Investment In Local Communities Research Articles

Applying a Reproductive Justice Lens to Enhance Research Engagement Among Systematically Underrepresented Childbearing Women.

Historically, childbearing women from diverse and systematically hard-to-reach populations have been excluded from nursing research. This practice limits the generalizability of findings. Maximizing research strategies to meet the unique needs of these populations must be a priority. The aim of this study was to provide methodological context for the comprehensive application of reproductive justice strategies to guide research methods and promote engagement of underrepresented childbearing women while decreasing systemic bias. In this article, we use a reproductive justice lens to characterize and define strategies for enhancing ethical and equitable engagement in research involving childbearing women who are often systematically underrepresented using a case study approach. Using a specific case study exemplar, the core tenets of reproductive justice are outlined and affirm the need to advance research strategies that create ethical engagement of diverse populations, transform oppressive social structures, and shift research paradigms so research objectives intentionally highlight the strengths and resiliency inherent to the targeted communities. We begin by describing parallels between the tenets of reproductive justice and the ethical principles of research (i.e., respect for persons, beneficence, and justice). We then apply these tenets to conceptualization, implementation (recruitment, data management, and retention), and dissemination of research conducted with childbearing women from diverse backgrounds who are systemically underrepresented. We highlight our successful research strategies from our case study example of women with histories of incarceration. To date, outcomes from our research indicate the need for multilevel strategies with a focus on respectful, inclusive participant and key community partner engagement; the time investment in local communities to promote equitable collaboration; encouragement of the patient's autonomous right to self-determination; and mitigation of power imbalances. Nurse researchers are well positioned to advance research justice at the intersection of reproductive justice and ethics to fully engage diverse populations in advancing health equity to support the best health outcomes.

Territorial resources and local development: search for local territorial identity (case analysis of Žagarė cherry)

The fate of local communities and rural areas in Europe depended on the transformations of political regimes, people’s ability to develop agricultural resources and economic influence on the development of markets for manufactured goods and agricultural products in rural areas. Lithuania, like many other countries, has undergone profound transformations. The country’s rural areas reflect how local communities adapted themselves to the necessary changes. At the heart of these changes lies the Žagarė cherry which used to be a fruit of luxury in the 18th century Russian Empire; whereas during the Soviet era it became a supplement to the villagers and town-dwellers diet. Our main aim is to understand how nowadays the Žagarė cherry is a symbolic terroir product of a local community which seeks to reshape a local development strategy based on the recaptured past. The Žagarė cherry both rooted in its natural soil and crossed by the history of the district between Joniškis and Žagarė, in its history has known a real reformulation of its territorial inscription. Thanks to local community investment in local development projects, the cherry has become the object of an identity shaped by the cherry festival, a widely recognized cultural and heritage event. The Žagarė cherry has become a territorial resource activated by the local community thanks to a metamorphosis of the resource in a local context.

Políticas públicas e desenvolvimento local em Angola, sua influência na vida do cidadão

O presente estudo permite desenvolver uma reflexão em torno das políticas públicas e desenvolvimento local em Angola, seu impacto na vida do cidadão, a luz da metodologia qualitativa. Trata-se, no entanto, de um estudo resultante da área de investigação em Sociologia Política e Políticas Públicas, na Escola Superior Politécnica de Malanje. Em termos de teoria de suporte, optou-se pelo Funcionalismo, uma vez que a sociedade tem necessidades e, tal como um organismo, se essas necessidades não forem satisfeitas ela entrará em colapso. Por conseguinte, invoca-se neste artigo a inclusão do cidadão no processo de elaboração das políticas públicas, optando-se então por um modelo de políticas públicas de Baixo para Cima, bem como um modelo de governação baseado na descentralização administrativa e que responda as reais necessidades dos cidadãos. Os resultados obtidos mostram que o desenvolvimento local em Angla depende não só do tipo de liderança, mas também do tipo de políticas públicas que são elaboradas. Por outra, o fraco investimento nas comunidades locais, concorre para o despovoamento das mesmas e, por conseguinte, o superpovoamento dos centros urbanos, acarretando consigo graves problemas de saneamento básico e outras calamidades. A municipalização dos serviços públicos é a melhor estratégia para a solução dos problemas sociais que assolam os cidadãos.

