Grassroots Level Research Articles

Governance Practices at the Grassroots Level to Strengthen Rural Livelihoods through Mahatma Gandhi NREGS

Millions of people’s socio-economic lives have been profoundly impacted by the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, one of the largest programmes implemented in independent India. It is a demand-driven, people-centred, bottom-up initiative. Public policymakers, academicians, and people have often discussed the programme’s shortcomings and accomplishments in great detail. However, it is undeniable that the programme has improved peoples’ socio-economic empowerment and purchasing power by guaranteeing them 100 days of employment. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many saw the programme as the main source of food for India’s rural populace. The number of workers requesting employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS increased after COVID-19. The main objective of the paper is to identify the exemplary practices implemented by different Gram Panchayats (GPs) to effectively execute Mahatma Gandhi NREGS and improve the livelihoods of rural communities, to investigate the current status of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS implementation in the state of Tamil Nadu, and to examine the challenges associated with implementing best governance practices for the effective execution of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS. As a result, a systematic investigation was carried out in two districts, Dharmapuri and Mayiladuthurai, and the results of the investigation are reported in the article.

Fighting the Online War: Online Russian Nationalists and the Discourse of Stalingrad in the Early 2010s

Abstract Memory of the Battle of Stalingrad, a pivotal moment in Second World War, is a cornerstone of Vladimir Putin’s nationalist mythology. This study examines how participants of the “In the Whirlwind of Time” forum, a Russian-language online community whose usage peaked in the early 2010s, perpetuated and reinterpreted this war myth through science fiction and alternate history narratives at a grassroots level by co-writing literary texts. “Myth” is defined here as a symbolic narrative that shapes collective memory and identity, through science fiction and alternate history narratives. Writers, driven by nationalist and pro-Soviet sentiments, were informed by Soviet-era literary traditions and modern sociopolitical concerns. Engaging in a collaborative process of memory-making, they merged historical fiction with futuristic elements such as time travel to craft stories where the annihilation and resurrection encoded in the Stalingrad myth solve present-day moral and political crises. By conducting a Critical Discourse Analysis of forum postings and demonstrating how the resultant discourses are present in three key works, the article outlines the norms of the forum’s discourse community to show how these narratives foster a mythic understanding of Stalingrad, transforming it into a timeless and universal battle against purported Western immorality. These stories not only glorify the Soviet past but also serve as ideological tools that both reflect and anticipate Russian state propaganda of the 2020s, suggesting the participatory nature of national identity shaping through mythmaking—and the crucial role that war played in grassroots nationalist narratives in the 2010s.

Local concepts of teacher professionalism: Evidence from rural Sierra Leone

Teacher professionalism has become a key focus of education policy worldwide, however, there is no common understanding of what a ‘professional’ teacher means. Existing studies rely mostly on the experiences of teachers in high income, industrialised and predominantly Western contexts, while teachers’ experiences in the Global South are rarely addressed. This paper aims to contribute to this discussion examining perceptions of teacher professionalism at the national and local level in Sierra Leone. The study draws on a longitudinal mixed-methods study, incorporating both survey and ethnographic fieldwork in one of the poorest rural districts of northern Sierra Leone. The analysis revealed a disconnect between the neoliberal concepts found in the national policies and understanding of professionalism at the grassroots level that is focused on extended social roles of teachers within communities. It problematizes the uncritical application of global Western-based concepts to other contexts and shows an urgent need of an open dialogue on teacher professionalism that would include multiple views and perspectives.

DIGITAL FACES OF POLITICAL PARTY IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE: A CASE STUDY OF PARTAI SOLIDARITAS INDONESIA JAKARTA

This paper examines the dynamics of political party representation in Indonesia with a focus on Partai Solidaritas Indonesia (PSI) in Jakarta, particularly in the context of digital platform usage in the party's role in local governance. The background of this study includes the need to update political analysis in Indonesia in light of the digitization phenomenon affecting political practices, as well as to evaluate the party's presence at the local level, which has often been overlooked in previous studies that concentrated on the national level. PSI Jakarta is chosen as a case study due to its role as a new political party actively engaging in digital activities, making it an ideal representation to explore the digital face of political parties. This study adopts the “three faces of the party” concept by Katz and Mair, which includes the party’s face at the organizational level, public office, and grassroots level, to analyze how PSI Jakarta manages these three aspects in its digital platform usage. The research employs a qualitative case study approach, utilizing data collection methods such as observation, interviews, and document analysis. The primary focus of this paper is the relationship between the three faces of the party and the organizational challenges faced by PSI Jakarta, as well as the relevance and implications of these findings for general political party studies. The main findings indicate that PSI Jakarta leverages digital platforms as a tool for interacting with constituents and managing party performance; however, there are still challenges in aligning the three faces of the party proportionally.

