Asset-based Approach Research Articles

Designing Net Asset-Based Income-Splitting Rules under Dual Income Tax

Abstract This article revisits the income-splitting regulations within the Nordic dual income tax framework. These regulations were introduced to counteract the inclination to transfer income between labor and capital income tax bases. They involve imputing a return on equity, considered as capital income, and taxing the residual portion at rates similar to those imposed on labor income. There are primarily two methods for computing imputed capital income. One method involves imputing a return based on the shares’ acquisition price (implemented in Sweden and Norway), while the other calculates a return using the net book assets of the company (utilized in Finland). This study examines the economic implications of the net asset-based splitting approach, an area not extensively explored in earlier literature. Our findings suggest that with appropriate selection of tax-parameter values, the net asset-based splitting system embodies the fundamental characteristics of a neutral corporate tax system akin to the ACE corporation tax. Consequently, our analysis indicates that the issues regarding incentive concerns in the Finnish taxation of closely held companies, highlighted in previous studies, stem more from erroneous parameter values rather than flawed underlying principles.

Leveraging Chatbots to Combat Health Misinformation for Older Adults: Participatory Design Study.

Older adults, a population particularly susceptible to misinformation, may experience attempts at health-related scams or defrauding, and they may unknowingly spread misinformation. Previous research has investigated managing misinformation through media literacy education or supporting users by fact-checking information and cautioning for potential misinformation content, yet studies focusing on older adults are limited. Chatbots have the potential to educate and support older adults in misinformation management. However, many studies focusing on designing technology for older adults use the needs-based approach and consider aging as a deficit, leading to issues in technology adoption. Instead, we adopted the asset-based approach, inviting older adults to be active collaborators in envisioning how intelligent technologies can enhance their misinformation management practices. This study aims to understand how older adults may use chatbots' capabilities for misinformation management. We conducted 5 participatory design workshops with a total of 17 older adult participants to ideate ways in which chatbots can help them manage misinformation. The workshops included 3 stages: developing scenarios reflecting older adults' encounters with misinformation in their lives, understanding existing chatbot platforms, and envisioning how chatbots can help intervene in the scenarios from stage 1. We found that issues with older adults' misinformation management arose more from interpersonal relationships than individuals' ability to detect misinformation in pieces of information. This finding underscored the importance of chatbots to act as mediators that facilitate communication and help resolve conflict. In addition, participants emphasized the importance of autonomy. They desired chatbots to teach them to navigate the information landscape and come to conclusions about misinformation on their own. Finally, we found that older adults' distrust in IT companies and governments' ability to regulate the IT industry affected their trust in chatbots. Thus, chatbot designers should consider using well-trusted sources and practicing transparency to increase older adults' trust in the chatbot-based tools. Overall, our results highlight the need for chatbot-based misinformation tools to go beyond fact checking. This study provides insights for how chatbots can be designed as part of technological systems for misinformation management among older adults. Our study underscores the importance of inviting older adults to be active co-designers of chatbot-based interventions.

A Solution to Dynamic Weapon Assignment Problem Based on Game Theory for Naval Platforms

Weapon target assignment is a critical challenge in military contexts. Traditionally, commanding officers manually decide weapon assignments, but the problem’s complexity has grown over time. To address this, automated systems have been introduced. These systems fall into two categories, which are static (time-independent) and dynamic (considering changes over time). Static systems solve the problem for a single time step without considering temporal changes. Dynamic systems incorporate time as a variable, adapting to evolving scenarios. Two main approaches exist, which are asset-based and target-based. Asset-based approach maximizes the survival probability of assets, which is our focus in this study. We propose a solution using game theory that spans the entire area and all time frames. We employ game theory, treating continuous functions of time as utility functions for vessels. Continuous probability-to-kill values for weapons are defined across the area. Threat trajectories yield continuous kill probabilities for the weapons, translating to vessel utility. To avoid inefficiencies, we align individual vessel utility with global utility. The Nash Equilibrium provides the optimal weapon assignment strategy. Our study uses a naval environment for analysis. In summary, our research leverages game theory to dynamically assign weapons to naval vessels, aiming to maximize asset survival.