Marketing instruments for attracting investments in territorial communities

Problem setting. Ukraine has significant regional imbalances in attracting investment. The most attractive for investors is Kyiv city, where almost 50% of foreign investments are accumulated. At the same time, other regions remain unattractive for investors. The unsatisfactory situation in the regions is a reflection of unfavorable investment climate and requires the use of new tools to attract investment. The use of marketing tools can stimulate the inflow of investment into small cities and communities. Given these, the issue of using marketing tools to attract investment in local communities remains unexplored and relevant.Recent research and publications analysis. An important contribution to the study of territory marketing and investment attraction was made by: S. Ankholt, V. Bondarenko, D. Vizghalov, M. Hovorukhina, N. Hrynchuk, K. Dinni, O. Ignatenko, F. Kotler, O. Osovets, A. Pankrukhin, S. Smerichevskyi, R. Fedorov, O. Fedorovych, D. Frolov, O. Khymych, and others.Highlighting previously unsettled parts of the general problem. An analysis of the literature on this issue has shown that domestic researches are quite narrowly specialized and most English-language works on this topic are written in the form of study of real situations and have non-scientific characters.The purpose of the article is to reveal the essence of marketing tools and justify the feasibility of their use to attract investment in local communities, and improve the investment climate in Ukraine.Paper main body. In recent years, Ukraine has taken significant steps to decentralize its power and resources. And although decentralization is a complicated reform, it is also one of the most successful reforms in Ukraine. This reform provides the transfer of powers and finances for their implementation from the central government to local authorities. The starting point of the reform is the thesis that local authorities are better oriented at local problems and can use funds more effectively to solve them.However, in the context of the economic crisis caused by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government is cutting transfers to support infrastructure and urban development in general. The local authorities in Ukraine suffer from an austerity policy pursued by the government. With this in mind, communities need to work to create a positive image of the area, to diversify sources of capital, and attract new investors.Taking into account the limited budgets and the specifics of activities at the local level, the minimum set of tools for attracting investment in local communities should include: development of investment strategy and program, brand formation of the territory, development of investment passport, formation of industry reviews, construction of investor’s roadmap, distribution of investment proposals, creation and updating of investment website, work in social networks, development of interactive investment map, press kit formation, preparation of multimedia presentations, participation in road-shows, investment seminars, conferences, forums and exhibitions, targeted search for new investors and formation of existing investors database.Conclusions of the research and prospects for further studies. The results of the study confirm that in the conditions of competition for investment funds, marketing tools for attracting investments come to the fore. Although the marketing of territories is a relatively young area of research, it can contribute to the successful promotion of local communities to attract investment and improve the image of the territory. The skillful use of marketing tools can help attract investment to local communities.In further research, we plan to study tax instruments to stimulate investment activity to improve the investment climate in Ukraine.

Are Bank Merger Characteristics Important for Local Community Investment?

Using a sample of 3,964 bank mergers during the 1999-2016 period, we examine the effects of merger and local market characteristics on local small business lending through banks’ dependence on soft information acquisition relative to technology driven lending. Mergers involving small or in-state acquirers are positively associated with small business loan (SBL) originations in counties where the target bank has a presence, particularly in counties with a larger number of small firms. In contrast, mergers involving large acquirers are associated with fewer SBL originations while those involving out-of-state acquirers have no impact on SBL originations. Analyses of acquirer bank SBL origination activity post-merger corroborate our county-level results. Post-merger, small bank acquirers increase in SBL originations, while large acquirers do not. Examining the behavior of local competitor banks shows that competitors of small acquirers decrease SBL originations, partially offsetting the positive effect associated small bank acquirers. Taken together, our findings underscore the importance of soft information acquisition in small business lending and suggest one-size-fits-all policy solutions are not likely to lead to common outcomes at the local level. Encouraging mergers by small banks and by in-state acquirers can positively affect small business lending and community investment, particularly in counties with a large fraction of small firms.

