Community Development Professionals Research Articles

Collective moods in Western Isles structures of being

AbstractThis paper develops a relational framework to interpret ethnographic data on the way residents of a community‐owned estate in the Western Isles of Scotland evaluated and contributed to collective quality of life. The analysis compares conversations with community development professionals and crofters to identify social and cultural structures influencing their contrasting interpretations of locally valued qualities of social attachment, belonging, and community. The framework integrates perspectives from phenomenological anthropology with Heidegger's theory of Being‐in‐the‐world to describe how structures of care, temporality, mood, and discourse influenced the dynamics of sociocultural diversity, interpretations of social relationships, and collective efforts to compose favorable conditions for co‐existence in a small population.

Factors Influencing Community Development Professionals Performance at Workplace in Northern Tanzania

This paper focuses on factors influencing CD professionals’ performance in Tanzania with reference to selected local government councils. The role of community development (CD) professionals is basically to assist and facilitate the formulation and implementation of strategic policy interventions by the government to address challenges of service and goods deli23very to communities. However, their roles are not well known among the authorities, which causes their work performance and the factors affecting them to not be clearly known. A sample of 80 respondents, which included community development officers (CDOs) and district community development officers (DCDOs), was used. A key informant interview was used to elicit information from government administrators. CDOs and DCDOs were drawn from seven (7) selected district councils, namely Meru, Arusha, Arusha City, Monduli, Hai, Moshi DC, and Moshi MC. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and documentary review, then analyzed using a Likert scale, where statement(s) like most favorable, favorable, neutral, unfavorable, and most unfavorable were used to show the favoritism of the factor(s) influencing CD professionals work performance. With the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS), descriptive statistics were produced and presented in tabular form. It was found that budget allocation, motivation package, leadership style, work climate, respect for professionalism, and experts positively or significantly influence CD professionals’ work performance. This paper recommends that improving factors such as budgetary allocation, favorable work climate, leadership style, motivation package, job autonomy, employee/employer relationships, strategic plans, and career development at work will enhance CD workers’ performance and hence improve community well-being.

Disempowerment versus empowerment: Analyzing power dynamics in professional community development

ABSTRACT Using a dimensions of power framework that integrates the theoretical work of Gaventa, Giddens, and Young, this paper unpacks the meanings of self-efficacy, solidarity, and agency in relation to different forms of power. These definitions: (1) reaffirm radical understandings of empowerment as an internal process for both individuals and groups, as well as a function of enabling institutional and societal structures, and (2) enable critical examination of the role of community development professionals in the pursuit of empowerment at these various levels of analysis. We begin with a critique of imposed, deficit-oriented approaches to community development and examine how mainstream practices have shifted intentions toward asset-oriented, participatory work within communities served, but even in the best circumstances fail to address underlying systemic barriers to empowerment and community well-being. Based on this analysis, we consider how these findings call for transformation of the role of professional community developers.

“Bouncing Forward” from Disasters on Hawaiʻi’s Big Island: Lessons for Equitable Recovery and Future Resilience

Recovery planning and implementation on the island of Hawaiʻi following a federally declared disaster provides an example of equitable, forward-looking disaster preparation and resilience. Community development professionals in other geographies can learn from the way planners and nonprofits used a regional equity approach to improving household and community resilience, broke down silos to have flexible funding from multiple sources ready for future disasters, and worked to build community through “resilience hubs” that provide disaster-related and ongoing services that help promote economic participation. These efforts also provide lessons for potential future Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) activity that helps prepare communities for disasters.

“Pick your team wisely”: A case study of a long-standing research-practice partnership

Research-practice partnerships (RPP) provide opportunities to connect researchers, practitioners, and/or community development professionals in meaningful ways, thereby improving the quality of research, evaluation, and practice in communities. Yet, there is still much to learn about how successful partnerships between researchers and practitioners develop. Historically, research on this topic has emphasized challenges that prevent RPP from developing to their highest potential, with limited information available on ways to promote RPP and how to ensure RPP are mutually beneficial for participants. However, research on partnerships more generally, such as multisector partnerships, can contribute meaningfully to the RPP field. We present an in-depth case study on a successful, long-term partnership. In this study, we pull from the broader partnership literature to explore contexts that are likely to promote partnerships, as well as the activities that can strengthen RPP. Findings focus on addressing ways to promote RPP and highlight the importance of preexisting factors, such as a culture that values both researcher and practitioner expertise, history, and chemistry between partners. Additionally, non-professional space and time, productive disagreements, clear but evolving roles, and shared power were found to strengthen collaboration within the partnership. Specific advice for anyone considering joining an RPP is also discussed.