An 'alcohol health champions' intervention to reduce alcohol harm in local communities: a mixed-methods evaluation of a natural experiment.

Globally alcohol consumption is a leading risk factor for premature death and disability and is associated with crime, social and economic consequences. Local communities may be able to play a role in addressing alcohol-related issues in their area. To evaluate the effectiveness and cost-benefit of an asset-based community development approach to reducing alcohol-related harm and understand the context and factors that enable or hinder its implementation. A mixed-methods evaluation. Area-level quasi-experimental trial analysed using four different evaluation methods (a stepped-wedge design where each area was a control until it entered the intervention, comparison to matched local/national controls and comparison to synthetic controls), alongside process and economic evaluations. Ten local authorities in Greater Manchester, England. The outcomes evaluation was analysed at an area level. Ninety-three lay persons representing nineareas completed questionnaires, with 12 follow-up interviews in five areas; 20 stakeholders representing ten areas were interviewed at baseline, with 17 follow-up interviews in eight areas and 26 members of the public from two areas attended focus groups. Professionals in a co-ordinator role recruited and supported lay volunteers who were trained to become alcohol health champions. The champion's role was to provide informal, brief alcohol advice to the local population and take action to strengthen restrictions on alcohol availability. Numbers of alcohol-related hospital admissions, accident and emergency attendances, ambulance call-outs, street-level crime and antisocial behaviour in the intervention areas (area size: 1600-5500 residents). Set-up and running costs were collected alongside process evaluation data exploring barriers and facilitators. Routinely collected quantitative data on outcome measures aggregated at the intervention area and matched control and synthetic control areas. Data from policy documents, licensing registers, meeting notes, invoices, time/cost diaries, training registers, questionnaires, interviews, reflective diaries and focus groups. The intervention rolled out in nine out of ten areas, seven of which ran for a full 12 months. Areas with better-established infrastructure at baseline were able to train more champions. In total, 123 alcohol health champions were trained (95 lay volunteers and 28 professionals): lay volunteers self-reported positive impact. Champions engaged in brief advice conversations more readily than taking action on alcohol availability. There were no consistent differences in the health and crime area-level indicators between intervention areas and controls, as confirmed by using three different analysis methods for evaluating natural experiments. The intervention was not found to be cost-beneficial. Although the sequential roll-out order of the intervention was randomised, the selection of the intervention areas was not. Self-reported impact may have been subject to social desirability bias due to the project's high profile. There was no measurable impact on health and crime outcomes. Possible explanations include too few volunteers trained, volunteers being unwilling to get involved in licensing decisions, or that the intervention has no direct impact on the selected outcomes. Future similar interventions should use a coproduced community outcomes framework. Other natural experiment evaluations should use methodological triangulation to strengthen inferences about effectiveness. This trial is registered as ISRCTN81942890. This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme (NIHR award ref: 15/129/03) and is published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 12, No. 9. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

An evaluation of the use of character strengths as an asset-based approach to learner support

The global movement towards inclusive education aims to create a safe environment where teachers are expected to actively pursue various methods to implement asset-based support for all learners. The prominence of the learners’ challenges, however, still guides most teachers’ methods of support. Teachers need to review all the resources, strategies, and practices that can be used in the classroom to provide physical, social, emotional, and intellectual support to all learners. Mindful professional development can empower teachers to support learners in all aspects of their education. In this article we report on a study in which Grade 7 teachers’ perceptions of a staff development workshop, which introduced them to an asset-based approach for learner support, namely, the identification and utilisation of character strengths, were explored. The main findings indicate that teachers gained new knowledge and greater insight and awareness about character strengths, which enabled them to rethink and reshape their perceptions of learner support. They came to view the identification of character strengths as a crucial component of effective learner support. The results of the research have implications for all schools to implement an approach to learner support based on character strengths.

