Local Capacity Development Research Articles

Rebuilding social science research systems in Myanmar: The past informs the future

AbstractInternational interest in Myanmar increased exponentially from 2010 when the first quasi‐democratic election was held, signalling the beginning of transition from military to democratic rule. Major reforms were needed to facilitate Myanmar's economic and social development. However, decades of social isolation, distrust in government, and stagnation of the education system degraded Myanmar's research capabilities to a point whereby no meaningful data was available to determine areas of critical need or baseline positions to support donor‐assisted development. A decade later, research data on Myanmar has developed greatly but remains largely controlled by foreign entities. An assessment of Myanmar's research environment undertaken in 2019 utilising the Global Development Network's research assessment framework identified key actors in social science research and significant barriers to local research capacity development in the higher education sector. A critical factor to address in order to achieve meaningful change in Myanmar's higher education research systems is the relationship between central government and higher education institutions. This step is essential in progressing Myanmar's higher education autonomy and academic freedoms.

PENGEMBANGAN SUMBER DAYA MANUSIA ORGANISASI LEMBAGA PEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT DALAM PEMBERDAYAAN PETANI MISKIN

This research is motivated by the development of Community Empowerment Institution resources which function as a forum for village communities to plan development and foster village communities. The research method aims to describe the development of local government capacity in empowering farming communities in Bulukumba Regency. In this case, this research uses descriptive type to describe the observed behavior. The research focus is based on the grinddle theory which looks at resources, organizational strengthening, and institutional reform. Data collection includes in-depth interviews, observations and documentation. In his research for about 3 months, the data analysis technique in this study was carried out qualitatively. The results of the study indicate that in carrying out its functions, institutional management is not optimal in developing community empowerment of farmers. Flexible and adaptive institutional development in order to optimize the achievement of national development in a synergistic manner between the central government, regional governments, and institutions. and the factors that hinder Community Empowerment Institutions in carrying out their functions are due to the absence of innovation in management so that there are limited collaboration networks or partnerships with other institutions.

Financial Forces for Women Entrepreneurs in Rural Development

This manuscript has set out the key issues connected to entrepreneurship in the framework of its connection with rustic area growth. The investigation seeks to identify determinants of rural entrepreneurship and the atmosphere encouraging its development. The policy needed to form this good environment has been discussed here. The conclusion is that in order to step up rural development in rustic rural areas, entrepreneurship must be encouraged. The entrepreneurial direction in rustic areas is based on invigorating local entrepreneurial capacity and successful development of innovative companies. This in turn would create jobs and add financially viable value to an area, while retaining scare funds within the community.

Strengthening Pathology Capacity to Deliver Quality Cancer Care in Cities in LMICs.

Diagnostic pathology services for oncology health systems are essential; yet, surveys, observations, and hard data from across low- and middle-income countries have revealed that these services are almost always lacking adequate quality and often missing completely. The City Cancer Challenge Foundation (C/Can), the American Society for Clinical Pathology, and C/Can partner cities undertook intense analysis of their existing pathology services as part of a year-long assessment process including the specific formation of a pathology-focused team. Internal and external expert assessments identified sustainable solutions adapted to the local context and level of resources and created specific local implementation projects. Through local leadership, capacity development, and collaboration, services were improved city-wide in three cities: Cali, Colombia; Asunción, Paraguay; and Yangon, Myanmar. Common problems identified across cities included deficiencies in personnel training, equipment, reagents, processes, quality, and coordination. Specific solutions included quality training, standard process development and regulation, implementation of new services, and public-private collaboration. As the first cities joining the C/Can initiative, Cali, Asunción, and Yangon demonstrate the success of the approach and the value of local expertise in identifying problems and solutions. The additional value of international partners' expertise created opportunities for growth through mentorship and technical support. Importantly, the power of healthcare programs with strong political support is emphasized.