Insights into Rural Stress: Using the Community Capitals Framework to Help Inform Rural Policies and Interventions

Communities in rural America have experienced significant decline over the past century. Professionals working within these communities, such as extension or community development professionals, may leverage their position as trusted sources to decrease negative outcomes associated with novel and emerging societal problems, such as rural stress. This study was grounded in the community capitals framework and sought to examine the importance of capitals relative to the perception of rural stress. A sample of extension agents from a southeastern land-grant university in the United States provided rating and ranking data. A modified Borda Count and weighted ranking score were computed to generate a heuristic ranking of capitals relative to importance to rural stress. Human and natural capital were consistently regarded as highly important, while cultural and built–financial capital were consistently sorted to the bottom. Therefore, human and natural capital may represent critical entry points for professionals to develop programming related to rural stress perceptions and coping mechanisms. Overall, the results of this study support the continued use of the community capitals framework to guide community development strategies that address rural stress concerns and provides evidence to inform rural development policies and interventions. Such strategies should involve community members to facilitate an inside-out approach and develop sustainable solutions based on local knowledge and needs.

Bolstering community well-being through wildlife conservation: Broadened approaches engaging wildlife well-being and indigenous wisdom

ABSTRACT This perspective article highlights the global well-being movement within and beyond community development, which can be informed to examine the interconnections between wildlife well-being and human well-being. COVID-19ʹs global impact has brought into sharp focus the magnitude of the social, economic, and environmental crises facing leaders, communities, nations, wildlife, and the planet. Post-COVID-19, community development research, policy, and practice require comprehensive approaches addressing social unrest, climate, and biodiversity in tandem. This article showcases how community development professionals can leverage wildlife conservation to bolster and mutually reinforce community well-being, drawing on the natural and cultural capital literature, which can inform empirical research, theory, and practice. This article guides community development professionals to link wildlife capital/well-being to human well-being, embrace Indigenous wisdom around conservation, and build upon momentum in scientific inquiry around well-being measures. This perspective article concludes showcasing how community well-being pursuits can integrate wildlife and local wisdom in community development.

On the ground, but not in the field? The (mis)use and portrayal of ethnography in community development literature

ABSTRACT Ethnography is valuable, but the expressions of ethnography in the community development literature are inadequate. This methodological insufficiency showcases a failure by community development professionals to fully understand the communities they serve and jeopardizes the reputation of the community development field. We call for the development of a standard for the community development field that substantiates ethnographic methodology and production in research and practice. Ethnography requires empirical fieldwork consisting of multiple, well-integrated methods. Moreover, ethnographers should strive for polyvocal field-based study with community members who are both the subjects and co-producers of the resultant written ethnography. We reach and support our findings with an exhaustive review of 112 articles in leading community development journals that claim to utilize ethnographic study. Additionally, we provide a history of ethnography in community development, articulate ethnography in process and application, and suggest how to improve the reporting and practice of ethnography.

Factors Related to Profitability of Agritourism in the United States: Results from a National Survey of Operators

Agritourism is a growing area of the tourism sector with many positive social and economic benefits for farmers, their communities, and for tourists. While researchers have been studying the phenomenon for several decades, factors that lead to profitable outcomes for agritourism operators are still not well understood, hindering the effectiveness of agritourism development and the systems of support available to farmers. Using a survey of 1834 farms and ranches open to visitors in the United States, the goal of this study is to identify the factors that influence the profitability of agritourism operations. This study shows that several factors have positive associations with increased agritourism profitability, such as the number of years of experience of the operator, farm scale (acreage and total farm revenue), providing on-farm product sales, and offering events and entertainment. Off-farm product sales and being a female operator have a negative association with profitability in agritourism. We discuss the implications of our findings on agritourism operators, suggest their utility for tourism planning and rural community development professionals, and offer suggestions for future research.