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY POLICING: PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND DISPUTE HANDLING ROLES

Effective policing requires the active involvement of the local community. To engage the community, the Addis Ababa Police Commission implemented the community policy with the objectives of identifying inclusive problems in the community and managing social disputes. This study assessed the importance of the community policing program by using a qualitative research approach to collect detailed information. Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The study found that involving community residents in community policing helped police departments identify the problem and manage disputes at the community level. This enabled the resolution of critical and serious problems that require detailed police intervention. As a result of community engagement, beyond reducing the burden on the police department, empowering citizens in managing social disputes promotes a culture of proactive problem-solving among residents at the grassroots level. The study advocates for a review of conventional approaches by social work to empower communities to include citizen empowerment and empowerment programs to reduce structural barriers. Accordingly, the study suggests that the Addis Ababa Police Commission should intensively implement community policing in different divisions of the police commission.

Right to Information in India: A Tool of Decentralised Democracy

The Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 passed with great fanfare as a path-breaking legislation by the then government completed a journey of 19 years on 12th October, 2024. The Act empowered millions of people and kick-started their journey of an RTI application, evoking the concept of participatory citizenship. Without an iota of doubt, it can be said, ‘RTI has empowered the lay man to communicate directly with the public authority, squashing the practice of delivery of services by the authority, by challenging the practice of allotting the “middleman” the charge of disbursement of entitlements’ hence shifting from a ‘need based-approach to a rights-based approach to development. It has been observed through studies that the RTI has played an active role in checking public authority at the grassroots levels for any misappropriation of people’s money. However, the transformation in work culture, from secretive to openness, changing of minds of the public authorities as well as of the people, will definitely take a long time to bring RTI in practice to its full potential.

Costs of outpatient services at selected primary healthcare centers in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study.

Upazila Health Complexes (UzHC) serve as the backbone of primary healthcare (PHC) at the sub-district level in Bangladesh, delivering comprehensive healthcare services including both inpatient and outpatient services to the grassroots levels. However, not all the prescribed medicines and diagnostics services are always available at these facilities for outpatient care. This results in out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) to the patients for getting prescribed medicines and diagnostics services which has not been properly explored. Thus, we aimed to estimate the overall provider and user costs for outpatient care services at selected UzHCs in Bangladesh. An ingredient-based costing approach was applied to estimate the costs for the most commonly reported illnesses at outpatient of UzHCs from a societal perspective. We conducted a health facility survey at four purposively selected UzHCs to estimate provider costs and a patient exit survey among 452 patients of selected illnesses to estimate the user costs. Commonly reported illnesses were identified in consultation with healthcare providers of these facilities. The difference between costs of prescribed and provided medicines at UzHCs was estimated using the market prices. Data was collected between February to March 2021. The societal costs of the common outpatient illness or symptoms varied significantly, ranging from BDT 642 to BDT 1,384 per episode. Antenatal care had the highest cost burden at BDT 1,384, followed by respiratory illness at BDT 783 and urinary tract infection at BDT 670. On average, the provider spent BDT 289 for treating an outpatient, while a patient incurred BDT 446 as OOPE. Further, a patient was expected to spend an average of BDT 341 for purchasing medicines not provided from UzHCs. Our study found significant gaps between prescribed and provided medicines at UzHCs, leading to higher OOPE for patients. The current healthcare resource allocation strategy does not consider the outpatient load and healthcare demand at PHC facilities, which further exacerbates this gap. Addressing this gap requires a fundamental shift towards a demand-driven resource allocation model within the healthcare financing strategy to improve healthcare access and achieve health for all.

A new shortcut for competitive sports development? The purpose of and strategy for developing and introducing sepaktakraw in Taiwan.

A growing number of countries and regions have introduced emerging sports in recent years; however, few studies have been conducted to determine how and why they do so. This article focuses on why a new sport, sepaktakraw, was introduced in Taiwan and how strategies for achieving international sporting success were developed in a short period. The sports policy factors leading to the international sporting success model proposed by De Bosscher et al. were adopted as this study's analytical framework. Data were obtained from official government and sport federation documents, media reports, and semistructured interviews with 18 key stakeholders. This study revealed three main reasons for the introduction of sepaktakraw in Taiwan: (1) low introduction costs, (2) breakthroughs to win medals at the Asian Games, and (3) advantageous entry into international sports organization leadership. Seven aspects are prioritized in Taiwan's sepaktakraw development strategy: (1) obtaining government financial support; (2) institutionalizing organisational decision-making; (3) taking universities as a breakthrough point and then gradually shifting to promote popularization at the grassroots level; (4) selecting players on the basis of competition results; (5) using school badminton courts; (6) strengthening coach training; and (7) actively participating in and striving to host international tournaments. The findings could provide guidelines and examples for other countries or regions to follow when introducing new sports and moving towards the successful development of competitive sports.

