development. Utilising the concept of networked governance practices, this paper examines how local chief executives and allied officials have transformed local power structures through the mobilisation of decentralisation and democratisation discourses/strategies within and across the government bureaucracies, civil society organisations (non-government organisations, people's organisations and private-sector or business groups). Their mobilisation of such strategies is part of the overall governance framework of local government units to become locally/globally competitive amidst a weak metropolitan governance system in Metro Manila. The study describes how decentralisation compels local governments and their officials to deal strategically with the competing demands of economic growth and social and environmental governance, by reconfiguring or recasting existing power structures/practices through democratisation strategies/discourses, to respond to the needs of their constituencies, especially marginalised sectors like the urban poor. The paper concludes that the concept of networked governance practices allows us a broader understanding of how decentralisation promotes democratisation while strengthening ‘selectively’ traditional political élites and allied power bases in civil society and the business sector. These arguments are illustrated by examining the implementation of two local government environmental and social housing programmes—the Pasig Green City Programme and the Land and Housing Programme in Las Piñas City in Metro Manila.

Reviewed by: Civil Society Organisations, Governance and the Caribbean Community by Kristina Hinds Mayra Vélez Serrano Kristina Hinds. 2019. Civil Society Organisations, Governance and the Caribbean Community. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 200 pp. ISBN: 978-3030043957. The literature of regional integration and multilevel governance has mostly focused its attention on the case of the European Union. The process of societal cross-regional interactions is less studied in areas which have a long history of regionalization without formal regional organizations, or what Hettne and Söderbaum (2000) call the Regional Complex. The book Civil Society Organisations, Governance & the Caribbean Community by Kristina Hinds provides a much-needed analysis of the role that civil society has in the processes of regional integration in the Caribbean. This book is divided into eight chapters and three themes. First, the author introduces the concept of civil society for the Caribbean and a description of the Caribbean political culture, governance, and participation. The book later delves deeper into the areas in which civil society has been involved in regional governance in two regional organizations: the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). Finally, Hinds uses two countries as a case studies to draw insights from the connection between civil society and governance in the countries of Barbados and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. In chapter two, Hinds provides a clear conceptualization of what the term Civil Society Organizations (CSO) means, especially in the context of the Caribbean. She clarifies that civil society organizations must be treated separately from those organizations that lie between the state, the market and civil society, such as organizations that receive funding from corporations or the state. Hinds explains the historical development of civil society in the Caribbean at the end of the Cold War. While civil society has been seen as the key to bringing about democracy, she argues that what we have observed is the “NGO-ization” of civil society. It is precisely these organizations that become the focus of the international development efforts in the 1990s. Organizations such as the United States Agency for International Development, the World Bank and the United Nations focused on providing assistance to these NGOs as a way of supporting economic development and good governance. However, such NGO-ization [End Page 176] requires the professionalization of civil society into highly technical and bureaucratic entities, undermining other manifestations of civil society. Caribbean civil society tends to lack the high degree of technical expertise that international agencies expect. One reason lies behind the development of society in the Caribbean, where the majority of the population was enslaved, and thus excluded from membership in “civil society.” However, other forms of less formal but vibrant expressions of civil society date back to resistance movements against slavery. Hinds explains that civil society in the Caribbean has challenged the notion of formal organizations or even “polite-civil” expectations. Meanwhile, formal CSOs represented the white planters and merchants’ interests. Hinds explains that during the colonial era, civil society functioned as a community-based organization to support formerly enslaved people. Labor unions were prescribed during colonial rule and trade unions did not emerge until early 20th century. However, early on, local movements engaged with wider international movements, such has the Garveyite Movement (which expanded from Jamaica, through the Caribbean and later Latin America), the United Negros Improvement Association, Pan-Africanism, and Black Power in United States. In the same vein, there was a development between local women organizations and regional organizations, such as the Caribbean Women’s Association. Hinds clarifies that civil society in the Caribbean varies greatly among the region’s countries. However, these descriptions apply mostly to the English-speaking Caribbean. In chapter three, Hinds provides a theoretical framework by which we can analyze the involvement of CSO in decision-making. Furthermore, she explains the historical context in which the incorporation of CSOs into governance has evolved. Hinds argues that CSOs are fundamental for a participative and collaborative style of governance. Since the 1990s, the international community has equated good governance with broader inclusion of civil society. For example, she posits that there are four stages of participation of CSOs in governance. The...