Hindsight 2020: Reflections of community visions from the past

ABSTRACT This study retrospectively analyzes a dozen “Vision 2020” community plans, with critical analysis of their vision statements and subsequent implementation. Evaluation and appraisal review of plan implementation is a valuable component of the community development process, as reflection fosters improvement. This study uses document data and personal interviews with local community professionals across the United States to discover outcomes and assess what planners identify as the barriers and gateways to success when implementing community visions. A varied sample was extracted from long-range plans leading up to year 2020 which exemplified a focus on community visioning. Findings discuss what worked, what did not work, and lessons learned. Subsequent discourse is intended to aid community development professionals with future community visioning processes and implementation.

The development and validation of an empirical scale to inform community diagnostics and change

ABSTRACT Purpose The purpose of this research was to develop and validate a robust scale, based on the community capital framework, to provide an empirical measure of community perceptions. Design/methodology/approach The proposed measure was completed by a sample of Georgia citizens (n = 3374) representing a diverse cross-section of community characteristics. Findings Data indicate that the six proposed scales (natural, social, human, cultural, built-financial, and political) subsumed within the instrument measure unique underlying latent variables with evidence of internal validity through multiple analytic techniques. Practical implications This study represents an initial examination of a quantitative instrument – the Community Diagnostics + Social Impact (CD + SI) ToolkitTM – that can be used by researchers, educators, and community development professionals to measure the stocks of the various capitals within a community. Theoretical implications The theoretical implications of this study are that the CD + SI ToolkitTM holds promise as a valid and reliable instrument for establishing holistic community profiles, identifying targeted areas for in-depth research inquiry or programmatic design, guiding policy design and implementation, and ultimately evaluating the impacts of community development programs and policies. The CD + SI ToolkitTM addresses an omission in the literature and in broader community development. Originality/value While various frameworks such as the CCF exist to provide a more general blueprint for program development and assessment, the CD + SI ToolkitTM represents an effort to specifically quantify the community capitals and establish a replicative process for measuring community capitals. The results of this initial validation effort demonstrate the potential for such a tool.

Growing Together: Community Coalescence and the Social Dimensions of Urban Sustainability

Urban sustainability is most often measured using a series of social, economic, and ecological indicators. Assessment methods for urban sustainability typically factor in the ecological dimensions of greenspace, such as biodiversity maintenance, stormwater management, and/or air quality—yet indicator schemas that consider only the ecological dimensions largely overlook the social benefits of some types of urban greenspace, particularly community gardens and orchards. This article makes the case that the process of community formation and strengthening that occurs in shared growing spaces is an important element of urban sustainability in its own right. Based on 55 interviews of community garden advocates, policy-makers, and development professionals involved in urban agriculture planning, this article traces the widespread understanding among practitioners that shared growing spaces strengthen social as well as environmental sustainability, though the social benefits are often difficult to measure. The latter concern was most frequently expressed by urban agriculture advocates who, after involvement in the political process, perceived the need for such metrics in order to communicate persuasively with planners and policy makers. The social values of shared growing spaces, at once self-evident to garden advocates and difficult for them to demonstrate with quantitative data, may be theorized by drawing on insights from sociology: A truly sustainable city requires community coalescence among diverse citizens, and such community is fostered particularly well in shared growing spaces.

The Potentially Damaging Effects of Developmental Aid and Voluntourism on Cultural Capital and Well-Being

In this perspective article, we argue that too often, foreign and developmental aid devolves into a form of imperialism and colonialism that we more fully define in the article. We believe that aided communities and community members are often expected (or required) to change their own cultural ways of living to continue receiving the aid or support they have been offered and may need. Ironically, the need for this aid is often driven by the way the aid is provided, creating potential cycles of imperialism and dependency, which can negatively impact individual and community well-being. Fortunately, better practices and ethical guidelines are available to direct the ways that both providers and receivers – communities and individuals – of aid are fully engaged in the process to ensure that all people benefit while being able to continue to live according to their own cultural worldviews. This perspective article provides our ideas about better practices and ethical guidelines for how community development professionals, psychologists, and other behavioral scientists who engage in international aid (in any of its forms) do so in ethical and appropriate ways.

