Local Context Research Articles

Challenges and Opportunities for the Implementation of the Concept of Missionary Ralph Winter (E1) in the Church Mission at the GKI Port Numbay Jayapura Classis

This paper aims to analyze the challenges of implementing the E1 concept and identify opportunities in the mission of the church in the GKI Port Numbay Jayapura Classis. The literature review approach is the method used in this study, because it provides the theoretical foundation and context needed to understand the application of the concept of Ralph Winter (E1) missionaries in the church mission in the GKI Port Numbay Classis. The literature review also includes an analysis of the challenges faced in the application of the E1 concept. The E1 concept, emphasizing mission in a cultural context, demonstrates the urgent need to understand and appreciate local cultures. This requires the church to innovate in the way the gospel message is delivered to be relevant to the local context. There is a great opportunity to build close relationships with local communities. Programs that involve the active participation of congregations showing increased attendance and their involvement in services are expected to serve as agents of change that not only spread the gospel but also empower local communities (congregations). It is hoped that the church will continue to innovate in mission methods that are in accordance with the cultural and social context of the community, so that it can reach more individuals and communities

KEMITRAAN STRATEGIS DALAM IMPLEMENTASI CSR DI KOTA MAKASSAR : PERAN AKTOR UTAMA

This study explores the implementation of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program in Makassar City, focusing on the roles of government, private sector and society in supporting sustainable development. Through analysis of local regulations and active contributions from various parties, this research shows how the collaboration of these three actors can create a positive impact in overcoming social, economic and environmental challenges at the local level. These findings provide important insights for practitioners and researchers to understand the dynamics of CSR implementation in local government contexts, with implications for more effective and sustainable public policy.

Community Engagement in Climate Change and Adaptation in Kenya: A Socio-Anthropological and Linguistic Perspective

Community engagement and participatory approaches are essential for effective climate adaptation in Kenya, particularly when integrating local communities into resilience-focused efforts that consider cultural and linguistic diversity. This review employs a desktop methodology, guided by a theoretical framework rooted in participatory action research, cultural anthropology, and the CSAM (Cultural-Sustainable Agroforestry Model (CSAM)), to synthesize key studies on climate adaptation in Kenya. It examines how local stakeholders are integrated into planning and resilience programming, with a focus on the importance of indigenous knowledge and cultural contexts in shaping effective adaptation strategies. The review highlights the crucial role of communication strategies in disseminating climate information and fostering community engagement, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches that resonate with diverse linguistic and cultural groups. Practical insights show that participatory, culturally informed strategies are central to building community resilience and promoting sustainable development in the face of climate challenges. The review concludes that effective climate adaptation requires a multifaceted approach that prioritizes community engagement, culturally appropriate methods, and robust communication to ensure locally relevant and sustainable adaptation measures. Furthermore, the adoption of the CSAM model is essential for integrating indigenous knowledge, cultural practices, and modern scientific approaches, ensuring that local contexts are central to the adaptation process. Recommendations include enhancing participatory planning, incorporating indigenous knowledge systems, strengthening communication channels, addressing vulnerability hotspots, and integrating adaptation into broader development planning. The review calls for further research that employs mixed-methods approaches to assess the long-term impacts of climate adaptation, evaluate the effectiveness of communication strategies, document indigenous knowledge, and explore cross-regional comparisons to support climate adaptation efforts in Kenya

Multimedia Features towards Skills Development in Open Learning: A Case of the Girls Inspire Project in Tanzania

This study investigates the use of multimedia content for skills development in open learning, using the Girls Inspire Project in Tanzania as a case study. Conducted in the Chala and Msanzi Wards of the Rukwa Region, the study examined the multimedia features utilized in the project and their suitability within the context of open learning initiatives targeting marginalized communities in Tanzania. A qualitative approach was employed, incorporating documentary reviews and interviews with participants, including facilitators, multimedia production experts and project beneficiaries. The findings reveal that the multimedia contents used in the project were highly interactive and engaging, promoting active learner participation and effective skills development. Key multimedia features identified include high visibility, structured arrangement, varied content lengths tailored to lesson requirements and a balanced combination of media formats. These features were found to be highly suitable for the open learning context, as they enhanced accessibility and supported interactive learning for skills development, making them particularly effective for marginalized learners in remote areas. Despite the evidenced suitability of the multimedia learning contents, the study highlights the need for inclusion of more interactive elements and feedback mechanisms. The study further suggests that multimedia contents for future interventions should be tailored to meet specific needs of the target audience, considering local contexts, literacy levels and technological limitations. The study recommends future research to explore the long-term impact of multimedia learning on skills development and identify best practices for integrating multimedia features in similar development initiatives.

