Participation Of Local Actors Research Articles

Experiences and challenges in collecting survey data in an ethnically diverse social housing area

Abstract Socio-economically disadvantaged groups are characterised by a higher burden of disease than the background population. Paradoxically, they are often underrepresented in health research. Failing to include socio-economically disadvantaged groups in research impairs the ability to address the social mechanisms creating health disparities. The study describes how we have tried to accommodate identified challenges from the literature in conducting a questionnaire survey in a socio-economically deprived and ethnically diverse social housing area, and which new challenges we identified. The survey is planned before, during and after the structural changes take place. Through innovative approaches, we sought to accommodate identified barriers to reaching participants. The questionnaire was translated from Danish to the seven most prevalent languages in the area, based on data from the national register. A survey corps of native speaking interviewers went door-to-door to perform face-to-face interviews. To encourage participation, we used a recruitment strategy inspired by ethnographic data collection traditions, such as local presence, participation in local activities, and graphic facilitation on invitation letters. Wave 1 and 2 had a response rate of 35% (N = 209) and 22% (N = 132), respectively. 79 respondents participated in both waves. Despite our efforts to accommodate identified challenges such as language, illiteracy, and mistrust, the response rates are low. We identified new challenges in recruiting participants including participation fatigue, frustration with the restructure process, and a feeling of limited individual gain from participation. Many challenges are associated with conducting research among socio-economically disadvantaged groups. Documenting processes and learning from experiences are important steps in including groups with lower socio-economic status in health research in order to address the underlying social mechanisms creating health disparities.

Social Interaction of Indonesian Rural Youths in the Internet Age

The internet penetration on young villagers gives rise to question about its effects on the social interaction and behavior patterns as it accelerates the interaction with the wider network. However, the internet could possibly decrease both the social interaction with local people at the village and the dependency toward native villagers as internet utilization allows the users to be more selective in terms of interactions according to their interests. This research aims to examine the impacts of the Internet through a dystopian view by comparing the degrees of senses of place, participation in local activities, and social capital among internet and non-internet users using a statistical approach. The analysis of variance and linear regression were employed in the present study. The results revealed that the internet did strengthen both broad and local social capital. It also supported young villager’s participation in local activities. Nevertheless, the internet was observed to decline the villager’s sense of place, especially the desire to remain a resident in the native village. Better access to information and network gained by the users elevated their chances to move outside the village when better opportunities were observed elsewhere.

Potentialities and challenges of family agriculture in a region of South Brazil

ABSTRACTIt is necessary to think of practical actions and initiatives to help the quality of life of the population and the conservation of the environment. In this sense, this research aims to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG12) with food production through family agriculture in a region of southern Brazil, identifying the potentialities and challenges of the activity. It also intends to determine social, environmental, and economic issues in production, distribution, and consumption on behalf of promoting sustainable development. In this context, to deepen the knowledge of the possibilities for the region under study, focus groups and interviews were conducted with the participation of local actors. The study was conducted in 21 municipalities of Corede Produção region to obtain a diagnosis of the potentialities and challenges of family agriculture. Thus, with the results obtained, it is possible to create opportunities to foster the region through more sustainable agriculture and also contribute to the goals of the SDGs launched by the UN in 2015.

Do affordable housing programs facilitate migrants' social integration in Chinese cities?

Using the data from “China Migrants' Dynamic Survey” conducted by China's National Health and Family Planning Commission, we examine the impacts of affordable housing programs on migrants' social integration in Chinese cities. We measure social integration in terms of migrants' participation in local activities and sense of belonging. We find that, after controlling for individual characteristics, the social integration level of migrants living in affordable housing program communities is significantly higher than that of migrants living in other communities. Heterogeneous analyses show that the migrants living in the rental units in affordable housing program communities exhibit a much higher level of social integration than do similar migrants living in other rental units. However, owner-occupied affordable housing communities do not show a significant effect in improving social integration, compared to other owner-occupied housing communities. Further analysis suggests that the inclusiveness of the living environment and neighborhood helps explain the main difference.