Características y límites de una iniciativa nacional de integridad y anticorrupción para gobiernos locales de Brasil

This article analyzes the characteristics and limits of an integrity and anti-corruption policy of the Brazilian federal government offered to local governments. The Time Brazil Program is an initiative of the Office of Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) created in 2019, based on local policies implemented since its creation in 2003. After content analysis, it can be characterized, at the micro level, as a top-down strategy without enforcement of voluntary adhesion and dependent on the mayor, in which compliance-based internal actions predominate. Adherent, to a large extent, to international recommendations, it proposes incremental advances with emphasis on internal controls for the prevention and detection of administrative corruption, mainly petty corruption. It assumes that the irregularities are caused by lack of knowledge and regulation, and proposes the creation of filters and sanctions to increase control and reduce rent-seeking. On the other hand, there are limits that may affect its implementation and effectiveness, mainly in small cities, such as: lack of measures to act on grand corruption and politics; lack of value-based and ethic-based strategies to stimulate changes in organizational culture; emphasis on local regulation of good practices (soft law), but only internally, without interaction with the legislative power, which is fragile to changes of governments. Also, there is no forecast of indicators of long-term results and impact, beyond the regulatory adherence. The analysis characterizes Time as a complex policy and strongly subject to implementation gaps, as it contains limitations from its design. Its success depends on the construction of a local anti-corruption agenda and on the capacity of the comptroller’s office which in turn depends on the approval of laws by the legislature, in addition to pressure from local society and the horizontal accountability system. The development of local leadership capacity and effective partnerships within intergovernmental coalitions are factors that, if included, could facilitate proper policy implementation. Future research can assess their impacts and effectiveness.

Local Government Capacity Development: A Case Study of a South African District Municipality

Bojanala Platinum District Municipality (BPDM), in the North West Province is endowed with the extractive economy. The District experiences challenges of capacity development of service delivery structures and programmes. It is in this context that this paper explains how local government responses to challenges of capacity development in the District Municipality. In addition, the paper explores ways in which they can be overcome for enhanced service delivery. The purpose of this study is to examine challenges related to the use of capacity development structures and programmes related to service delivery and explores how to overcome them. The study examines the structures and programmes, facilitators and inhibitors of skills development and performance initiatives within the context of local government capacity development. This study develops a theoretical framing incorporating scholarship on human capital and performance improvement in the context of local government. This framing is premised on the scholarly evidence that capacity development is an enabler of service delivery, influenced by skills development and municipal performance improvement. The research is a single case qualitative case study approach and employs an interpretative paradigm. The paper employs senior managers in the municipalities as the unit of analysis. That study reveals that there are difficulties associated with skills retention and organisational relations. In conclusion, political abandonment, poor communication and stakeholder engagements contribute to weakened inter-municipal co-operation and inadequate use of resources. The interface between learning and skills development contributes to the body knowledge.

Assessment of flood risk reduction in DKI Jakarta: Cengkareng Sub-district

Due to geographical condition, Cengkareng is one of a well-known flood-prone area in West Jakarta, Indonesia Annual floods may occur due to the limited bank full capacity of the local drainage system. This flood causes a significant loss of both infrastructures and human life. One of the most significant efforts in reducing this flood risk is the improvement of Cengkareng Drain channel as the main drainage system in the area. Cengkareng Drain conveys the flow of Angke River and Mokervaart River into the Java Sea passing through Tangerang and Jakarta. This paper discusses about the contribution of several alternatives of improvement in reducing the related flood risk. The flood hazard is analysed based on the standard criteria of PUPR. The risk analysis is done in accordance to the BNPB guidebook. Based on this study, it is found that the drainage existing condition may cause a high flood risk level in 5 areas and an average risk level in 1 area. This flood risk could be reduced by applying both structural and non-structural mitigation efforts. It this case, it is found that structural mitigation of dike development combined with non-structural mitigation of local community capacity development is the most effective solution.