Power of partnerships

Purpose Many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are struggling to reduce maternal mortality rates, despite increased efforts by the United Nations through the implementation of their Millennium Development Goals program. Industrialized nations, such as Canada, have a collaborative role to play in raising the global maternal health standards. The purpose of this paper is to propose policy approaches for Canadians and other Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) nations who wish to assist in reducing maternal mortality rates. Design/methodology/approach Ten Canadian health experts with experience in global maternal health were interviewed. Using qualitative analytical methods, the authors coded and themed their responses and paired them with peer-reviewed literature in this area to establish a model for improving global maternal health and survival rates. Findings Findings from this study indicated that maternal health may be improved by establishing a collaborative approach between interdisciplinary teams of health professionals (e.g. midwives, family physicians, OB/GYNs and nurses), literacy teachers, agriculturalists and community development professionals (e.g. humanitarians with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds). From this, a conceptual approach was devised for elevating the standard of maternal health. This approach includes specifications by which maternal health may be improved, such as gender justice, women’s literacy, freedom from violence against women, food and water security and healthcare accessibility. This model is based on community health center (CHC) models that integrate upstream changes with downstream services may be utilized by Canada and other OECD nations in efforts to enhance maternal health at home and abroad. Research limitations/implications Maternal mortality may be reduced by the adoption of a CHC model, an approach well suited for all nations regardless of economic status. Establishing such a model in LMICs would ideally establish long-term relationships between countries, such as Canada and the LMICs, where teams from supporting nations would collaborate with local Ministries of Health, non-government organizations as well as traditional birth attendants and healthcare professionals to reduce maternal mortality. Practical implications All OECD Nations ought to donate 0.7 percent of their GDP toward international community development. These funds should break the tradition of “tied aid”, thereby removing profit motives, and genuinely contribute to the wellbeing of people in LMICs, particularly women, children and others who are vulnerable. The power of partnerships between people whose aims are genuinely focused on caring is truly transformative. Social implications Canada is not a driver of global maternal mortality reduction work but has a responsibility to work in partnership with countries or regions in a humble and supportive role. Applying a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to reducing maternal mortality in the Global South includes adopting a CHC model: a community development approach to address social determinants of health and integrating various systems of evidence-informed healthcare with a commitment to social justice. Interdisciplinary teams would include literacy professionals, researchers, midwives, nurses, family physicians, OB/GYNs and community development professionals who specialize in anti-poverty work, mediation/dialogue and education campaigns that emphasize the value of all people regardless of their gender, ethnicity, religion and income. Diasporic Canadians are invaluable members of these teams due to their linguistic and cultural knowledge as well as their enthusiasm for working with their countries of origin. Establishment of long-term partnerships of 5–10 years between a Canadian team and a region or nation in the Global South that is dedicated to reducing maternal mortality and improving women’s health are valuable. Canada’s midwifery education programs are rated as world leaders so connecting midwives from Canada with those of the Global South will facilitate essential transfer of knowledge such as using birth plans and other evidence-based practices. Skilled attendants at the birth place will save women’s lives; in most cases, trained midwives are the most appropriate attendants. Video link to a primer about this paper by Dr Farah Shroff: https://maa.med.ubc.ca/videos-and-media/. Originality/value There are virtually no retrievable articles that document why OECD nations ought to work with nations in the LMICs to improve maternal health. This paper outlines the reasons why it is important and explains how to do it well.

A Righteous Undocumented Economy

The academic literature commonly exposes large components of informal economies housed in developed countries as nefarious systems designed to help people evade taxes or carry on other illegal activities. However, our community-based participatory action study uncovered a significant element of a social and economic system that was largely undocumented, but was viewed as far more righteous than dishonorable and immoral. Our research involved approximately 375 participants from seven communities spread across a large and sparsely populated geographic region in the northern part of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The purpose for the research was to explore how entrepreneurship contributes to the good life, well-being, and prosperity by building social and economic capacity across a rural business ecosystem. We found that an important, yet undocumented part of the business ecosystem was grounded in history, culture, and tradition. When considered through a legitimacy theory lens, this perspective challenges the implication drawn from some of the academic literature that those who participate in informal business systems in developed countries usually do so for immoral reasons that might warrant a legal penalty. Further, we propose that researchers, policy makers, and community development professionals use the term undocumented economy rather than expressions like informal, hidden and underground economy to distinguish components of economic systems based on righteous motivations and activities from those founded on iniquitous practices and non-existent or unofficial record keeping. We begin this article with a definition for the undocumented economy in which we describe why we consider it to be righteous.