Development of Interactive Science Learning Video Based on Ethnoedutour in Muaro Jambi Temple Area

This study aims to develop an interactive science learning video based on ethnoedutour on pressure material for junior high school students by integrating local wisdom from the Muaro Jambi Temple Area. The research method used is Research and Development (R&D) with the ADDIE model, as well as a mixed methods approach using exploratory sequential design. This research was conducted through three stages, namely analysis, design, and development. The analysis stage involved observations, interviews, and questionnaires to identify learning needs and learner characteristics. At the design stage, the video structure and storyboard were prepared based on the results of the analysis, while the development stage involved product validation by experts and student testing. The validation results show that this interactive learning video media is suitable for use, with significant improvements in the material and media aspects. The trial of 25 students showed a positive response with an average score above 80% on the aspects of material, feedback, motivation, ease of use, interaction, and accessibility. This study concludes that the interactive learning video based on *ethnoedutour* is effective in helping students understand pressure material through the local cultural context. However, further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the product in increasing students' learning motivation as well as in the implementation and evaluation stages.

Negotiating between national and local policy on participation: local authority arts offices in Ireland

ABSTRACT Focusing on the participation agenda, this paper explores the definitions, negotiations and implementation of cultural policy at the intersection of national policy aims and local level strategy. Recognised as partners with national cultural policy bodies and holding statutory obligation for the arts within a highly centralised system, Irish local authority arts offices offer unique opportunity for exploring the intersection of a national policy agenda with local implementation. Drawing from thematic analysis of interviews with arts officers and of the arts plans for their associated areas, this examination reveals a complex and diverse interpretation of participation within top-down national cultural policy that is defined in practice at local level through the local authority context and the agency of arts officers. While this agency provides opportunities to ensure situated policy relevance, opportunity for reflection and shared learning is required to support strategic thinking. The paper deepens our understanding of the relationships between policy actors and actions, seeking to promote a stronger learning culture between these agents. The analysis advances the emerging literature about policy as situated practice by raising broader questions regarding national – local policy making models.

The Impact of Digital Technologies on the Transnational Aging Experience of Older Hong Kongers

ABSTRACTDespite significant changes brought about by international migration and global population aging, research on older adults has been primarily focused on proximate care and support networks, overlooking the opportunities available to those affected by migration. Filling these gaps, this article draws on in‐depth interviews with 47 older parents (aged 60+) from Hong Kong who are living in transnational family and social contexts to examine how the utilization of digital technologies impacts their daily lives, particularly in relation to transnational aging. Contrary to the conventional assumption that older adults tend to avoid engaging with new technologies, the participants actively embraced digital technologies. This study shows that first, digital technologies can facilitate practical care for older family members across distances, and challenging care for older adults must necessarily be provided in‐person. Second, connecting not only with geographically separated families but also with friends is central to the daily lives of older adults from migrant background, and digital technologies enable such social connections. Third, beyond the role that digital technologies play in fostering interpersonal connections among older adults—a point that is emphasized in the transnational family literature—digitalization also contributes significantly to personal life satisfaction for such people. This study contends that obtaining a comprehensive analysis of aging necessitates a thorough understanding of the influence of digitalization, extending beyond the limits of localized contexts.

EMPViT: Efficient multi-path vision transformer for security risks detection in power distribution network

To maintain the safe operation of power distribution network (PDN) equipment, it is important to accurately and promptly identify security risks. However, conventional drone-based object detection methods face challenges due to noise and similarity features in risk targets, as well as limited computing resources of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). To address these challenges, an efficient embedding-based multi-path fusion architecture is proposed. This architecture uses a re-parameterized depthwise block to embed local context information at different scales, enhancing the extraction of tiny features while preserving inference speed. Additionally, a coordinated self-attention module is proposed to reduce computational complexity while maintaining the performance of global information. By fusing fine and coarse feature representations without requiring a lot of computation, this module efficiently learns from both local and global features from images. The goal is to create an efficient multi-path vision transformer (EMPViT) architecture that achieves a balance between accuracy and efficiency. The proposed EMPViT has been evaluated on two different drone image dataset, demonstrating better performance compared to other architectures. Specifically, the EMPViT-S improves the detection mAP by 1.2%, and the inference speed is improved to 1.24 times on average on Drone-PDN dataset. It has achieved the same performance improvement on VisDrone-DET2019 dataset, gaining detection performance by 1.3% and 1.2 times acceleration on average.