Pilot qualitative exploration of the impact of community asset mapping within the undergraduate psychiatry curriculum at an Irish medical school

IntroductionProviding an effective response to global health disparities requires that future doctors are better prepared to embrace a public health ethos. Asset-based approaches see people and communities as coproducers of...

Mapping and Evaluating the Localized Migrant Assistance Services in Ilocos Norte, Philippines: An Asset-Based and Multi-Stakeholder Approach

This qualitative (QL) case study aimed to map and evaluate the localized migrant interventions in Ilocos Norte, a province in northwestern Philippines with a large population of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Using an asset-based approach, this study sought to emphasize the strengths of local government agencies and their problem-solving capacities. Interview and focus group discussion data were collected from 37 participants, specifically from returned OFWs, provincial and local governments’ employees, and volunteers from an OFW family group. Results show that localized migrant interventions include those that were delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic, namely, repatriation and quarantine and testing services. There were social protection services provided pre-pandemic and during the pandemic, including socioeconomic, social, health, and legal assistance, and capacity-building programs. Coordination among government agencies also occurred. Participants evaluated pandemic interventions as inconsistent and lacking, and these interventions were marred by poor communication and coordination. Results also show the centrality of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, which offers many programs but whose service provision received mixed assessment. The other government agencies also had mixed evaluations, marked by limitations in mandate and resources. Lastly, perceptions of the effectiveness of information dissemination by government agencies were varied. Results show that localized interventions are important in providing social protection to distressed OFWs. Policies to promote sustainable reintegration, prepare for future mass repatriation, and improve decentralization are recommended. Findings are useful in promoting awareness of government services and improving the lives of OFWs and their families. Future research can investigate linkages between government levels (e.g., between national and provincial, national and local) and the health status of service providers.

Teacher expertise in early childhood instruction: Cross-analysis of language policy and culturally sustaining pedagogies with multilingual learners

This qualitative study explores intersections between U.S. language policies (federal and state-level) and instructional practice in early childhood settings for multilingual learners (MLs). We draw on the theoretical framework of culturally sustaining pedagogy to engage in a critical content analysis of U.S. federal and state-level policy from three states. In the cross-analysis of policy and pedagogy, we also examine data from ML teachers’ instructional artifacts, open-ended surveys, and semi-structured interviews. The findings provide insight into how educators draw on culturally sustaining and asset-based approaches to teaching MLs. Additionally, findings demonstrate how ML teachers negotiate policies that prioritize English language and academic achievement and those focused on teaching discrete language skills (i.e., phonological awareness and phonics) by continually centering children’s linguistic and cultural repertoires. Participants in this study advocated for linguistic pluralism in their instruction and as leaders in their schools and communities. The study further illustrates how policies mandate specific aspects of instruction and leave linguistically inclusive pedagogies to individual educators. This tension can be beneficial for educators’ freedom in interpreting and navigating the policy in their classroom but can also create disparities for young learners and their literacy opportunities. The significance implies a need for revisiting early childhood ML teachers’ role in creating policy that fosters linguistic and cultural inclusion in language and literacy teaching.

Critically quantitative: measuring community cultural wealth on surveys

ABSTRACT This study explores the quantitative measurement of Community Cultural Wealth (CCW), an asset-based approach to understanding the experiences of students from systemically marginalized racial/ethnic groups. Grounded in critical race theory, CCW focuses on forms of capital utilized by marginalized populations that are often unrecognized/undervalued by traditional social science research. Most previous studies on CCW have relied on qualitative methods; we argue that quantitative critical race theory, or ‘QuantCrit’, can complement those studies by statistically specifying assets possessed by students from marginalized populations as a step toward reimagining institutions that elevate their importance. This paper aims to develop a CCW scale to quantitatively explore the concept, while acknowledging the overlaps among and the dynamic nature of the forms of capital emphasized in conceptualization. Findings from exploratory factor analysis are largely consistent with the original CCW framework but suggest some important ways in which the framework can be further developed.

Integrated care systems in England: the significance of collaborative community assets in promoting and sustaining health and wellbeing.

