Community Engagement In Project Research Articles

Community engagement in development projects: government versus private funded projects in Ghana

Purpose The abandonment of governmental development projects either after completion or midway completion at the taxpayer’s expense in Ghana could be attributed to lack of effective community engagement (CE). Thus, this study aims to assess CE in development projects by comparing government-sponsored projects to private-sponsored projects. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted where a multiple case study design was used as a research strategy. Data was collected from selected districts in the Central Region of Ghana by using a semi-structured interview guide and analyzed using the thematic and comparative analysis techniques. Findings The results reveal that CE in government-funded projects was low, while CE in projects funded by private organizations was high. Three levels of engagement (consultation, participation in decision-making and consent) were also identified. Furthermore, the roles of public participation, including knowledge sharing, collective sense of ownership, among others, were ascertained. Finally, resources constraints, competing interests, lack of information flow, public attitudes toward change and central government/political interference are challenges of CE in development projects. Originality/value This study has provided an empirical basis for government and other development agents to draft a policy on CE to serve as a guide, spell out the role of CE, mitigate the challenges of CE and ensure strict compliance to the three levels of engagement.

English

This study was conducted to evaluate perceptions of communities surrounding the Swagaswaga Game Reserve regarding the impact of the proposed Hoima-Tanga crude oil pipeline on biodiversity loss. The pipeline will transect the game reserve and some of the neighbouring villages. The study involved 156 randomly selected respondents from four purposefully selected villages located at 0 to 10 km and 11 to 20 km from the game reserve. The respondents comprised 55 females and 101 males, aged between 20 and 70 years. Semi-structured questionnaire was used. Only 57% of the respondents were aware of the proposed project, and the majority of these respondents reside in villages located closer to the game reserve. Their major concern was loss of biodiversity, which was more frequently expressed by those living close to the game reserve (58.3%) than by those living further away (5%).  Respondents also expressed concerns about the lack of clarity regarding land compensation. The latter was expressed significantly more frequently by respondents residing close to the game reserve. This study demonstrates the lack of community awareness about the project. The study concluded that, comprehensive community engagement in project planning coupled with technical capacity building will be a key to guaranteeing community involvement in conservation activities.   Key words: Biodiversity loss, communities’ perceptions, oil pipeline, Swagaswaga Game Reserve. &nbsp

Forest carbon projects in the Ukrainian Carpathians: an assessment of potential community impacts and benefits

Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD+) is a frequently promoted climate change mitigation strategy. As forest carbon projects proceed, we are learning how they affect local sovereignty and resource access, particularly in developing economies. Central and Eastern Europe’s temperate forests offer potential for projects, yet little is known about how the sociopolitical context of these transitional economies may influence project success. In this article, we enhance understanding of potential community impacts and explore opportunities for fair benefit distribution in Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountain region. Through a thematic qualitative and interpretive analysis of interviews and observational data, we: (1) describe what community-level forest uses and tenure rights may be affected by forest carbon projects; and (2) explore the opportunities and obstacles of fair benefit distribution and community engagement in projects in the region. Our data show that local communities in the region are important forest-dependent stakeholders, relying on the forest for fuelwood, non-timber forest products, recreation, and other intangible benefits. This indicates the need for strong social safeguards in developing forest carbon projects. While no mechanisms exist for direct revenue sharing, communities could derive other benefits that improve the local social, economic, and ecological situation. Our results further suggest that lessons from projects in developing economies can be informative to project development in post-socialist, transitioning economies.

Abstract A37: Measuring internal consistency of community engagement principle items and calculation of community engagement scores

Abstract Background: Comprehensive cancer centers have been mandated to engage communities in their work; thus measurement of the level of community engagement in projects is a priority area. Siteman Cancer Center's Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities (PECaD) works with communities to reduce health disparities through outreach, education, and training. PECaD projects seek to align with 11 engagement principles (EP) that have been previously developed in the literature. The PECaD evaluation team developed items that are designed to assess how well PECaD projects adhere to the 11 engagement principles. While the importance of community engagement in research has been previously established, there are few evidence-based approaches for measuring the level of community engagement in research projects. Methods: 58 community members newly engaged in community-academic research partnerships completed a community engagement survey. The community engagement survey contained 96 items on community engagement pertaining to 11 Engagement Principles (EP) and evaluates how well the project aligns with the PECaD engagement principles. The questions had Likert scale response options; 48 questions measuring quality (how well) and 48 questions measuring quantity (how often). Each Engagement Principle is measured by 3-5 quality items and 3-5 corresponding quantity items. The scores developed assess the level of community engagement with higher scores corresponding to higher quality/frequency of engagement. Cronbach's alpha is used to measure the internal consistency of items to measure a single EP. Quality scores are created using 48 quality items and quantity scores are created using the corresponding 48 quantity items. In order to be included in score calculations of the average sum score on each scale (quality/quantity), each respondent had to have at least 3 answered items for EPs that contained 4-5 items and at least 2 answered items for EPs that contained 3 items. Overall average sum scores for each principle were calculated by summing the quantity average and quality average scores for each engagement principal. The lowest possible EP-specific score was 2, while the highest possible score was 10. Results: Every EP item group had a Cronbach's alpha >.85, which indicates strong internal consistency for all question groups across both the quality and quantity scales. Average EP scores ranged from 6.87 to 8.06; distribution of scores was approximately normal. Survey respondents reported adherence to the 11 PECaD engagement principles between sometime and most of the time on the quantity scale and between good and very good on the quality scale. Conclusion: It's necessary to examine internal consistency in order to develop measures that accurately determine how well PECaD projects align with the engagement principles and develop appropriate measures (scores) for assessing community engagement. The strong results of this analysis suggest that question items are internally consistent with each engagement principle. Engagement scores although not extremely high; are quite good and better than expected considering there has been less than 10 months of engagement. Cronbach's alpha calculations are sufficiently precise for n=30, when at least 2 items are analyzed and have a mean intercorrelation of at least 0.70; which is true for all EP item groups. Despite its limitations, this makes this pilot study valuable even with its overall small sample size. Citation Format: Melody S. Goodman, Renee Gennarelli, Bettina F. Drake, Vetta Thompson, Deborah Bowen. Measuring internal consistency of community engagement principle items and calculation of community engagement scores. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Sixth AACR Conference: The Science of Cancer Health Disparities; Dec 6–9, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2014;23(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A37. doi:10.1158/1538-7755.DISP13-A37