Nature Of Community Participation Research Articles

MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE IN GERMANY: PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR UKRAINE

Establishing a municipal governance system is a long process focused on selecting the best practices that have proven to be effective and efficient. One of the methods is the transit of elements of municipal systems borrowed from other countries. The experience of ensuring democratic participation of the community formed in Germany is of interest. The purpose of the article is to identify the components of the German model of municipal governance that can be used by Ukraine to improve the efficiency of the national system of local self-government and bring it closer to EU standards. The elements of the comparative analysis in the article are the analysis of the institutional model of municipal governance and its state and political basis; determination of the specifics of the distribution of powers between the state and local governments and the nature of community participation in local self-government; characterization of the system of financial guarantees and the budget system; determination of the principles of cooperation and coordination of municipalities. The article uses the methodology of comparative analysis based on the identification and analysis of the legal, structural, organizational, political and economic components of municipal governance in Ukraine and Germany.

How community participation in water and sanitation interventions impacts human health, WASH infrastructure and service longevity in low-income and middle-income countries: a realist review

ObjectiveTo understand how, and under what circumstances community participation in water and sanitation interventions impacts the availability of safe water and sanitation, a change in health status or behaviour and...

Community Participation in Wildlife Management in Baturiya Sanctuary, Northwestern Nigeria

Human benefits from wildlife are apparently declining over decades as the extent and intensity of threat to protected areas continue. This study assessed nature of community participation in wildlife management in Baturiya Sanctuary with a view to providing information for active participation of communities in the management of this area. A total of five communities namely: Shinge (4km west), Illala (12km west), Kokiro (3km east), Zigobiya (7km east) and Abanaguwa (5km north) were purposively sampled based on their proximity to the sanctuary. Snowball sampling technique was used to select fifty-seven (57) participants for the survey. Questionnaire and Interview were conducted to elicit the knowledge and perspectives of participants on the role of community in wildlife management. Numerical values were analysed in percentage while chi-square was used to test the levels of participation among communities. Findings of this study indicate that only 18 of the 57 sampled participants are involved in wildlife management. It also shows that there is decrease and extinction of wildlife especially birds, primates and reptiles in the sanctuary. The study also found four categories of participants: active-voluntary, active-institutional, passive-voluntary and passive-institutional. It shows that 37.50% active and 62.50% are passive participants respectively. Benefits of community participation include control of poaching (43.85%) and control of trade in parts of animals (25%). Majority of the participants (83.33%) engage in wildlife management voluntarily based on perceived benefits derived from the sanctuary. Poor governance (43.85%) and weak community institutions (31.57%) are the main limitations to community participation in wildlife management. This study therefore recommended that community leaders and youth should be strengthened and officially recognized as stakeholders in wildlife management and governance of natural resources in Nigeria at large.

State-of-the-practice: Assessing community participation within Chinese cultural World Heritage properties

Community participation is a key part of heritage management. However, in practice, unlike natural heritage, the nature of community participation within cultural heritage is seldom assessed, nor are there theoretical frameworks developed to baseline such assessments. To fill this knowledge gap, this paper developed and tested an assessment framework, to assess community participation within cultural heritage. Based on the conceptualisation of community participation from heritage management policies, a literature review was conducted to develop an assessment framework, including four criteria and 23 indicators. This assessment framework was tested on the management practices of 36 Chinese cultural heritage properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List from 1987 to 2018. Using content analysis as a method, this research applied this assessment framework to UNESCO documents, reporting on the state-of-the-practice of heritage management as applied to Chinese World Heritage. The results provide an overview of the current situation on how community participation is positioned within World Heritage management in China. Several World Heritage properties in China have reported relatively high community participation in examples such as Honghe Hani Rice Terraces and Kulangsu. However, most of them demonstrate minimal community participation, such as the Yungang Grottoes and Lushan National Park. Moreover, the assessment framework of community participation in heritage management has been extended and improved, which is relevant to heritage management practices worldwide.

Community Involvement/Participation In Nigerian Educational System: The Role Of Adult And Non-Formal Education

The deplorable situation in Nigerian educational system has made policy makers, educators and others involved in education to seek for ways to utilize the limited resources efficiently and effectively in order to provide quality education for children. Their efforts have contributed to realizing the significance and benefits of community participation in education and have recognized community participation as one of the strategies for improving educational access and quality. This paper, therefore, explores the background information, conceptual framework, policy framework, community participation in education, implication for adult and non-formal education, challenges and way forward. The conclusion was also drawn based on the nature of community participation in education.