Local Capacity Development Framework for Roxas Night Market, Davao City, Philippines

Local Capacity Development Framework for Roxas Night Market, Davao City, Philippines

Bottom-up innovation for health management capacity development: a qualitative case study in a South African health district

BackgroundAs part of health system strengthening in South Africa (2012–2017) a new district health manager, taking a bottom-up approach, developed a suite of innovations to improve the processes of monthly district management team meetings, and the practices of managers and NGO partners attending them. Understanding capacity as a property of the health system rather than only of individuals, the research explored the mechanisms triggered in context to produce outputs, including the initial sensemaking by the district manager, the subsequent sensegiving and sensemaking in the team and how these homegrown innovations interacted with existing social processes and norms within the system.MethodsWe conducted a realist evaluation, adopting the case study design, over a two-year period (2013–2015) in the district of focus. The initial programme theory was developed from 10 senior manager interviews and a literature review. To understand the processes and mechanisms triggered in the local context and identify outputs, we conducted 15 interviews with managers in the management team and seven with non-state actors. These were supplemented by researcher notes based on time spent in the district. Thematic analysis was conducted using the Context-Mechanism-Outcome configuration alongside theoretical constructs.ResultsThe new district manager drew on systems thinking, tacit and experiential knowledge to design bottom-up innovations. Capacity was triggered through micro-practices of sensemaking and sensegiving which included using sticks (positional authority, enforcement of policies, over-coding), intentionally providing justifications for change and setting the scene (a new agenda, distributed leadership). These micro-practices in themselves, and by managers engaging with them, triggered a generative process of buy-in and motivation which influenced managers and partners to participate in new practices within a routine meeting.ConclusionDistrict managers are well placed to design local capacity development innovations and must draw on systems thinking, tacit and experiential knowledge to enable relevant ‘bottom-up’ capacity development in district health systems. By drawing on soft skills and the policy resources (hardware) of the system they can influence motivation and buy-in to improve management practices. From a systems perspective, we argue that capacity development can be conceived of as part of the daily activity of managing within routine spaces.

The Gunung Palung Orangutan Project: Twenty-five years at the intersection of research and conservation in a critical landscape in Indonesia

The Gunung Palung Orangutan Project has conducted research on critically endangered wild Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) since 1994 in Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. A major goal of our broad-ranging research on orangutan behavior and ecology is to understand how the unique rainforest environment of Southeast Asia, characterized by dramatic changes in fruit productivity due to unpredictable mast fruiting, impacts orangutan behavior, physiology, and health. Much of our research has been devoted to the development of non-invasive techniques and an integrated biology approach – using hormonal assays, fecal processing, nutritional analysis, genetics, and behavioral ecology – and has led to an increased understanding of the ecological and evolutionary pressures shaping orangutan adaptations. Our results show that the extended life history and very slow reproductive rate of orangutans are adaptations to their environment. Orangutans in the Gunung Palung landscape, as elsewhere across Borneo and Sumatra, also face a series of conservation challenges, including extensive habitat loss and the illegal pet trade. We highlight how our investigations of orangutan health status, ecosystem requirements, and the assessment of orangutan density using ground and drone nest surveys have been applied to conservation efforts. We describe our project's direct conservation interventions of public education and awareness campaigns, sustainable livelihood development, establishment of village-run customary forests, investigation of the illegal pet trade, and active engagement with Indonesian government organizations. These efforts, in concert with the development of local scientific and conservation capacity, provide a strong foundation for further conservation as orangutans face a challenging future.

Comparative urban capacity analysis for flood-prone areas: method and a case study of Sidoarjo, Indonesia