The Impact of Rural E‑Commerce Development on Farmers’Income: A Multi‑Dimensional Empirical Study

This study investigates the impact of rural e-commerce adoption on farmers' income in China, employing a multi-dimensional empirical approach. Utilizing data from 2,000 rural households across five Chinese provinces, we examine the direct effects of e-commerce adoption on income and explore the moderating roles of participation intensity and regional economic development. Our findings reveal a significant positive association between e-commerce adoption and farmers' income, with an elasticity of 0.237 (p < 0.001). Notably, smallholder farmers exhibit the highest income elasticity (0.312, p<0.001), suggesting e-commerce's potential as an equalizing force in rural economies. The study uncovers a non-linear relationship between e-commerce participation intensity and income gains, indicating an optimal level of digital market involvement. Furthermore, regional economic development significantly moderates the e-commerce-income relationship, highlighting the importance of local economic contexts. These results, robust to various econometric specifications, provide valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners engaged in promoting digital agriculture and rural development. The study contributes to the growing literature on digital transformation in rural areas, offering empirical evidence on the heterogeneous effects of e-commerce across different farmer typologies and regional contexts, and emphasizing the need for tailored strategies in fostering inclusive rural e-commerce development.

Assessing community participation in anti-human trafficking in Edo State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT The ineffectiveness of the state-centric legal/institutional approach has marked a paradigm shift in the practice and literature on the global anti-human trafficking efforts to embrace community-based strategies. An understanding of the local contexts of human trafficking is critical to developing a meaningful response to its scourge. Thus, this paper aims to assess community participation in anti-human trafficking efforts in Nigeria. The study adopted the qualitative research design and drew its data from semi-structured interviews with purposively selected 25 stakeholders in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The findings indicated that legal/institutional response has not been effective against human trafficking in Edo State as well as Nigeria due largely to corruption and other vices. Furthermore, while engagement in anti-human trafficking was very high among FBOs, CBOs and NGOs, it was low among ordinary members of the communities. To address the challenges hindering community participation in anti-human trafficking the study recommends the empowerment of local communities and FBOs, CSOs, NGOs, survivors of human trafficking, and other non-state actors. The study concludes that improved community participation will bridge the gaps in the legal/institutional approach, which will result in the effectiveness of the fight against human trafficking in Nigeria.

Crosstalk between paralogs and isoforms influences p63-dependent regulatory element activity.

The p53 family of transcription factors (p53, p63 and p73) regulate diverse organismal processes including tumor suppression, maintenance of genome integrity and the development of skin and limbs. Crosstalk between transcription factors with highly similar DNA binding profiles, like those in the p53 family, can dramatically alter gene regulation. While p53 is primarily associated with transcriptional activation, p63 mediates both activation and repression. The specific mechanisms controlling p63-dependent gene regulatory activity are not well understood. Here, we use massively parallel reporter assays (MPRA) to investigate how local DNA sequence context influences p63-dependent transcriptional activity. Most regulatory elements with a p63 response element motif (p63RE) activate transcription, although binding of the p63 paralog, p53, drives a substantial proportion of that activity. p63RE sequence content and co-enrichment with other known activating and repressing transcription factors, including lineage-specific factors, correlates with differential p63RE-mediated activities. p63 isoforms dramatically alter transcriptional behavior, primarily shifting inactive regulatory elements towards high p63-dependent activity. Our analysis provides novel insight into how local sequence and cellular context influences p63-dependent behaviors and highlights the key, yet still understudied, role of transcription factor paralogs and isoforms in controlling gene regulatory element activity.