Do buraco ao mundo: segredos, rituais e patrimônio de um quilombo-indígena

Quando problematizamos os processos de pesquisa que não levam em consideração a participação dos atores locais naquilo que se apresenta como as suas referências culturais, nos defrontamos com cenários nos quais a cultura do silêncio é imposta. Contrária a essa perspectiva, a ação de educação patrimonial “Do buraco ao mundo” consistiu na condução de processos participativos com a comunidade Tiririca dos Crioulos na busca de suas referências culturais. Localizada no estado de Pernambuco (região Nordeste do Brasil), a Tiririca se autodenomina um quilombo-indígena, fundamentando essa identidade a partir de suas narrativas e relações de parentesco. A ação atuou na produção de materiais didáticos compostos por um “documento sonoro” (CD duplo), vídeos e um livro que são disponibilizados em um blog. As relações foram horizontalizadas na promoção do conhecimento intercultural, reconhecendo que o curso da pesquisa é uma negociação em andamento. Com isso, foram legitimadas outras formas de conhecimento (parteiras, rezadores, artesãs e outras pessoas reconhecidas na comunidade por seus saberes) que não os necessariamente gerados em instituições de ensino e pesquisa formais. As relações de pesquisa assim conduzidas viabilizaram outros espaços de transmissão e produção de conhecimentos, na mediação de experiências educativas que perpassam diferentes gerações nos processos de interação com o (e no) território como fonte de pesquisa. Se do território emergem as experiências, consequentemente os processos de pesquisa se transformaram em uma “pesquisa de si”, com a (re)valorização de importantes personagens locais. Este trabalho apresenta as atividades conduzidas ao longo do primeiro ano da ação “Do buraco ao mundo”.

Think about a Pharmacist/Pharmacy in the Insurance Pharmacy-Things to Consider in the Field

About two years have passed since the formal establishment of the category "family pharmacist" in Japan's revision of dispensing fees. In the pharmacy vision for patients, many problems were raised among the category of "family pharmacists" or "family pharmacies". Furthermore, in the future restructuring of pharmacy practices, by 2025 all pharmacies are to serve as "family pharmacies", and by 2035 they will exercise their family pharmacy function in daily living areas. In order to demonstrate the "family function", home medical care and outreach type health support etc. will be required, not only from conventional pharmacy work but also in outside (off-site) pharmacy activities. Therefore, future pharmacies need to gain the confidence of their local communities, such as in active collaboration with multi-occupational physicians and healthcare providers, work with multi-occupations in general, participation in local activities, and so on. Therefore, I would like to introduce activities that I am actually doing to this end, such as at-home activities, community activities and cooperation with multiple occupations.

Empowering through reflection: participatory design of change in agricultural chains in Indonesia by local stakeholders

Participation of local actors has shown to be of significant importance to the uptake of new approaches to agricultural initiatives in developing countries. This paper proposes a new approach to empower local chain actors to work together to understand their own and others’ challenges, to pursue common understanding of their situations and challenges, and to then co-create solutions. Reflection on each other’s position is crucial to this process, and is core to the participatory approach designed to this purpose. Agricultural chains are the focus of a case study in Indonesia involving both farmers and wholesalers in the chain. Results show that the approach has led to new forms of collaboration between farmers, and between farmers and wholesalers, increasing market potential.

Opportunities of Different Generations Participation in Rural Community Activities

The success of rural community vitality and development is based on communication, participation and collaboration among different generations. Theoretical and empirical findings disclose that there is a lack of systematic approach characterising different generations (in this article young and elderly social groups) participation in local activities, not much attention is given to activities which join young and elderly groups whether to maintain young people in rural area or actively include elderly to common activities. Accordingly this article aims to explore participation forms and methods of different generations (youth and elderly) participation in rural community activities. The methodological background of this research is based on theoretical research methods, statistical data analysis and analysis of case of different generations’ participation in Šiauliai district municipality rural community activities. The research results disclose that different generations participation in rural community activities are various, but depends on rural areas and rural community‘s specific features. The suggested scheme based on evaluation of different generations’ participation in rural community activities can be adopted to any rural area and rural community, but being aware about the current situation of youth and elderly, also activities which are possible to be implemented in particular rural community.