The main idea of this research was to seek an alternative to the current method employed to measure capacity in Sidoarjo District, Jawa Timur Province, Indonesia. Apart from its proneness to urban flooding, Sidoarjo has been suffering from the impact of hot mudflow accidents since 2006. Theoretically, there are two approaches to analyse capacity, namely institutional and spatial approach. The institutional capacity merely originated from the ability of government institutions to tackle floods; however, in a broader context, another stakeholder such as the local community also initiates the adoption of relevant measures. This research used a spatial approach to explore potential information relevant not only to impacted areas but also for risk zonation and spatial statistical analysis to compare primary data collected through interviews with ancillary data derived from the National Disaster Management Agency of the Republic of Indonesia. It revealed that Sidoarjo was likely to be exposed to floods and that unfortunately, the urban capacity was not equivalent to the hazard potential (r = 0.28, indicating weak correlation). While the government has integrated flood risk information into spatial plan documents, local preparedness in existing institutional capacity remains inadequately measured. Local commitment to regulation was found to be an influencing factor in local capacity development, although its financial support, operational implementation and other technical aspects needed to be improved. To conclude, the spatial approach enables scholars to relate capacity not only from the institutional effort, it also takes a closer look upon its hazard, vulnerability, elements at risk, spatial plan and massive grassroots initiatives to tackle urban flood.

Competing interests, clashing ideas and institutionalizing influence: insights into the political economy of malaria control from seven African countries.

This article explores how malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa is shaped in important ways by political and economic considerations within the contexts of aid-recipient nations and the global health community. Malaria control is often assumed to be a technically driven exercise: the remit of public health experts and epidemiologists who utilize available data to select the most effective package of activities given available resources. Yet research conducted with national and international stakeholders shows how the realities of malaria control decision-making are often more nuanced. Hegemonic ideas and interests of global actors, as well as the national and global institutional arrangements through which malaria control is funded and implemented, can all influence how national actors respond to malaria. Results from qualitative interviews in seven malaria-endemic countries indicate that malaria decision-making is constrained or directed by multiple competing objectives, including a need to balance overarching global goals with local realities, as well as a need for National Malaria Control Programmes to manage and coordinate a range of non-state stakeholders who may divide up regions and tasks within countries. Finally, beyond the influence that political and economic concerns have over programmatic decisions and action, our analysis further finds that malaria control efforts have institutionalized systems, structures and processes that may have implications for local capacity development.

Essential universal health coverage needs local capacity development

Essential universal health coverage needs local capacity development

Is My Community Ready? The Community Readiness Model and its Exemplary Application in Community-Based Health Promotion

The German Prevention Act adopted in 2015 strengthens setting-based prevention approaches. The aim of this work was the presentation of the Community Readiness Model as an instrument for determining needs and improving health-promoting structures in the community setting, using the example of the promotion of physical activity in older adults. The needs assessment in the context of the model implementation was carried out by Community Readiness assessment, in which guided interviews on health promotion topics were conducted with key persons in communities. The community's stage of readiness was determined based on the interview results, and appropriate public health measures were derived from the respective stage. In our example, the model was adapted to the topic of promoting physical activity among older community-dwelling adults. The assessment was carried out in 2015 in 23 communities in Northwestern Germany. Illustrations such as spider web diagrams and geographical distributions are used to present the assessment results. The Community Readiness approach is a model that enables in-depth assessment as well as targeted development of local structures and capacities. Our experience shows that the method can be implemented well in Community Readiness assessment. The main advantages of this approach are its systematic nature and the analysis of local strengths and weaknesses as a prerequisite for community-specific interventions.

Capacity Building in the Congo Basin: Rich Resources Requiring Sustainable Development

The Congo Basin is a unique freshwater ecosystem supporting hundreds of millions of people and a crucial part of regulating Earth’s water cycle. Increasing international attention on its resource potential brings worrying pressures to this understudied region. Equitable collaboration is the key to understanding this complex, interconnected system and enabling its sustainable development.

A System Thinking Approach to Human Resource Development in the Oil Industry

Prerequisite for the development of production linkages in the oil and gas (O&G) industry is the existence of a skilled and experienced workforce. Resource-rich countries, however, are either in short supply or lack of the requisite local capacity. This paper adopts system thinking (ST) methodology to provide a comprehensive approach in identifying, analysing and understanding the interconnections and interrelationship among the variables affecting the challenge of human resource development (HRD) in the oil industry. The concept of feedback embedded in ST allows complex issues to be viewed as an interconnected set of circular relationship rather than the linear cause-and-effect. Consequently, ST tool of causal loop diagram (CLD) aids in visualising the understanding of HRD factors, their relationships in the causal factors and the strategies for sustainable development of domestic skills, know-how and local capacity. Policies for developing human resource in the oil and gas industry are recommended to policymakers and stakeholders.