Ukrainian Visions of Peace: (Re-)Shaping Peace through Victory

Abstract How can peace be achieved in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion of February 2022? In contrast to the impulse of many in the field of peacebuilding to call for concessions through a negotiated settlement, Ukrainian voices have consistently called for support of its military self-defense to achieve peace through victory. Heeding the peacebuilding field’s stated commitment to the principle of local ownership, by which those affected by war should take the lead in the pursuit of peace, this article analyzes Ukrainian articulations of peace at the governmental, civil society, and grassroots levels since 2022. We find that Ukrainians view peace primarily through the lens of victory. Taking these Ukrainian visions of peace seriously, we discuss potential tensions and challenges contained in the notion of peace through victory, including tensions between peace by armed resistance and peace by peaceful means, between the goals of Ukrainian victory and defeat of Russian imperialism, between peace and justice, as well as between militarization and democracy. The article concludes with a call for deeper scholarly and practitioner engagement with Ukrainian conceptions of peace through victory.

Effectiveness of Accountability Mechanism of Local Governments in Nepal

This paper examines the effectiveness of accountability mechanisms within the local governments of Nepal, with a primary focus on evaluating their influence on governance and the delivery of public services. Employing a descriptive analysis, the study analyzes various accountability structures such as the municipal executive committee, the council, the monitoring committee, the legal committee, etc. It investigates the implementation and execution of these mechanisms and assesses their outcomes. Through case studies and situational analyses, the research highlights the strengths and weaknesses inherent in these systems, pinpointing key factors that either contribute to or impede their success. The findings contribute valuable insights to the ongoing discourse surrounding the enhancement of local governance in Nepal, providing actionable recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders to bolster accountability practices and foster improved public administration at the grassroots level of the country.

Citizen Participation and Political Efficacy at the Grassroots Level: The Case of Residents’ Self-Governance Associations in Seoul, South Korea

AbstractResidents’ self-governance associations (RSAs) in Seoul, South Korea, have been established to enhance local democracy at the grassroots level. Do participants in RSAs feel political efficacy? What factors influence the political efficacy of community benefits and consensus building through RSAs? This study aims to theorize and test the relationships between citizens’ political efficacy, as measured by participation satisfaction, community benefits, and consensus building, and various socioeconomic, cultural, procedural, and institutional factors. Multilevel ordered logit models of surveys from 1,319 RSA participants suggest that the citizen-led decision-making process, participation frequency, trust in neighbors, and budget and staff support are positively associated with political efficacy. To promote grassroots democracy and enhance the political efficacy of participating citizens, local RSAs should be operated in a voluntary, cooperative, and democratic manner. Supporting local self-governance organizations and their activities with adequate funding and effective administration is crucial for success.

Challenges and Dilemmas of Digitalization in Philippine Education: A Grassroots Perspective

The shift towards digitalization in the Philippine education system has highlighted opportunities and challenges, particularly at the grassroots level. This study explored the systemic barriers hindering digital learning, focusing on the lived experiences of educators, and students. Using a phenomenological research design, data were gathered through focus group discussions and interviews with participants from underserved areas, including educators from geographically isolated regions and students facing socio-economic challenges. Thematic analysis revealed three major findings: (1) significant infrastructure and technological barriers, including poor internet connectivity, lack of devices, and inadequate school resources; (2) socio-economic disparities that exacerbate the digital divide, affecting both students’ academic performance and teachers’ instructional methods; and (3) dilemmas faced by educators and learners in adapting to digital methods, ranging from insufficient training to personal and systemic constraints. Recommendations include establishing a Unified Digital Education Ecosystem through a Public-Private Partnership model, integrating tools for teaching and learning, enhancing broadband infrastructure, and providing affordable devices. This study underscores the need for a holistic, inclusive approach to digitalization, promoting equity and efficiency in education while addressing the unique challenges of underserved communities. The findings aim to inform policy development and improve the implementation of digital education programs in the Philippines.