Until recently the healthcare system in England was based on a commissioning/provider model. However, this has been replaced with an Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) approach, aimed at improving health and wellbeing and reducing inequalities through local collaborative partnerships with public sector organizations, community groups, social enterprise organizations and other local agencies. Part of this new approach is an emphasis on the role of community assets (i.e., local resources), that are considered integral to promoting positive health and wellbeing outcomes. This paper presents research from a series of three research studies on "community assets" conducted in the East of England within a newly established ICS. Based on analysis of qualitative data highlighting the lived experience of community asset members, this paper shows the positive wellbeing impact on vulnerable community members that assets provide. Further insight on the local impact and the collaborative nature of the research is provided suggesting that new asset-based approaches recognize the social determinants of health. This presents a shift away from positivistic linear approaches to population health and wellbeing to a new non-linear collaborative approach to addressing health inequalities and promoting wellbeing. The authors suggest that exploring this through a complexity theory lens could illuminate this further. Finally, the authors warn that while community assets have an important role to play in empowering citizens and providing much needed support to vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, they are not a substitute for functioning funded public sector services that are currently being undermined by ongoing local governments funding cuts. As such, while community assets can help ameliorate some of the negative effects people experience due to economic, structural and health disadvantages, only a more fair and more equal distribution of resources can address growing health inequalities.

The Co-Production, Pilot and Qualitative Evaluation of a Cancer Prevention Programme With High-Risk Women Delivered on Group Walks by Cancer Champions: Shoulder to Shoulder, Walk and Talk.

Women in the criminal justice system and women who have been subject to domestic abuse are at high risk of cancer but underrepresented in health promotion research. We aimed to co-produce, pilotand evaluate a health promoting programme delivered on group walks. A programme co-produced by women, based on motivational interviewing, created the opportunity for supportive conversations about cancer prevention. Programme development in two workshops with women with lived experience using authentic vignettes to prompt help-seeking conversations. A small pilot and a qualitative evaluation was done using framework analysis. The programme appeared acceptable to women and the walk leaders. Women felt included and found it a safe space for sensitive conversations. They appeared empowered and more confident to seek help. Walk leaders expressed confidence in delivering this informal programme, which used prompts rather than delivering didactic training. Cancer prevention for high-risk groups can be delivered in a personalised and novel way by creating informal opportunities for supportive conversations about cancer prevention. Careful co-production of the programme of walks with women, using scenarios and quotes that were authentic vignettes, ensured that these came directly from the women's lived experience and enabled women to talk about change. Our findings indicate that this approach was practical, relevant and acceptable to them with some evidence of women feeling empowered to make informed decisions about their health. We recommend that future cancer prevention programmes for underrepresented groups take an asset-based approach by utilising pre-existing community organisations to increase reach and sustainability. Women with lived experience co-designed and tested the programme. Provisional findings were fed back to the women and the women's organisation that partnered with this research.

Beyond Asset-Based Frameworks: Middle School Teachers Perpetuating Raciolinguistic Paradigms

This phenomenological study explored how middle school teachers experience teaching racially/ethnically minoritized newcomer adolescent students in Arizona. Through a Critical Race Theory framework, this qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to illustrate how even the best intentions and asset-based approaches of six white middle school teachers may still perpetuate existing systems of oppression. Though most teachers emphasized student strengths, they also unintentionally promoted harmful ideology and reported feeling limited in how they could support students given federal, state, and local policies that segregate students through identification, placement, and accountability policies. Arizona, as the only state with restrictive language policies requiring English-only instruction, presented a unique context in how racially/ethnically minoritized newcomer immigrant students were educated and ultimately (mis)treated. Implications and recommendations for school psychologists to combat systemic inequities and further support teachers will be discussed. Impact Statement This qualitative study used a Critical Race Theory framework to examine how middle school teachers can inadvertently disserve racially/ethnically minoritized newcomer immigrant adolescents in Arizona. Despite asset-based perspectives, teachers may perpetuate raciolinguistic injustices as a result of hegemonic policy positioning English and whiteness as norms.