Assessing impact risk to tropical marine ecosystems from human activities with a Southeast Asian example

Abstract Society relies on intact marine ecosystems for ecosystem services such as nutrition, livelihoods, health and well‐being. Yet, to obtain these benefits, we carry out activities, introducing pressures to ecosystems, damaging and degrading habitats and reducing their capacity to optimally provide ecosystem services. Biodiversity and ecosystem services are consequently being lost globally but impact chains from these activities are poorly understood, especially in tropical marine ecosystems. We identified for the first time impact chains linking activities with pressures they introduce in five tropical coastal and marine habitats, specifically through application in four Southeast Asian case study sites. Using expert elicitation based on existing evidence, we weighted each impact chain according to pressure extent, frequency and persistence, and habitat resistance and resilience. Assigning each impact chain an impact risk score allowed identification of activities and pressures introducing most risk, and habitats most under threat. Of 26 activities we considered, we found fishing activities, specifically trawling, gill nets and seine nets introduce most risk, along with tourism and recreation. Litter and pollution were among the greatest pressures on habitats, with coral reefs being most vulnerable overall. Destructive fishing practices were associated with physical pressures like abrasion, smothering and siltation and total habitat loss, while tourism activities were associated with organic enrichment, litter and pollution. The risk levels depended on the habitat and on local case study context. Synthesis and applications: A contextualised risk‐based approach can help to prioritise sustainability issues for management in data‐poor regions by making use of a range of knowledge types from local experts to broader scientific knowledge. A multisectoral, and ecosystem‐based risk assessment can help decision makers to consider trade‐offs in marine resource management and highlight priorities transparently, where coordination of multiple administrative organisations, sectors and local actors is required to meet multiple sustainability objectives. Physical pressures from fishing activities combined with pollution from tourism indicate effective management requires a multi‐use zoning approach that not only considers impacts at the site of activities but also integrates regional coordination to tackle dispersive pressures from pollution or sediment disturbance that occur at a distance from the source.

Cultural and Regional Influences on Global AI Apprehension

The discussion surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) is primarily influenced by Western viewpoints, often neglecting the cultural, regional, and socio-political factors that affect global perceptions of AI. This study examines how these factors shape AI apprehension in various regions, including Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. A qualitative literature review was conducted, analyzing peer-reviewed articles, policy reports, and gray literature from multiple regions. The study used a comparative approach to assess the cultural, political, and economic contexts shaping AI perceptions. It found significant regional differences in AI concerns: Western countries emphasize privacy, surveillance, and ethics, while regions like Africa and Asia focus on technological dependency, state control, and socio-economic issues, such as job displacement. Brazil and Argentina were noted for their AI governance models, while South Africa and Kenya leverage AI to tackle socio-economic challenges. The findings underscore the need for inclusive AI governance frameworks that respect diverse local contexts and values. These frameworks would contribute to a better understanding of AI's global impact and inform future policy development.

Sustainable bonds as a sustainable financial instrument: thematic insights and future prospects

Purpose This study aims to explore the development and significance of sustainable finance instruments, mainly sustainable bonds. The purpose is to provide policymakers, regulators and researchers with insights into the current state of sustainable finance research and also provide future research directions. Design/methodology/approach This study used Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews as a review protocol and addressed four research questions concerning publication and citation trends, major themes and future research directions in sustainable bonds. Findings This study indicated growing attention in sustainable bond research, with increasing publication and citation trends. Along with identifying research themes, the findings include future direction on pricing and risk assessment, market dynamics and growth potential, policy and regulatory environments and global perspectives with local context. Research limitations/implications Although this study provides a robust analysis of the current literature, it relies on existing publications and may not capture the latest developments in sustainable bond research. However, policymakers can benefit from insights into the growth and dynamics of sustainable bonds, enabling them to implement effective policies and regulations. Investors and businesses can use this research to inform their environmental, social and governance investment strategies and decision-making processes. Originality/value This paper suggests a comprehensive overview of the state of research in sustainable bonds, highlighting the emerging trends and research priorities. It also underlines the significance of sustainable finance in achieving sustainability goals and provides a roadmap for future research.

Rough Draft Math as an Evolving Practice: Incremental Changes in Mathematics Teachers’ Thinking and Instruction

This paper presents exploratory findings suggesting that mathematics teachers can implement Rough Draft Math (RDM) by making small, incremental changes that align with their current practices and local contexts, including curriculum materials, with minimal support. Following a conference presentation and/or reading a book about pedagogy, teachers reported shifts in their thinking that facilitated their interest in enacting RDM and small changes they made to their teaching. The flexibility of RDM, as a general concept rather than a set of prescribed practices, allowed teachers to incorporate RDM to meet their own teaching goals. We propose that this adaptability enables teachers to incorporate RDM into their classrooms incrementally, reflecting their existing objectives for their students.