The Strategic Role of Local Community and Significance in Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development

Abstract The stimulation of entrepreneurship development is one of the most effective local community developing strategies, therefore, entrepreneurship is regarded as the key initiator of innovation and technological development within a local community. Local community improvement leads to the improvement of the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem it belongs to. In this paper, the role of local community in entrepreneurial ecosystem is regarded through local community investment, since it’s considered one of the socially responsible investment strategies. The focus of the paper is the case study on the example of Cross Border Development Office between the Municipality of Zitiste in the Republic of Serbia and the Municipality of Sakalaz in Romania. The research focuses on the local community investment and the activities of the Office that have led to the improvement of economic and social indicators in the community as an entrepreneurial ecosystem actor

Corporate Social Responsibility of Russian TNCs as a Factor of Sustainable Development of Global Society

Purpose: the main purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of corporate social responsibility of transnational corporations on the sustainable development of the territories of its presence and on its basis to develop recommendations for the integration of domestic business in the implementation of social projects abroad. In this regard, it is necessary to summarize the real experience and identify the best practices of Russian TNCs, positioning themselves as socially responsible companies.Methods: this article is based on the modern concept of corporate social responsibility – its understanding from the standpoint of the market approach to socially responsible behavior, state regulation of socially responsible practices, corporate conscience as a criterion of moral responsibility of the agent of economic relations, the theory of stakeholders, considering the Corporation as part of the social structure of society and responsible to a wide range of stakeholders. The study was conducted using the methods of comparative analysis, inductive-deductive and General logical methods.Results: the analysis of the impact of corporate social responsibility of transnational corporations on the sustainable development of the territories of its presence. The importance of the return of moral criteria in the economic sphere, which form the basis for assessing the level of socially responsible business behavior, is revealed. The article substantiates the increasing role of TNCs in the sustainable development of the global economy against the backdrop of a shortage of foreign direct investment needed to achieve sustainable development goals. The necessity of dialogue between TNCs and the national governments of the territory of their presence on a wide range of issues of support for the national economy, social investment in local communities and solving environmental problems is shown. The best practices of Russian TNCs in the field of corporate social responsibility are reviewed. The recommendations on the integration of domestic business in the implementation of social projects abroad.Conclusions and Relevance: one of the trends of sustainable development of the global economy is the recognition by economic agents of the importance and prospects of cooperation with ethically-oriented business, the imperative of which is corporate social responsibility. Investment by foreign affiliates of TNCs in the basic infrastructure, production capacity, social and environmental sphere of the territory of their presence should be considered from the perspective of corporate social responsibility. The content and volume of financing of corporate social responsibility programs by foreign affiliates of TNCs is largely determined by the specifics of the business. The implementation of corporate social responsibility, which has become part of the systematic approach of Russian business and is implemented within the framework of a common business strategy in foreign countries, is becoming an undeniable competitive advantage of Russian TNCs over foreign partners.

Do responsible fishing areas work? Comparing collective action challenges in three small-scale fisheries in Costa Rica

Costa Rica is supporting Marine Areas of Responsible Fishing (AMPRs) to enable small-scale fishing communities to apply for exclusive harvesting and management rights within spatially delimited areas under a co-management policy framework. Communities need to self-organize their own fishing association and develop a fishing management plan (POP) to apply. Seven AMPRs have been established in the Gulf of Nicoya, but many face collective action challenges to develop and achieve common goals and implementation. In this article, we conduct a qualitative comparative analysis by applying the Social-Ecological System Framework (SESF) as a tool to identify the social and ecological conditions influencing collective action and co-management in three AMPRs in the Gulf of Nicoya, and we compare the similarities and differences between them Our results show that all three AMPRs face collective action challenges for different reasons. Nonetheless, some commonalities exist. Common drivers motivating collective action include the desire to restrict certain types of fishing gears due to perceptions of resource scarcity and high dependence on local resources. Monitoring and sanctioning mechanisms, the presence of effective leadership and the economic heterogeneity of actors all positively influence collective action in two cases. However, in all three cases, there are more variables hindering collective action such as mistrust among actors, internal conflicts, non-rule compliance, lack of governmental support and resource unit mobility. Our findings suggest that AMPRs are a promising and potentially effective governance strategy because they can empower marginalized small-scale fishing communities and bring them into national development processes. However, there is an evident need for more state and local community investment into capacity building for self-organization and deliberation processes that can better enable the development of mutually accepted goals and implementation tools such as communication and enforcement strategies. Maintaining the perceptions among local communities that AMPRs are an acceptable and legitimate form of governance is a key challenge for continued collective action and achieving associated conservation goals. This research shows that adapting governance institutions to fit the social-ecological context of each AMPR is critical for success, despite the perceived similarity between the AMPRs.