Prevalence and Causes of Neonatal Hearing Loss and Follow-Up Default in a Cohort from Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Analysis

Background and Aims: The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) program in Saudi Arabia has proven instrumental in curbing the burden of neonatal hearing loss in the country. Recent studies from Saudi Arabia have shown a high rate of neonatal hearing loss and follow up default, along with poor awareness among parents, in the Madina region of the country. The study aimed to investigate the prevalence and causes of neonatal hearing loss and follow-up default, among newborns screened at the Children and Maternity Hospital in Madina, Saudi Arabia. Methods: All 500 neonates who were born at the hospital from January 2021 to January 2022, and underwent UNHS were included. Prevalence and causes were expressed as descriptive statistics. A chi-square test was used to correlate clinical risk factors with the occurrence of neonatal hearing loss. A P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of neonatal hearing loss was 1.2%, with 17.8% follow-up default. Exposure to ototoxic drugs, low birth weight, craniofacial anomalies, neonatal intensive care unit admission, maternal age >30 years, and hereditary risk showed a statistically significant correlation with neonatal hearing loss. Transportation difficulties (33.7%), lack of education (28.7%) and poor economic condition (21.8%) were the top causes of follow-up default. Conclusions: The study reiterates the dire need to raise awareness among parents of newborns regarding the detrimental effects of neonatal hearing loss, the importance of the UNHS program and the necessity for complete follow-up. A wider and more efficient network of screening and referral centers is needed. Research studies conducted at individual institutions can help identify and address the inadequacies of the UNHS program at a grassroots level.

Seeking The Juncture Between Religious Moderation and Local Wisdoms: An Experience From Lampung

The implementation of religious moderation (moderasi beragama) in public lives has been a main concern of the Ministry of Religious Affairs nowadays. However, such endeavor still frequently faces challenges and even obstructions in myriad forms. This study thus aims to reveal that local wisdoms as preserved by certain community are able to serve as the cultural base in reinforcing the actualization of religious moderation. By taking a case of some local wisdoms enlivened by society in Lampung, this paper also intends to show that religious moderation is certainly inadequate if merely applied through top-down step, but it should be incorporated in the grass-root level as well. This study employs qualitative method by collecting data through observation, interview, and relevant resources. This study, therefore, points out that local community indeed has their own ways and mechanisms to deal with religious contentions and conflicts. Local wisdoms can potentially be social basis in empowering the program of religious moderation.

Issues of Information Literacy in South Punjab, Pakistan: An Analysis of Women’s Inheritance Deprivation Through the Theory of Manufactured Consent

Inheritance plays a pivotal role in women’s economic empowerment. Following 2011′s criminal law amendment that sought to curb the denial of women’s inheritance rights in Pakistan, a trend of wilful surrender in favor of male kin, especially in south Punjab, is now becoming apparent. The study explores this trend by conceptualizing the social engineering of women’s inheritance choices through Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman’s theory of manufactured consent. The study explores the patriarchal forces which make women’s surrender an inevitable and, in many cases, an honorable choice. Through purposive sampling technique, 20 women were recruited as participants from Bahawalpur and were then interviewed following Heideggerian phenomenology. Thematic analysis was conducted to draw the findings. The findings of the study reveal that family, religion, folktales, traditional songs, school curriculum, and mainstream media play a crucial role in women’s lives and are highly influential in shaping their choices. All these variables guide women to opt for surrender as an honorable choice. The study recommends that women’s economic empowerment is needed at the grassroots level, for which the role of agents of socialization needs to be restructured rather than only law-making and awareness creation in isolation.

The Effectiveness of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Managing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) within Okpe Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta State, Nigeria

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have become a significant public health challenge globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Nigeria. This study assesses the effectiveness of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in managing NCDs in Okpe Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta State, Nigeria. With NCDs such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases rising rapidly in the region, CHWs have emerged as critical players in providing essential health services at the grassroots level. This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining survey data (400 respondents) and interviews (200 participants), to evaluate the roles of CHWs, their effectiveness, and the challenges they face. The findings indicate that CHWs are relatively effective in health education, disease screening, and treatment adherence follow-up. However, challenges such as limited training, resource constraints, and lack of formal integration into the healthcare system hinder their full potential. The study concludes with recommendations for enhancing CHWs' effectiveness, including increased training, resource allocation, and community engagement.

Reproductive health care seeking behavior in Bangladesh: Asystematic literature review.