Sustainability Management of Unesco Global Geoparks

UNESCO global geoparkUNESCO global geoparks dynamic initiative draws attention of both experts and public by its innovatively holistic approach to conservation, presentation and interpretation of the Earth heritage interrelating the geodiversity of the region with its biodiversity and cultural diversity. The objective of this contribution is to analyse the processes behind the sustainability management of the UNESCO global geoparks.The process analysis of the certification and revalidation schemes of the UNESCO global geoparks reveals a combined application of the interrelated approaches of the sustainability management, in particular the environmental quality management, knowledge management, strategic management and participative management. The environmental quality management, stimulating UNESCO global geoparks to implement their mission, is ensured through the system of initial certification and regular revalidations. The performance of the UNESCO global geoparks is coordinated on the continental and global levels. This networking facilitates an effective implementation of the knowledge management, which consists in the systematic sharing of knowledge and experience among individual geopark representatives. The participative management is implemented not only through the participation of the individual geoparks representatives in the decision making processes of the Global Geoparks Network and continental networks, but mainly through the participation of local actors in the activities of given UNESCO global geopark. The application of the strategic management ensures the long term balanced contribution of UNESCO global geoparks to the sustainable development and cultural identity of the given region. The analysis has shown a specific way in which the selected concepts of the sustainability management are implemented in the evaluation and revalidation procedures, networking and other pillars of the UNESCO global geoparks development.

Urban planning as a pedagogical experience in intermediate cities in northern Peru, 2011–2016

ABSTRACT Intermediate cities have undergone important transformations in this century and face major challenges. Local governments, however, lack sufficient skills to tackle them, favoring short-term actions in the face of planning’s inefficiency and lack of legitimacy. The Transversal project embeds into the urban planning process of smaller intermediate cities the co-production of a territorial project with the participation of local actors in a series of sequential workshops, linking research activities, academic courses, training of officials, and development of specific plans and projects. This participatory methodology links the short- and long-term urban planning in local management and leads to a reformulation of academic methodologies in urban interventions, both in the assessment of firsthand qualitative information and in harmonizing local and academic time frames. The sequential workshops constitute the backbone of planning as a pedagogical experience, questioning the academic activities’ continuity and their integration to local development.

El gobierno municipal ¿Promotor del desarrollo local? El caso del municipio semiurbano de Cd. Ixtepec, Oaxaca

Objetivo: realizar un diagnóstico al ayuntamiento del municipio semiurbano de Ciudad de Ixtepec, Oaxaca, para determinar si el gobierno municipal de Ciudad Ixtepec es promotor del desarrollo local. Metodología: cualitativa de tipo exploratorio. Se utilizan la entrevista y metodología “Agenda Desde lo local” y un cuestionario aplicado a la ciudadanía. Resultados: no hay una relación positiva entre los diversos actores locales, públicos y privados, ni los diversos niveles de gobierno; no articulan el proceso de desarrollo local. Se señala la ausencia de una unidad administrativa cuyas atribuciones sean la promoción del desarrollo local. Limitaciones: podemos mencionar que se consideró un solo cuadrante, el de “Desarrollo Económico Sostenible”, de los cuatro que propone el programa “Agenda desde lo local”, y que sólo se ha contemplado el caso del ayuntamiento de Ciudad Ixtepec, lo que una generalización de los resultados dependerá de las características políticas, institucionales y culturales de municipios de otras entidades federativas. Conclusiones: para que el municipio efectúe el proceso de desarrollo local, requiere de instrumentos de modernización de la gestión y de una estructura administrativa con el propósito de ejercer mejor las competencias económicas; que pueda diseñar, implementar y difundir las políticas públicas de desarrollo, así mismo, hay que resaltar la importancia de la movilización y participación de los actores locales.

THE STATUTE OF THE CITY AND THE MASTER PLAN: INSTRUMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES

The Master Plan is an important instrument to promote significant changes in Brazilian cities in order to achieve a sustainable development and create a new relationship between man and the environment. As far as this planning is concerned, the Master Plan is a basic tool to stablish guidelines to meet citizens necessities, as well as quality of life and social-economic development. For this purpose, citizens supervision and participation in local activities are necessary, so that Constitutional principles and democracy are accomplished. Civil society should be part of the decision-making process concerning enviromental public policies, as well as integrate elaboration, and supervision of these policies, taking into consideration that the public authorities, as well as the society, have to protect and defend the environment for the future generations (article 225, of the Federal Constitution). In this context, this task aims, firstly, evaluare the general guidelines od the Statute of the City (Law nº 10.257/01) and the importance of the Master Plans. Afterwards, adresses the participatory management as a way of implementing the sustainable cities.