Pemberdayaan Kelompok Wanita Tani Masyarakat Kalikebo melalui pengoptimalan fungsi pekarangan

Many efforts need to be made to improve the community's economy, one of which is maximizing land use. However, in reality, the use of home gardens in the community is not optimal, and productivity still needs to improve, so empowerment is needed. Community service and empowerment activities aim to improve the economy of women farming groups in Kalikebo Hamlet, Rejosari Village, Bandongan District, Magelang Regency, with the hope that the welfare of the residents will gradually increase. The methodology in this service activity uses an Asset-Based Community Development approach, the activity stages of which include the approach stage, vegetable cultivation counseling stage, mentoring stage, and results. Activities include counseling on yard use, providing vegetable seeds and polybags, and other activities. The results of community service activities were responded to very well, and the women farmer group was very interested in the program to use yards for growing vegetables. The final result of this activity is planting vegetables in the participants' yards, which grow well and can reduce family expenses.

Increasing PhD student self-awareness and self-confidence through strengths-based professional development

Strengths-based programs have emerged as asset-based approaches to professional development that promote positive student engagement and success. This paper shares the outcomes of a strengths-based professional development program provided to biomedical and health sciences graduate doctoral students within an academic health center. Program outcomes and changes in participants’ perceived confidence when identifying and applying their strengths in different contexts were evaluated through a mixed methods design that included a Likert-based survey and thematic analysis of qualitative responses. Findings strongly suggest that most participants lacked the self-confidence and/or self-awareness to recognize their own strengths prior to the program. Themes that emerged upon implementation of the program point to the following outcomes: participants gained an increased understanding of their strengths, confidence that the knowledge gained about their strengths would help them learn more effectively in laboratory settings, an increased belief that they possess natural talents and skills that make them good scientists and strong members of their research team, and confidence that applying their strengths will help them to overcome both personal and professional challenges. This program shows promise to strengthen graduate student self-awareness and self-confidence. Further studies are needed to understand and measure how asset-based programs such as this can impact graduate student resilience, science identity, and overall student success.

Addressing health inequalities in times of austerity: implementation of a place-based approach in multitiered local government.

This article focuses on how local authorities in England are tackling wider determinants of health and inequalities in their population's outcomes while budgets for public services are diminishing. It reports the experience from one case study engaged in rolling out a devolved, place- and asset-based strategy over multiple tiers of local government. Relating these findings to relevant social theory, we draw out aspects of context and mechanisms of change. We offer plausible hypotheses for the experiences observed, which supports transferability and implementation of place-based strategies in other local authority areas struggling with similar challenges. Findings highlight the importance of high-level and political buy-in, as well as the role of the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential catalyst to rollout. Creating the foundations for a new, place-based working was important for achieving coherence among partners around what local government was trying to achieve. These included investment in infrastructure, both relational and tangible inputs such as organisational and human resources, to establish the conditions for systemic change towards early intervention and prevention. This study identified clear foundations for place-based action, plus enablers and barriers to significant transformation of practice towards asset-based approaches between local authorities, partners and the public.

A Turn to Assets in Community-Based Computing Research: Tradeoffs, Deficits, and Neoliberalism in Technological Development

CSCW and HCI scholars are increasingly adopting asset-based approaches to community-based social computing research. Emerging from asset-based community development (ABCD), an approach to community and economic development research and practice that emerged in the 1990s, advocates for asset-based approaches argue that a "needs-based approach" to development is overly focused on community deficits, and in doing so portrays communities in a largely negative light. Using ABCD methods, social computing scholars work to aid communities in identifying, classifying, and deploying their unrealized assets through sociotechnical systems. But researchers deploying asset-based approaches in CSCW and HCI more broadly have yet to grapple with the origins of ABCD in neoliberal economic shifts of the 1980s and 1990s that perpetuated distrust in the state and sought to transfer development power to private, local actors. Drawing on a case study of controversy around the construction of a cell tower in a very remote and rural community in the Midwestern United States to examine the inherent tradoffs present in asset- and deficit-based research.

