Organization Of Campaigns Research Articles

Editor’s Introduction

Editor’s Introduction

Cross Regional Differences in HIV/AIDS Prevalence in Tanzania: How Socioeconomic and Cultural Contexts Affect Perceived Individual and Group Efficacy

The purpose of this study was to conduct a cross-regional comparative analysis of the cultural, social, and economic differences that influence the HIV/AIDS prevalence as well as the differences in media channels and messages used in the prevention campaigns in two neighboring regions in Tanzania-Singida with one of the lowest (3.3%) and Iringa with one of the highest (9.1%) prevalence in the country. Four focus groups were conducted in each region among both rural and urban areas in the two regions. The findings indicated major differences in tribal composition, cultural, social, and economic factors that influence sexual behaviors in the two regions. Participants also indicated that there were differences in media channels used in the prevention campaigns in the two regions. The findings have practical and theoretical implications for campaign designers, scholars, organizations, and funding agencies in Tanzania in particular and sub-Saharan Africa in general.

МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЕ НЕПРАВИТЕЛЬСТВЕННЫЕ ОРГАНИЗАЦИИ (МНПО) В СОБЫТИЯХ «АРАБСКОЙ ВЕСНЫ» В ЕГИПТЕ: РОЛЬ, МЕХАНИЗМЫ ВМЕШАТЕЛЬСТВА И РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ

“Arab spring” has launched a process of large-scale political transformation of the countries in the North Africa and the Middle East. There are many “points of tension” in the region of North Africa, in which converge the political and economic interests of external actors, including international non-governmental organizations (INGOs). The lobbying of democratic values as opposed to clan interests led to the strengthening of the role of the West in relation to the state and public institutions of the North Africa and the Middle East. Moreover, academic community recognizes that currently INGOs actively participate in modern international relations, in internal policy of the countries where they perform their activities. Their actions have even more significant impact during the times when the political regimes change. This article aims to analyze the activities of INGOs before, during and after the change of H. Mubarak’s government in Egypt, under the governments of M. Mursi and A.F. As-Sisi (2010-2016 gg.). The article deals with several active INGOs of the “Arab Spring”, such as National Democratic Institute, International Republican Institute, Carter Center and other. The analysis of the activities of the above-mentioned INGO allows us to draw conclusions about their strategies, methods, and instruments of modern technologies facilitating the change of the political regime. The most common mechanisms of INGOs influence on political transition were participation in or-ganization of the electoral process, organization of election campaigns, seminars, consultations for civil society that promote the emergence of new potential political leaders. Great attention in this article is paid to the socio-economic situation in Egypt after the mass unrest. The author shows how the external forces behind foreign NGOs contributed to the political transition, and relates to the ambiguous results for population it has brought. Methodological basis of this study was system and comparative methods of analysis, event-analysis.

Orden für die Kollektivierung. Die Rolle von Auszeichnungen für den Aufstieg der Tscheka-Kommandeure in die neue sowjetische Elite in den 1930er Jahren

Based on archival documents primarily from the Russian State Archiv (GARF) this paper studies the awarding of decorations to members of the Political Police (Cheka, OGPUNKVD). Decorations, indeed, played a major role in the formation of the new Soviet elite. Despite the organization of real campaigns to back their candidates for decorations, the Cheka poorly achieved in the years before the onset of the Great Purge in 1937. The main reason was that the Commission on Decorations of the Revolutionary War Council only deemed heroic feats accomplished in war-like action worth of special recognition. The Great Purge fundamentally changed this feature. This, in turn, opened the way to a great upswing in social advancement for high-ranking Cheka members into the emerging Soviet elite.