THE STATUTE OF THE CITY AND THE MASTER PLAN: INSTRUMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES

The Master Plan is an important instrument to promote significant changes in Brazilian cities in order to achieve a sustainable development and create a new relationship between man and the environment. As far as this planning is concerned, the Master Plan is a basic tool to stablish guidelines to meet citizens necessities, as well as quality of life and social-economic development. For this purpose, citizens supervision and participation in local activities are necessary, so that Constitutional principles and democracy are accomplished. Civil society should be part of the decision-making process concerning enviromental public policies, as well as integrate elaboration, and supervision of these policies, taking into consideration that the public authorities, as well as the society, have to protect and defend the environment for the future generations (article 225, of the Federal Constitution). In this context, this task aims, firstly, evaluare the general guidelines od the Statute of the City (Law nº 10.257/01) and the importance of the Master Plans. Afterwards, adresses the participatory management as a way of implementing the sustainable cities.

THE STATUTE OF THE CITY AND THE MASTER PLAN: INSTRUMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES

The Master Plan is an important instrument to promote significant changes in Brazilian cities in order to achieve a sustainable development and create a new relationship between man and the environment. As far as this planning is concerned, the Master Plan is a basic tool to stablish guidelines to meet citizens necessities, as well as quality of life and social-economic development. For this purpose, citizens supervision and participation in local activities are necessary, so that Constitutional principles and democracy are accomplished. Civil society should be part of the decision-making process concerning enviromental public policies, as well as integrate elaboration, and supervision of these policies, taking into consideration that the public authorities, as well as the society, have to protect and defend the environment for the future generations (article 225, of the Federal Constitution). In this context, this task aims, firstly, evaluare the general guidelines od the Statute of the City (Law nº 10.257/01) and the importance of the Master Plans. Afterwards, adresses the participatory management as a way of implementing the sustainable cities.

Yerinden Yönetim ve Yoksulluğun Azaltılması: Kenya’daki Fırsatlar ve Zorluklar

Kenya is the newest to join a growing number of countries opting for decentralization over centralization. Aimed to promote democracy, accountability, national unity, self-governance, equitable sharing of resources and checks and balances and the separation of powers; devolution in Kenya comes with massive expectations in a country that have failed to achieve its potentials. There exist challenges such as old system hangovers, growing recurrent expenditure, shortage of qualified manpower, reported cases corruption and lack of active local participation. Despite these challenges, strong constitutional support, vibrant civil society, and democratic political structure of the country provide opportunities for devolution to succeed in kenya.

Community Social Capital, Built Environment, and Income-Based Inequality in Depressive Symptoms Among Older People in Japan: An Ecological Study From the JAGES Project.

BackgroundAlthough reducing socioeconomic inequalities in depression is necessary, their associated factors have rarely been studied. This study aimed to screen the potential contextual factors associated with income-based inequality in older adults’ depression.MethodsUsing data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) of 2013, we conducted an ecological study covering 77 communities in Japan. Our measures of socioeconomic inequalities in depression were the slope index of inequalities (SII) and the relative index of inequalities (RII) of the prevalence of depressive symptoms across three income levels. We categorized available community-level factors, including socio-demographic factors, social participation, social relationships, subjective changes in the residential area, and the built environment. These indicators were aggregated from individual responses of 51,962 and 52,958 physically independent men and women, respectively, aged 65 years or more. We performed multiple linear regression analyses to explore factors with statistical significance of a two-tailed P-value less than 0.05.ResultsFactors associated with shallower gradients in depression for men included higher participation in local activities and reception or provision of social support, which did not show significant association among women. Perceived increases in unemployment and economic inequalities were positively associated with larger inequalities in both genders (P < 0.05). The built environment did not indicate any significant association.ConclusionsA community environment fostering social activities and relationships might be associated with smaller income-based inequalities in depression. There is a need for more deterministic studies for planning of effective community interventions to address socioeconomic inequalities in depression.