A Tiered Analysis of Community Benefits and Conservation Engagement from the Makerere University Biological Field Station, Uganda

Conservation plans have evolved beyond biodiversity protection to include the welfare of the communities surrounding protected areas. Local community engagement initiatives include development of ecotourism, revenue-sharing arrangements, and resource access agreements. Although research stations are common in African national parks, their contributions to biodiversity protection and community benefits have seldom featured in the literature. In this article, we consider whether community benefits accruing from field research stations are effective and indicate how they could promote community–park relationships. We employ a mixed methods approach to understand the impacts on the local community of a field station located in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We find that the presence of a research station in Kibale National Park provides long-term direct employment for fifty-two people and indirect, cascading benefits for up to 720 people several kilometers away. Additionally, other important community benefits, primarily health care and education, are associated with the research field station. Although benefits of the research station do not eliminate community–park conflict, the long-term presence of researchers and the gains to local people associated with them are underappreciated and important means to better integrate the goals of biodiversity protection and local community investment. Key Words: community perception, conservation evaluation, economic benefits, inclusive conservation plans, park–people interaction, research station, Uganda.

Social licence has changed. It is time to build trust with society using the tools of today

International oil and gas companies have poured significant resources into building social licence since the 1990s. Despite this extensive effort at a local community level adjacent to operations, social licence has not been consistently gained and broad-based community trust in the industry is lacking. This paper argues that social licence has not been achieved globally, because oil and gas companies have failed to respond directly and appropriately to the concerns of all stakeholders. We argue that while international oil and gas companies have largely been successful in achieving and communicating the benefits they bring at a local level, in terms of royalties, local community investment, jobs and even in environmental credentials, they have not achieved social licence because it is no longer granted by only local communities. It extends to a potentially more powerful group of largely urban dwelling broader society, enabled by technology, especially social media. A new way of communicating and operating is required if oil and gas companies want to avoid the loss of social licence in future. This article contends three distinct opportunities to strengthen social licence in today’s context: 1. Understand and use social media to proactively address the concerns of all of your stakeholders. This includes responding to societal and global issues, which no longer centre on the ‘jobs, taxes and philanthropy’ dialogue that has been the mainstay of oil and gas industry communications; 2. Stress the role gas has as an enabler of renewable energy development and penetration; and 3. Review your investment strategy in light of the scientific reality of climate change. To gain social licence in future, action will be required to follow the lead of some fossil fuel majors who have already moved to build a new world, decarbonised portfolio of the future.

Priming the Pump: Public Investment, Private Mortgage Investment, and Violent Crime

Recent neighborhood crime research suggests that increased mortgage investment in local communities can help reduce street crime by defending against physical decline and improving perceptions of the neighborhood, which make informal social control more likely. Unfortunately, the neighborhoods that could benefit the most from this relationship are the least likely to get private mortgage investment, as mortgages tend to flow towards neighborhoods that are already stable. In this paper, we examine whether public investment, which can be targeted at disadvantaged neighborhoods, can play a similar role as private investment in influencing neighborhood outcomes. Specifically, we examine whether Seattle's Neighborhood Matching Fund program, a municipal initiative that provides matching funds to local organizations planning neighborhood improvement projects, is associated with reductions in crime, both directly, through community–building and physical improvements, and indirectly, by encouraging increased private mortgage investment.