“You see, one day they cut”: The evolution, expression, and consequences of resistance for women who oppose female genital cutting

ABSTRACTIt is estimated that more than 200 million women alive today have undergone female genital cutting (FGC). While emerging evidence shows that attitudes toward FGC may evolve for immigrants as they acculturate to the host country, scant empirical research explores how women come to oppose the practice. This qualitative study used grounded theory methods to explore the trajectory of resistance to FGC for seven women circumcised in childhood who sought asylum in the United States as adults to protect their daughters from the practice. Participants originated from Burkina Faso, Guinea, The Gambia, and Chad. Analysis revealed nine themes tracing the evolution of resistance to FGC and other gender role norms for participants: coercion, threat, and retribution narratives; traumatic memories of circumcision; growing awareness of the personal implications of circumcision; emergence of critical thinking; trangressive thoughts and acts; navigating the consequences of resistance; everyday reinforcement; negotiating resistance dilemmas; and making meaning of resistance. In contrast to previous studies linking opposition to FGC to post-settlement acculturation or pre-migration exposure to organized international human rights campaigns, findings of this study indicate that traumatic memories of the circumcision rite, combined with the capacity to reflect on “taken for granted” cultural practices and to employ critical thinking skills, may lead to resistance to FGC for some women. Furthermore, findings highlight that FGC, and opposition to it, has lasting consequences for women from societies where the practice is embraced, and these consequences persist after migration. Practice and policy recommendations are drawn from the analysis.

The Battle of Ideas About Global Poverty in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Flanders

The purpose of this research is to uncover the manner in which newspapers and non-governmental organisation (NGO) campaigns in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Flanders represent poverty in developing countries. An inductive framing analysis, based on a social constructionist approach, reveals nine frames through which this subject is portrayed. The analysis shows how these frames propagate opposing positions about global poverty and how they drive the debates about aid effectiveness and the case for aid. The study is of relevance to NGOs, journalists, and other stakeholders who wish to increase insight into communications about global poverty and international development.

Voter Mobilization, Experimentation, and Translational Social Science

Field experiments on voter mobilization enable researchers to test theoretical propositions while at the same time addressing practical questions that confront campaigns. This confluence of interests has led to increasing collaboration between researchers and campaign organizations, which in turn has produced a rapid accumulation of experiments on voting. This new evidence base makes possible translational works such asGet Out the Vote: How to Increase Voter Turnoutthat synthesize the burgeoning research literature and convey its conclusions to campaign practitioners. However, as political groups develop their own in-house capacity to conduct experiments whose results remain proprietary and may be reported selectively, the accumulation of an unbiased, public knowledge base is threatened. We discuss these challenges and the ways in which research that focuses on practical concerns may nonetheless speak to enduring theoretical questions.

Elizabeth Fones-Wolf and Ken Fones-Wolf.Struggle for the Soul of the Postwar South: White Evangelical Protestants and Operation Dixie.

In their fine book Struggle for the Soul of the Postwar South: White Evangelical Protestants and Operation Dixie, Elizabeth and Ken Fones-Wolf provide an outstanding account of the role of religion in the Congress of Industrial Organizations’s (CIO) campaign to organize industrial workers in the South after World War II. Labor historians tend to know little about American religious history, and historians of American religion tend to know little about the history of the American labor movement. Equally at home in both fields, the Fones-Wolfs employ a wide array of secondary and archival sources, including workers’ own oral histories, to illuminate an episode crucial to understanding southern society and American politics in the second half of the twentieth century. Rightly or wrongly, the CIO focused its Southern Organizing Campaign on the textile industry, which had relocated to the South to avoid unionization. Because most textile workers were white, it was thus able to finesse its commitment to racial unity—a commitment not shared by the more conservative American Federation of Labor (AFL). Although imbued with a leftism often hostile to organized religion, the CIO nevertheless recognized that it needed to engage with the religiosity of white workers in order to succeed. Unfortunately, as the Fones-Wolfs make clear, the organizers grasped that religiosity only imperfectly, relying for outreach on northerners whose credentials lay in mainline modernist denominations.

Awareness and practice of road safety measures among college going students in Guntur City

Background and Aim: In most regions of the world the global epidemic of traffic injuries is still increasing. It has been estimated that unless immediate action is taken, road deaths will rise to the fifth leading cause of deaths by 2030. Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) are the leading cause of death among individuals aged 15 to 29 and second leading cause of mortality among 20-24 years of age. Simple measures such as awareness and practice of road safety measures can effectively reduce the impact of RTAs on the people’s lives. The present study was aimed to assess the awareness levels of road safety measures among college students in Guntur city. Materials and Methods: The present cross sectional study was done among 450 college students. A pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire for evaluation of the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of two-wheeler driving was used. Results: History of using their own vehicles was given by 73.33% of the participants. Only 14.66% have ever attended awareness training program. Only 46% of the participants wear helmet while driving. Conclusion: The level of knowledge regarding road safety measures was satisfactory but interpretation of traffic signs was poor. Strict enforcement of laws and periodic organization of traffic awareness campaigns are essential for checking out risky practices in driving.