Community‐academic partnerships in HIV‐related research: a systematic literature review of theory and practice

IntroductionCommunity involvement in HIV research has increased over recent years, enhancing community-academic partnerships. Several terms have been used to describe community participation in research. Clarification is needed to determine whether these terms are synonymous or actually describe different research processes. In addition, it remains unclear if the role that communities play in the actual research process follows the recommendations given in theoretical frameworks of community-academia research.ObjectivesThe objective of this study is to review the existing terms and definitions regarding community-academic partnerships and assess how studies are implementing these in relation to conceptual definitions.MethodsA systematic literature review was conducted in PubMed. Two reviewers independently assessed each article, applying the following inclusion criteria: the article must be published in English before 2013; it must provide an explicit definition and/or defining methodology for a term describing research with a community component; and it has to refer to HIV or AIDS, reproductive health and/or STDs. When disagreements about the relevance of an article emerged, a third reviewer was involved until concordance was reached. Data were extracted by one reviewer and independently verified by a second. Qualitative data were analyzed using MaxQDA for content and thematic analyses while quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Community feedback on data analysis and presentation of results was also incorporated.ResultsIn total, 246 articles were retrieved, 159 of which fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The number of studies that included community participation in the field of HIV research increased between 1991 and 2012, and the terms used to describe these activities have changed, moving away from action research (AR) to participatory action research (PAR), community-based research (CBR) and community-based participatory research (CBPR), with the latter being the most commonly used term. While definitions of all terms had common characteristics (e.g. participation of community in research process), they varied with regard to the emphasis placed on these characteristics. The nature of community participation in reviewed studies differed considerably from that described in theoretical models.ConclusionsThis study indicates the increase of participatory approaches in HIV research and underlines the need for clarification of terms and a framework providing orientation to community-academia partnerships.

Overview of the Primary Health Care System In South Africa and the Nature of Community Participation with Special Reference to Khayelitsha

The evolution of the South African health system has been characterised by inequities, imbalances as well as fragmentation. The unification of South Africa in 1910 did not consolidate public health administration, which, at the time, was characterised by increasing institutionalisation, professionalism and organisation. This was the status quo up until after 1990, after which there were marked efforts and endeavours to effect de-fragmentation of these essential services. This article has investigated the extent to which community participation is enhanced and expanded in primary health care in South Africa, with the area of focus the township of Khayelitsha near Cape Town, South Africa. Community participation in health care matters should be seen as the organised effort to increase control over resources and regulative institutions in given social situations. This is in line with the Batho Pele principles enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996.

Can the World Bank Build Social Capital? The Experience of Social Funds in Malawi and Zambia

Social funds have been one of the main manifestations of the World Bank's move toward promoting projects with a participatory orientation. Supporters of social funds argue that participation in social fund activities builds community social capital. Critics of the Bank's use of social capital argue that it ignores power structures but these critics have focused on the Bank's research rather than its operations. This paper examines ‘social capital’ in a project context: social funds in Malawi and Zambia. In contrast to the model of collective action suggested by proponents of social funds, it is shown that the nature of community participation is indeed shaped by existing power and social relations. Project identification and execution is led by a small number of people in the community, usually the head teacher in cooperation with the PTA and traditional authorities. The community is then mobilised using the traditional structures of village headmen. Most community members participate actively in making bricks, but passively in decision making. However, this process should be seen as an institutional adaptation to what social funds offer, not elite capture. Most community members are satisfied with the outcome, although the chosen project is not what they would have chosen themselves. Given these processes, social funds do little to build social capital but instead, appear to be users of existing social capital.