Simulations of Cheetah Roaming Demonstrate the Effect of Safety Corridors on Genetic Diversity and Human-Cheetah Conflict

Human-cheetah conflict is driving cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) into extinction. It is estimated that there are fewer than 7,100 cheetahs remaining globally, and encroachment from human populations has reduced their habitat to less than 9% of their historic range. Further pressure on cheetah survival comes from their poor genetic diversity, which leaves them susceptible to disease and genetic abnormalities. To reduce human- cheetah conflict and to increase the interaction between cheetah groups of diverse genetic backgrounds, we have proposed the development of “cheetah safety corridors,” which connect different populations of cheetahs inside a protected strip of land. Computer simulations were developed to model cheetah roaming within a rural environment containing human populations of varying densities. Cheetah safety corridors were included in the simulations with a varying width of up to 90 km. Modeling of these safety corridors revealed a significant positive impact on cheetah lifetime, roaming range, and cheetah-cheetah interactions, which could lead to improved genetic diversity. Targeted investment in local communities inside the safety corridor had the biggest impact, with a 4-fold improvement in cheetah lifespan and a 20-fold increase in positive cheetah-cheetah interactions, compared to investment spread more uniformly across the entire simulated area. Engagement of the local population would be vital to the success of safety corridors so that communities regard cheetahs as an asset to the region rather than a threat.

Financing of municipal investment within sustainable development framework

The current policies of the territorial self-government ought to take into consideration challenges resulting from constantly changing global development processes. Adoption of modern assumptions and their consequent implementation is a pre-condition for development of the territorial self-government at the local level. It also gives ground for assumptions that implementation of the objectives set at the national or the EU levels will be successful. There is also a chance that the realization of sustainable development objectives will be getting more acceptance from the society. The concept of the sustainable development, comprising the natural environment and its resources, economic cooperation, and reinforcing social ties, is the best way to make use of the development potential. The aim of the paper is to stress the importance of development planning at the local level and to assess possibilities for communal investment in the context of sustainable development implementation. The objective of the paper is also to assess opportunities of capital raising for investment in local communities, which has a large impact on the living standard of the population. The analysis includes the scope and main directions of the self-governmental investment. The time frame covers the 2010–2016 period. The empiric material has been supplied by The Bank for Local Data of the Central Statistical Office (the “GUS”) and from analyses made by the Ministry of Finance.

Regenerating a coastal town through art: Dismaland and the (l)imitations of antagonistic art practice in the city

Coastal cities have increasingly welcomed initiatives for producing temporary urban art spaces to lure tourists and revitalize the local economy. This article examines the under-explored contested relationships between a major temporary art event and social (dis)engagement in the context of coastal urban regeneration. During the pop-up art event Dismaland (2015), led by the reputed graffiti artist Banksy and company, the coastal resort of Weston-super-Mare in England experienced an upsurge of international visitors. Banksy envisaged this “Bemusement Park”, situated in an abandoned lido, as an antagonist twist of Disneyland and the commercial modus operandus of theme parks. Drawing on discourse analysis of expert and public perspectives and auto-ethnographic experience, this article challenges the experienced extent of antagonistic art practice in juxtaposition to the formal discourse of creators and urban policymakers. The examination of the event's artistic, behavioral, spatial and temporal frameworks shows how it ambiguously navigated between authentic and engineered trajectories of involving its target audiences. The creators' anarchist plea for radical change was ambivalently met with appreciation of an urban art space for serious contemplation as well as a perceived lack of local community investment – the latter rendering Dismaland an urban ‘art colony’ that fostered an elitist global art market rather than urban-citizen-led participation. The in-depth case study concludes that greater attention, both in urban policy and scholarship, is needed to the implications of the production of temporary urban art spaces for immediate inclusive engagement with end users as well as sustained community development. The study particularly calls for caution in assuming inclusive community benefits of art-led regeneration as abundantly ascribed in creative city theories and urban policies.

Sustainable development of local communities in Serbia and FDI

Foreign direct investment as the most common form of international capital movements are very important factors in the development of each economy. Given the fact its characteristics in terms of the impact on long-term economic development, foreign direct investment offer the possibility of achieving goals of sustainable development. In the terms that the effects of foreign capital does not manifest in the same way at all levels in the host country, the paper gives the importance of foreign direct investment for strength the capacity of local communities in achieving the goals of sustainable development. The point of the paper is to show movement of foreign direct investments in municipalities and cities in Serbia and to provide useful recommendations for improving the business climate to attract foreign direct investment in local communities. Starting from the fact that the needs of local communities in Serbia to attract foreign direct investment are big, at the end of the paper it is given that investment location are the most important determinants of the host country by foreign investors when making investment decisions.