Four Functions of Digital Tools in Election Campaigns

This article presents a case study of the use of digital tools by campaign organizations in Germany’s 2013 federal election. Based on observations and in-depth interviews with key personnel in the campaigns of six of the parties running for Parliament, I examine whether German campaigns’ use of digital tools follows the usage practices that have been identified in studies of campaigns in the United States. I group how campaigns use digital tools into four categories: organizational structures and work routines, presence in information spaces online, support in resource collection and allocation, and symbolic uses. I show that these categories capture how German parties use digital tools. U.S.-based studies can thus provide helpful interpretive frameworks for studying digital campaigning in other countries. However, I also reveal that there are important differences between German and U.S.-based online campaigning. These differences stem from the different levels of intensity with which digital tools are deployed in each country.

Potential of remote sensing and open street data for flood mapping in poorly gauged areas: a case study in Gonaives, Haiti

The Hispaniola Island, in the Caribbean tropical zone, is prone to extreme flood events. Floods are caused by tropical springs and hurricanes and may lead to human losses, economical damages, and spreading of waterborne diseases. Flood studies based upon hydrological and hydraulic modelling are hampered by almost complete lack of hydro-meteorological data. Thenceforth, and given the cost and complexity in the organization of field measurement campaigns, the need for exploitation of remote sensing data, and open source data bases. We present here a feasibility study to explore the potential of (i) high-resolution of digital elevation models (DEMs) from remote imagery and (ii) remotely sensed precipitation data, to feed hydrological flow routing and hydraulic flood modelling, applied to the case study of river La Quinte closed to Gonaives (585 km2), Haiti. We studied one recent flood episode, namely hurricane Ike in 2008, when flood maps from remote sensing were available for validation. The atmospheric input given by hourly rainfall was taken from downscaled Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) daily estimates, and subsequently fed to a semi-distributed DEM-based hydrological model, providing an hourly flood hydrograph. Then, flood modelling using Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System (HEC-RAS 1D, one-dimensional model for unsteady open channel flow) was carried out under different scenarios of available digital elevation models. The DEMs were generated using optical remote sensing satellite WorldView-1 and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), combined with information from an open source database (OpenStreetMap). Observed flood extent and land use have been extracted using Systeme Pour l’Observation de la Terre-4 (SPOT-4) imagery. The hydraulic model was tuned for floodplain friction against the observed flooded area. We compared different scenarios of flood simulation and the predictive power given by model tuning. Our study provides acceptable results in depicting flooded areas, especially considering the tremendous lack of ground data, and shows the potential of hydrological modelling approach fed by remote sensing information in Haiti, and in similarly data-scarce areas. Our approach may be useful to provide depiction of flooded areas for the purpose of (i) flood design for urban planning under a frequency-driven approach and (ii) forecasting of flooded areas for warning procedures, pending availability of weather forecast with proper lead time.

Fear and Leadership in Union Organizing Campaigns

This article adopts a mobilization framework to examine the crucial actions of workplace activists in overcoming fear of employer reprisal during union organizing campaigns in hostile environments. The article explores fear as part of the organizing process in two ways; first, we examine how fear can act as a stimulus for workplace activists to take action in an attempt to overcome the source of that fear. Second, we examine fear as an inhibiting factor in organizing, whereby the presence of fear hinders individuals from taking action. Using qualitative data from interviews conducted with workplace activists across a variety of campaigns in Ireland, this article examines the process through which workplace activists conquer their own sense of fear and undertake the task of mobilizing colleagues toward collective action in pursuit of union representation amid fear of employer reprisal.

Oocyte Cryopreservation as a Preventive Measure for Age-Related Fertility Loss.