BUILDING TOGETHER

The objective of the article is to underline the importance of community-based participatory research, which involves institutional researchers and community practitioners, in establishing local and regional research priorities in relation to HIV/AIDS. We describe an 11-month-long reflection process conducted by a research collective in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of northern Quebec. The significant results of the joint reflection and discussion process included: the development of local capacities for research and collective action, involving academics and practitioners; the valorization of participatory research; and the increased accessibility of research-based knowledge for community actors involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In contrast with more traditional research methods, the participatory approach situates the balance of power within a research collective that jointly determines, throughout the course of the project, the priorities that best reflect local needs for HIV/AIDS research. This initial process of discussion resulted also in the joint validation of a forthcoming grant application to be submitted to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

How national parks change a rural municipality's development strategies – The Skjåk case, Norway

Abstract The governance structure on which contemporary nature conservation policy and practice are based represents a new structure that may affect development strategies in rural municipalities. The purpose of the article is to analyse the dynamics of change in local place development strategies in the wake of proposals of and establishments of national parks in a rural municipality in Norway. The empirical analysis is based on a qualitative longitudinal study that spanned a period of more than 20 years. The author claims that neo-endogenous approaches represent a valuable addition to studies that have treated state-driven nature conservation initiatives in terms of local resistance and unbalanced power relations. This due to the article's focus on co-evolution and the development of local capacity through external relations. Additionally, the article demonstrates the value of longitudinal studies when rural dynamics of change are investigated. Both planning and complexity theories are combined with assemblage theory are applied in order to conceptualize the dynamics of change from a local perspective. The author concludes that the national parks trigger strategic shifts and new approaches to place development that challenge previous strategies. Moreover, the local ability to act for change is strongly connected to processes of deterritorialization and reterritorialization. Additionally, new challenges grow in these processes of change, namely tensions between the defined and the undefined becoming when results in terms of goals and purposeful ends are not achieved.

Context, competencies, and local managerial capacity development: a longitudinal study of HRM implementation at Volvo Car China

This study investigates and analyzes qualitatively the effects of HRM implementation on managerial capacity development. Empirically, the study draws on a 4-year longitudinal in-depth qualitative case study of Volvo Car Corporation’s establishment in the Chinese market through its subsidiary Volvo Car China. The findings show that HRM at the case organization followed an implementation trajectory of establishing and building, deploying and broadening, reconfiguring and augmenting, and integrating and deepening. Managerial capacity development by means of ambience, permeability, accretion, and pertinence of competencies and the role of the local capacity context and its influence on local managerial capacity development is discussed.

Consanguinity and Inbreeding in Health and Disease in North African Populations

North Africa is defined as the geographical region separated from the rest of the continent by the Sahara and from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea. The main demographic features of North African populations are their familial structure and high rates of familial and geographic endogamy, which have a proven impact on health, particularly the occurrence of genetic diseases, with a greater effect on the frequency and spectrum of the rarest forms of autosomal recessive genetic diseases. More than 500 different genetic diseases have been reported in this region, most of which are autosomal recessive. During the last few decades, there has been great interest in the molecular investigation of large consanguineous North African families. The development of local capacities has brought a substantial improvement in the molecular characterization of these diseases, but the genetic bases of half of them remain unknown. Diseases of known molecular etiology are characterized by their genetic and mutational heterogeneity, although some founder mutations are encountered relatively frequently. Some founder mutations are specific to a single country or a specific ethnic or geographic group, and others are shared by all North African countries or worldwide. The impact of consanguinity on common multifactorial diseases is less evident.