Maternal health, in terms of pregnancy and childbirth, is an important aspect of women's reproductive health and remains a public health concern in underdeveloped countries of the world. Reproductive health care seeking behavior (RHSB), in both men and women in society, is influenced by a variety of social and environmental factors that needs to be summarized. This review aims to enhance understanding and perception of services in relation to RHSBs in several domains such as antenatal care (ANC), delivery care, postnatal care (PNC), and family planning (FP) services, for married women of reproductive age in Bangladesh. In major databases, for example, Medline, Ovid, PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest and Google Scholar following keywords, timeline set as 2010 up to December 30, 2022. Articles that included discussion on married women of reproductive age, and their type of care seeking behavior for reproductive health. A systematic literature search was carried out and expected outcome was health care seeking behavior in the aspects of ANC, delivery care, PNC, and FP services. A data extraction form and quality appraisal form were used for data on RHSB of married women of the reproductive age group in Bangladesh and associated factors. A total of 245 articles were retrieved from databases; stepwise screening was done and finally 23 full-text articles were included for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used based on the included articles for narrative synthesis. In the selected articles, 17 (73.91%) were cross-sectional studies and more than half discussed both urban and rural women. Ante- and postnatal visits have proven to have positively influenced overall RHSB, as seen in Bangladesh. Grass root level workers play a major role in upgrading RHSB in women. Many factors limit rural access to mother and child health services including distance of the health facility and cost of the health service. In particular, education level, women's autonomy in family decision making and distance from health service can be considered as factors influencing RHSBs in Bangladesh. Exposure to mass media and TV watching are likely to positively impact RHSB patterns for women in Bangladesh.

Civil society actors and conflict management in Moldova

The article focuses on the role of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and its efforts, in collaboration with local NGOs, in bringing about conflict resolution in the Republic of Moldova. The OSCE has been active in the Republic of Moldova for the last twenty years and has been working with NGOS from both sides of the Dniester/ Nistru river. While the process has met with several challenges over the years, the recent full-fledged war against Ukraine has complicated the strategy for conflict settlement of the Transdniestrian conflict even more. The main goal of this article is to present and analyse various forms of cooperation between the OSCE and local civil society actors and to identify activities which encourage confidence-building. To this end, we will discuss relevant conceptual approaches in the field of Conflict Resolution and focus on mediation, conflict transformation, conflict settlement, and reconciliation. Moreover, we will explore activities of civil society organizations which are engaged in dialogue and collaboration with the OSCE. Methodologically, the article is built around a constructivist theorizing and the main argument is that the Transdniestrian conflict is an identity conflict and reconciling the parties, from grass-root level upwards to community leaders, ensures identity transformation and confidence building. The latter are key aspects in fostering trust, dialogue, and conflict management.

The Da'wah Approach of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi: A Preliminary Analysis Bsed on Bottom-up Strategi

The bottom-up strategy is an initiative done at the grassroots level with its own approach. Policy development, decision-making and implementation are carried out independently by such grassroot approach. In the field of da'wah, the bottom-up strategy represents an approach that is mobilized internally based on the formation of a community that has the right to determine their affairs. The bottom-up strategy is seen as a necessity in delivering da‘wah as such an approach encourages development and collective awareness as well as upholding the concept of balanced development from both the spiritual and material points of view. Therefore, this paper attempts to discuss the da‘wah approach of a religious figure, namely Badiuzzaman Said Nursi from the bottom-up strategy’s perspective. The study was conducted in relation to the bottom-up strategy related to the concept of reform and the approaches of da‘wah by Badiuzzaman Said Nursi. This study is carried out based on a review of literature with content analysis as the tools of analysis. The findings suggest that Badiuzzaman Said Nursi's approach to da‘wah fits in well within the ambit of bottom-up strategy which, although was not well received initially from the political powers of the day, nonetheless exhibits sustaining features which has proven its relevance to surpass beyond his time as his message survives and is used as a guide by heads of state and the society until this day.

Functions of hometown association and its role in addressing inequalities

Migrant workers, who live and work in other places than their hometown, are an important part of Chinese society, and their organization of hometown associations has also profoundly affected the situation at the grassroots level in China. This study takes the hometown association of migrant workers in Guangdong Province, whose hometown is Jingyang County, Shaanxi Province, to study the functions of hometown association and its role in addressing the inequality. The results of the study shows that for these migrant workers who work at other places than their hometown, the hometown associations have played an important role in helping them in familiarizing themselves with the local environment, finding jobs, and other basic things, for instance, handling the social insurance fee. At the same time, the role the hometown association plays in the new generation of the migrant workers, the role that the hometown association plays in safeguarding their rights are also discussed. In the process of safeguarding their rights, the inequality, including the inequality between workers and the inequality between employers and workers, are greatly alleviated. At the same time, however, the inequality is strengthened as well. Studying hometown associations will help deepen our understanding of migrant workers as a group and contribute to the current lack of research on this aspect in the academic community.