Doñana Natural Space: The Uncertain Future of a Crown Jewel in Europe’s Protected Areas

The Doñana Natural Space (National and Natural Park) has three dominant ecosystems: dunes, beaches, and marshes. Its geographical position gives rise to a rich biota at a major stopover point in birds’ migration routes and at a very important site for wintering waterfowl. Because of this, Doñana has acquired the highest protected area categories that a natural area can receive from international conservation organizations. Yet Doñana’s ability to support biodiversity is under constant threat due to its proximity to culturally and economically critical locations. The greatest external problems center on agriculture and tourism, which extract enormous amounts of groundwater which then alter hydrological dynamics. Excessive nutrients, roads, commercial navigation, pilgrimages, and several programed projects are additional pressures that could be aggravated by climate change. Inside the Space, overpopulations of domestic and wild ungulates, pathogens, and invasive species have changed its ecology. Doñana is managed by two operational programs implemented by a committee of 60 stakeholders. Both areas have been divided into conservation zones and very recently have been included in an extension of the old Biosphere Reserve with a Core Area (National Park), a Buffer Area (Natural Park), and a Transition Area. In the past 40 years, Doñana has received about US$900 million: this has increased not only conservation efforts in the area but also the economic level of local residents. Conflicts are lessening but pressures are mounting. More collaboration between administrations, more active local participation, more firmness concerning illegal activities, more expert technical advice, and more funding will be needed in the near future to preserve this unique natural heritage.

A Decentralised Approach to Wastewater Management in the Urbanising Region: The Case of Jakarta, Indonesia

State-led and market-oriented approaches to sanitation development in Jakarta have favoured the construction of large-scale centralised sewerage systems. This development approach is not always suitable because the principles of modern infrastructure underlying the technological systems are not applicable in informal settlements scattered over the metropolis. Due to spatial fragmentation within the built environment, diverse socio-economic and fragile geo-ecological conditions in different settlements and the city as a whole, Jakarta needs to adopt a decentralised approach to wastewater management. This article examines governmental dynamics in Jakarta and analyses a sanitation project to introduce improved septic tanks and community sludge-hauling enterprises. The presence of (international) NGOs and civil society organisations is often vital to help communities enrich their technical knowledge of environmental problems and expand their sociopolitical networks. Nevertheless, local initiatives provide a limited response to community sanitation needs and sanitation problems beyond the neighbourhood level. This article argues that the introduction of decentralised sanitation systems requires a new form of state-led infrastructure provision, which involves the (transformative) participation of local actors. In doing so, it extends the notion of decentralised wastewater management beyond purely technological concerns.

The Relationship between Effective and Equitable Water Allocation, Local Rice Farmer Participation and Economic Well-Being: Insights from Thailand’s Chiang Mai Province

This research investigates the relationship between equitable water allocation, participation in the local irrigation operation, and improved economic well-being. The study area consisted of the rice-growing districts of Doi Saket and Mae On in Thailand’s northern province Chiang Mai, where locals have adopted a participatory farmer-managed irrigation system. The samples were 150 small-scale rice farmers who were divided into four groups by their membership: community irrigation (CI); community irrigation and enterprise (CIE); and farmland location (head-end or tail-end of the irrigation canal). The findings revealed a strong relationship between the three variables. Specifically, despite less advantageous farmland locations, the tail-end CI farmers outperformed in the dry-season and annual paddy yields per household. The higher paddy yields translated into higher household earnings. The improved economic well-being of the tail-end CI farmers could be attributed to their active participation in the local irrigation operation. Another contributing factor was equitable water allocation, which is the product of the farmers’ active participation as their irrigation demands and concerns are constantly acknowledged and addressed. Importantly, the findings verified the effectiveness and usability of the participatory irrigation system in tackling the problem of inequitable water allocation between the head-end and tail-end farmers. Moreover, the participatory irrigation scheme was readily implementable since it required no additional investment, only active local participation.

Connotaciones y paradojas en torno a la participación de los actores locales en iniciativas de desarrollo rural

La participación de los actores locales ha sido condición para mejorar la eficiencia de las iniciativas de desarrollo rural, convirtiéndose en prerrequisito de muchas, pero sin considerar sus implicaciones en lo local. Se analizan dinámicas asociadas con la participación de estos actores en iniciativas de desarrollo a partir de un estudio realizado en la región fronteriza de Chiapas. Los argumentos incluyen que los costos del proyecto a menudo se transfieren a los participantes locales, que la condición de pobreza de los comuneros limita su participación, y que las desigualdades de poder entre ellos son factores determinantes para la participación.