Boston Community Capital and the Solar Energy Advantage: Let There Be Light

Dick Jones had just received a voice mail from Jigar Shah at SunEdison, a solar energy services firm, informing him that his venture-financed firm would not be able to partner on the solar project they had been discussing the last few months—a plan to bring the benefits of clean, renewable energy to low-income families in Boston. A third-party solar power purchase agreement would have allowed low-income housing developments to lock in their electricity rates far into the future, making budgeting and cash management much easier. Now Jones wondered how to go forward. Excerpt UVA-ENT-0175 Rev. Jan. 16, 2013 Boston Community Capital and the Solar Energy Advantage: Let there be light DeWitt (Dick) Jones, president of Managed Assets at Boston Community Capital (BCC), sighed heavily as he struggled to find adequate cell phone service outside his rented Cape Cod cottage. He had just received a voice mail from Jigar Shah at SunEdison, a solar energy services firm, informing Jones that his venture-financed firm would not be able to partner on the solar project they had been discussing the last few months—a plan to bring the benefits of clean, renewable energy to low-income families in Boston. A third-party solar power purchase agreement (PPA) would have allowed low-income housing developments to lock in their electricity rates far into the future, making budgeting and cash management much easier. Jones wondered how BCC would go forward. Installing solar panels required a certain level of expertise—particularly when one considered the retrofitting measures that might be necessary on older housing units. Any installation would also have to account for Boston's particular climate: Winter meant several months of limited sunlight in addition to harsh nor'easters that could damage equipment. Though hard to imagine in the late August sunshine, heavy snowfall would block sunlight from reaching the panels and would require timely and potentially labor-intensive removal. Furthermore, BCC would have to raise tax equity that would have been covered by SunEdison's investors. BCC's expertise, networks, and reputation were well developed among Boston's financial and political community, but the firm had precious little experience with solar energy projects and few contacts in the tax equity world, at least until that point. Simply put, BCC was not a solar installation and construction firm. They were affordable housing and community development professionals. . . .

Evaluating social impact bonds: questions, challenges, innovations, and possibilities in measuring outcomes in impact investing

Against a backdrop of economic turbulence and fiscal austerity, governments in the advanced economies are increasingly testing social impact bonds (SIBs) as a way of supplementing the public financing of social programs. SIBs are part of the emerging impact investing industry, where investors aim to achieve social or environmental objectives, as well as financial returns. As more SIBs move into execution, there is a need for independent evaluations of their outcomes and impacts that promote both accountability and learning, interrogate theories of change, and engage beneficiary stakeholders. Community development professionals should learn more about SIBs, explicate the relationships among individual, household, and community results, and support communities in holding SIB investors and sponsors to account for their declared intentions and outcome targets.

What makes a successful rural regeneration partnership? The views of successful partners and the importance of ethos for the community development professional

This case study of a rural regeneration project, known as the Mearns Area Project in the North of Scotland, explores how partners of the project define success. Drawing on interviews with the partners, I discuss how they define success and explore their perception of the underpinning causes of a successful project. I conclude that whilst outcomes as expected by funders and government authorities are important, ethos is an important contributing factor to the success of the project. Ethos, it is proposed, can be facilitated by community development professionals and should be an important part of their role in supporting similar rural regeneration partnerships.

Intelligent participation: engaging citizens through a framework of multiple intelligences

Community development professionals tend to treat the public as monolithic and homogeneous, without respect for variation in types of intelligence among the citizenry. This research explored how the psychological concept of multiple intelligences can be used to enhance public participation in a public planning process. The research involved the development of a model of public participation grounded in the theory of multiple intelligence and a case study of the application of that model in a town outside of Boston. The findings support the premise that a multiple intelligence framework can bring in and elicit input from a broad and intellectually diverse subset of the population.

Evaluating an asset-based effort to attract and retain young people

The loss of young people is a common issue facing many small towns and rural areas across the United States. Numerous community development strategies have been implemented to attract and retain these young people to help sustain local communities and economies. This paper discusses one such strategy and explores the evaluation methodology used to measure its effectiveness. An asset-based community development initiative aimed at attracting and retaining young people was introduced in northern Wisconsin and the western edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula in 2008. A survey of the community's young people led to the creation of an asset map for the range. Community residents worked to strengthen, promote, and connect its young people to these mapped assets. A 10-year evaluation plan was created to measure the effectiveness of this community-based initiative. A variety of qualitative and quantitative measurement tools were used to evaluate the resulting short-term changes in learning and mid-term changes in action. The evaluation process identified both programming strengths and weaknesses that could be valuable for other community development professionals working to attract and retain young people in their own rural small towns or communities.