An Academic-Community Partnership to Address Gun Violence in the Roseland Neighborhood of Chicago.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for youth. This study examined an academic-community partnership to address gun violence through a strength-based approach called Asset-Based Community Development. We used a case study design. Participants were Black youth who encounter frequent gun violence (average age = 16.7 years; 72% male). Our partnership involved survey development/completion and semistructured discussions. We also interviewed community stakeholders to collect data on local assets. We interpreted data through a communitywide forum to guide social action to address gun violence. The majority of youth (76%) witnessed neighborhood violence in the last year. The top youth concerns related to gun violence included poverty, guns, and gangs. Community stakeholders saw local people and local organizations as primary community assets. A community forum to interpret these data led to social action in the form of an environmental strategy-cleaning up an unused commercial building for the development of a youth tech center. The majority of youth participants (89.5%) agreed or strongly agreed that they had a voice in the research process. Participatory research that takes an asset-based approach can enable relevant inquiry that engages youth and guides social action to address gun violence.

Asset Based Community Development: Co-Designing an Asset-Based Evaluation Study for Community Research

This paper responds to challenges around how to generate robust evidence in keeping with the principles of an asset-based approach based on mobilization of community strengths. The design of a collaborative evaluation of a multi-site Asset Based Community Development program is described and emergent learning discussed. A qualitative mixed method design was used to capture changes at community and program level drawing on diverse sources of evidence. Shared principles on the conduct of the evaluation were developed with program leads and community practitioners and opportunities for shared learning were built in. The paper distils learning on evaluation into six design features including the asset-based model as a framework, understandings of evidence and outcomes, ethical conduct, and the centrality of a collaborative and developmental approach. The paper concludes that these features form a coherent approach to asset-based evaluation which can link the theory and practice of Asset Based Community Development.

Optimalisasi Ekonomi Kreatif Warisan Sunan Sendang: Pemberdayaan Pengrajin Batik Berbasis Transformasi Tepat Guna

Batik Sendang Lamongan is one of the potentials of Sendangagung village inherited from the legacy of Sunan Sendang that needs to be developed and preserved. The majority of its batik artisans are aged 50 and above. Meanwhile, the population in Sendangagung village is predominantly represented by millennials, totaling 1,281 individuals or 18.74 percent of the population. This means that Sendangagung is predominantly inhabited by the younger generation. The lack of involvement of the younger generation in batik making becomes a problem if not handled properly. On the other hand, Sendangagung village has many entrepreneurs and batik craftsmen. Considering the vast potential of the batik village, which is not matched by high interest or motivation from the younger generation, it deserves better attention from the village government and researchers to be continuously developed and preserved. This activity aims to optimize the creative economic potential of the younger generation. This dedication utilizes the Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) method, an asset-based approach owned by the Sendangagung village community. The results of this activity show that not only are the youth of the village enthusiastic about participating in the mentoring from start to finish, but also their batik skills are extraordinary. This is evidenced by the remarkable batik works they produced during the mentoring process. Furthermore, post-mentoring, the younger generation of the village feels a great responsibility to continue participating in preserving the village's culture.

Envisaged Learning Environments for Learners with Visual Impairments in Lesotho Rural Schools Using Asset-Based Approaches

Previous literature has highlighted the persistent global challenge of providing quality education in conducive settings for learners with visual impairments (LVIs), particularly in rural schools. This study aims to explore viable resources that can be leveraged to create an enabling learning environment for LVIs within rural primary school contexts. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study engaged 12 teachers from rural mainstream primary schools in Lesotho. Data were gathered through focus group discussions with a purposively selected sample of teachers and analyzed thematically. The findings underscored the perception among participants that rural schools possess a range of assets, both visible and concealed, that effectively cater to the special educational needs of LVIs. However, a notable limitation surfaced regarding the teachers' knowledge about utilizing these existing resources optimally. Consequently, this highlighted a crucial need for enhanced collaboration, involvement of relevant stakeholders, and augmentation of academic resources. The effective utilization of these assets emerges as a pivotal factor requiring improved management to cultivate a more conducive learning environment for LVIs in the future.