Development and New Forms of Democracy in eThekwini

Through a case study of development policy making in the eThekwini metro (Durban), South Africa, this paper explores the emergence of new forms of local democracy in post-apartheid South Africa. After a review of the process surrounding the preparation of the Long-term Development Framework and the Integrated Development Plan in the city from the late 1990s through to 2003, the paper outlines the nature of community participation in the creation of these plans. We note the relationship between processes of formal elected representation and strong community participation in the preparation of the Long-term Development Framework. The initially extensive participatory process to some extent evolved into a routinised series of local meetings in each ward where community involvement was better characterised as consultative rather than participatory. The complexities and power relationships internal to participatory or consultative practices are placed alongside the way in which ‘participation’ competes with other forms of representation. Elected representatives were very important for setting the tone and direction for development policy in the city, although some perceived community meetings as threatening to their legitimacy or role. Unelected representatives such as traditional authorities were also relevant in this context. The final section turns to more informal but no less important influences on development policy in the city. In particular, major business actors have had a direct influence on large capital projects within the city. Furthermore, politicians at a provincial and national level participate in many decisions relating to the city through party networks. Officials and council departments played a significant role in determining the policy documents and visions for the future of the city. We conclude that a range of forms of democratic government all played a role in shaping development policy: participatory, electoral, party mechanisms, bureaucratic institutions of government, and informal influence. While all these co-existing aspects of democracy instantiate fields of power relations, the evidence from Durban suggests that local democracy is being forged in distinctive and vibrant ways in post-apartheid South Africa, even if these are necessarily embedded in emergent systems of power relations which frame and limit opportunities for redistributive and developmental outcomes.

Improving access for the poorest to public sector health services: insights from Kirivong Operational Health District in Cambodia

This article presents research findings into the effectiveness of an innovative equity fund approach to improving access to public sector health services for the poor in Kirivong Operational Health District in Cambodia. The operational health district is the lowest organizational level in the Cambodian health system, providing services through health centres and a single referral hospital. An equity fund involves a third party identifying the poor and paying user fees on their behalf by reimbursing the service provider, thus relieving health staff of such responsibility. We explore the appropriateness of utilizing community members to identify the poorest. The impact of newly introduced pagoda-managed equity funds on access to public health services for the poorest, and on their out-of-pocket expenditure during illness episodes, is then examined. We conclude with an evaluation of the contribution of the equity funds to community participation. The research indicates that identification by community members of those eligible for equity funds is feasible, accrues minimal direct costs, and is effective. Households identified as eligible for equity fund benefits were poorer than those identified as non-beneficiaries. Direct costs associated with seeking care were considerably lower for equity fund beneficiaries than for non-beneficiaries, and fewer beneficiaries than non-beneficiaries initially consulted the private sector, providing evidence of the equity fund's ability to attract the poorest to the public sector. The level and nature of community participation was enhanced considerably following the introduction of the pagoda-managed equity funds. In order to maximize and sustain the equity benefits of such funds, we recommend that external agencies (such as international non-governmental organizations) limit their role to the provision of technical support and advice, rather than taking the lead on implementation and administration. Facilitating the design, implementation, administration and management of equity funds by indigenous community-based organizations has the advantage of not only greatly reducing administrative costs, allowing a large proportion of the fund to be spent on services for the poor, but also of enhancing local ownership, thus increasing the likelihood of equity funds being sustained in the future.

Algorithms for mutant sorting: the need for phenotype vocabularies.

For effectively annotated phenotypes for mouse, a number of detailed phenotypic classification systems are needed. The rapidly increasing number of phenotypically described characteristics of both normal and mutant mice are providing a rich data set for comparison and analysis. However, we cannot rely on text descriptions that are subject to the word-usage style of the writer if we are to do large-scale comparative analysis of traits and diseases. The rationale for developing vocabularies and examples of several vocabularies being developed are described. Finally, the critical nature of community participation in both building and applying phenotype vocabularies is discussed.

Community Planning for HIV/AIDS Prevention in Orange County, California

HIV/AIDS remains a critical social concern in the United States. Although much progress has been made in terms of medical research, public awareness, and prevention strategies, HIV/AIDS continues to affect more and differing groups of people. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) radically restructured the nature of planning for HIV education and prevention services by requiring a community planning process, to improve the effectiveness of public policy through community participation and locally developed epidemiological data. This paper explores the outcomes and challenges encountered in the community planning process by analyzing the case of Orange County, California. Orange County, widely associated with suburban affluence and high-tech development, is not commonly understood as having societal crises such as HIV/AIDS. However, this municipality has had a growing number of persons living with HIV/AIDS, and has aggressively engaged the community planning process in its efforts to develop more appropriate, more effective HIV education and prevention services. Several facets of the nature of community participation are discussed: the context of institutional structure and practices at the municipal, state, and federal levels; the impacts and challenges encountered through this process; and the effects that community input has had on institutional practices. The paper presents the implications of this analysis for the community participation model's usefulness in planning the delivery of human services.