Misery Needs Company: Contextualizing the Geographic and Temporal Link between Unemployment and Suicide

Despite long-standing evidence linking higher unemployment rates to increased suicide rates, a puzzling trend emerged in the United States after the Great Recession: suicide rates continued to rise even as unemployment rates declined. Drawing on theories of social networks and reference groups, we advance the concept of “sameness”—in this case, the extent to which an individual’s employment status aligns with the fate of others in one’s community—to clarify how unemployment rates influence suicide. Constructing a multilevel dataset of U.S. suicide deaths from 2005 to 2017, we find that while unemployed individuals face a higher risk of suicide compared to the employed, this gap diminishes in communities with high local unemployment rates. Moreover, the “sameness” effect extends beyond geographic contexts to temporal ones, as national unemployment spikes reduce suicide risk among the unemployed and diminish the importance of local sameness. Together, these findings suggest a mechanism of “situational awareness,” whereby local and national economic contexts shape the meaning of unemployment, shifting its interpretation from personal failure to system failure and reducing its stigma. Our article offers a novel framework for examining the effects of cross-level interactions in suicide research, highlighting the crucial role of culture as deeply intertwined with social network mechanisms in shaping contextual influence.

Using Social Space Perspective to Explore SDGs Curricula Localisation: Case Study at Two Japanese National and Private Universities

ABSTRACTDrawing on the concept of the Production of Space this article examines how sustainable development agenda was localised—in design, operation and students' lived experiences—in two international education programmes at two universities in Japan. We analysed relevant programme documents, interviews with faculty members, students' reflective notes, as well as the authors' autoethnographic journals. The findings show that the local and institutional context influenced the SDGs curriculum design (representations of space or the conceived space). The virtual and physical learning spaces, the pedagogy and the operation of the programme (spatial practice or perceived space) shaped students' interaction and learning outcomes (representational space or the lived space). As instructors attempted to adopt SDGs in their teaching (through perceived space) and as students tried to gain interdisciplinary knowledge through SDGs (through lived space), both parties negotiated and challenged the programme design shifting the conceived spaces. Our study contributes to a deeper understanding of the localisation of SDGs within the internationalisation of higher education by employing Lefebvre's spatial analysis. This approach reveals the complex socio‐spatial dynamics at play, offering insights into how educational environments are constructed and experienced.

Readiness of primary healthcare and community markets for joint delivery of cardiovascular disease prevention services in Kenya: an observational feasibility study of Health Kiosks in Markets (HEKIMA)

ObjectivesThe increasing burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Kenya threatens its healthcare system. There is a need for innovative models that improve equitable access to CVD prevention services. Community markets...

FISCAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF PARKS AT MUNICIPAL LEVEL: SERRA DO GANDARELA NATIONAL PARK AND BOA NOVA NATIONAL PARK

This study assessed the impact of parks created after the National System of Conservation Units (SNUC) in 2001 on the socioeconomic structure of municipalities with up to 200,000 inhabitants. The objective was to verify whether these parks influence local economic development, using the Serra da Gandarela National Park (Rio Acima, MG) and the Boa Nova National Park (Boa Nova, BA) as cases. The hypothesis is based on the idea that parks could boost the economic development of the surrounding populations. Using the synthetic control method, it was estimated how municipal taxes would evolve if the parks had not been created. The results gave different signs. In the case of Boa Nova, the hypothesis was confirmed, indicating economic benefits. However, in the case of Serra da Gandarela, there was a reduction in revenue, suggesting that the impacts of parks depend on the local context and the way they are implemented and used by the community.

Technology Assessment vs. Technology Appraisal-How to Strengthen the Science/Value Dichotomy with EU HTA?

Many countries around the world use health technology assessment (HTA) to inform reimbursement and pricing decisions. HTA is often split into two steps, called assessment and appraisal. While the term HTA itself has been defined by international consortia, there is heterogeneity in the way different stakeholders use the terms assessment and appraisal. This creates ambiguity regarding which activities are included in technology assessment. With the new EU HTA Regulation, the HTA community should urgently seek to clarify the distinction between assessment and appraisal, as the regulation aims to centralize the clinical part of technology assessment at the European level. Failure to clarify this terminology will put the ambition of the regulation such as increased efficiency and reduction in duplication at risk. In this article, we argue that the distinction between assessment and appraisal should be seen as a science/value dichotomy. We discuss the transition from centralized assessment activities to country-level appraisal, which should culminate in a categorization of the overall added benefit in a local context. Finally, we touch on the important dimension of uncertainty always present in medical decision making.