The increased desire to achieve higher educational, career, or financial goals and not having met a suitable partner are the main reasons why women are postponing parenthood to later stages in life. Not being aware of the age-related decline in fertility and the presence of novel and effective fertility preservation strategies are contributing factors to the increased incidence of childlessness at later stages of life. Oocyte cryopreservation has recently been introduced as a means of increasing the probability of motherhood at advanced ages, should attempts at natural conception fail. It is likely to be the most effective when performed in patients younger than 35 years with a good ovarian reserve. Preconceptional counseling of women by medical professionals, education of young adolescents at schools, organization of public health campaigns, and presentation of fertility health information through the media are strategies suggested to increase public awareness on the age-related decline in fertility and avoid its possible consequences.

Factors of vulnerability: How large-scale land acquisitions take advantage of local and national weaknesses in Sierra Leone

Enticing economic benefits for host nations and the notion of large areas of land considered available are often put forward as the main reasons for large-scale land acquisition in many areas of sub-Saharan Africa. However, country-level datasets of land acquisitions seem to indicate a clear divide between a majority of countries engaged in land acquisitions as investors and those involved as targets. We posit that there are socio-economic and governance factors that make the engagement between targets of land acquisitions and investors both unequal and attractive to large-scale investments. We then ask the question: what are the factors that make communities vulnerable to an unequal engagement with large-scale land-investing interests in Sierra Leone? We explore this question using local-level socio-economic data of households and communities in two settings where land acquisitions have occurred in Sierra Leone. We find that socio-economic characteristics of local populations, such as levels of education, the powerful role of traditional chiefs and corruption, make these areas easier targets for such land investments. Investors also exploit the poor economic situation of local areas by making alluring promises of development opportunities. The vulnerability of local people to land investors is further undermined by poor governance at the national level and external politico-financial interest in favor of such investments. Local populations are vulnerable to organized campaigns of land acquisitions by multi-national companies. Proper legal and institutional frameworks are required to protect local interests in these land deals.

Mário Magalhães: Development is Health.

Mário Magalhães da Silveira (1905-1986) was the main mentor of the school of thought known as "developmental public health" whose influence peaked at the III National Health Assembly. A critic of the adoption of North American models of public health organization, of the centralism and vertical organization of public health campaigns and the interference of international bodies, the public health doctor held the view that as health is a problem of superstructure, it depends on industrial economic development. He also defended the urgent need to municipalize public health in order to attend to the real needs of the Brazilian population. A pioneer of the intermingling of economic and demographic variables, he may be seen as a predecessor of the health economy discipline. The article describes the professional path of Mário Magalhães as a backdrop to his critical thinking on specific national situations and the health policies adopted.

MEDIA INFLUENCE ON POLITICAL PARTIES IN ALBANIA

This article investigates the role of television on the structure and organization of political parties in the post – communist Albania. The existing literature on political parties links the structure of mass parties with the written press, and the structure of electoral- professional and cartel parties with the increasing influence of television. The mass party is based on the principle of membership. Among many tasks that members had to carry out, the dissemination of party’s declarations, statements, opinions and ideology, through the distribution of party press is one of the most important. The studies on political parties have observed the emergence of the catch-all, electoral-professional and cartel party, in which the party leaders have substituted the membership organizational network with television, and thus minimized the role of intermediate party organs. In difference from their counterparts in Western Europe, in the new established democracies of post-communist countries, political parties were born in a period characterized by a modern and developed media which was accessible to everyone. Therefore, the immediate access to modern means of communication has distanced the parties from the society since the early phases of their inceptions, without giving them the opportunity and necessity to organize territorially. This article analysed the techniques that have used the Albanian political parties to communicate with their electorate, concluding that in the moment of their creation, television could not serve to the opposition parties as a means of information. That is why they had to rely heavily on the written press and their membership. The opening of some broadcasting channels, after 2000, made possible the access on modern techniques of communication, leading to a minor role of the press and membership. As a result we could say that at the early phase of democratic process, the political parties in Albania shared features of the mass party with a strong territorial penetration, features that started to fade out when television gained a more prominent role in the organization of electoral campaigns by influencing thus a more contemporary western alike model of party organization.

POPULARIZATION OF AN ECOLOGICAL DIMENSION OF SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION USING SENSORY MARKETING

This publication presents an essence of sustainable consumption and sustainable marketing laying special emphasis on an ecological dimension of those phenomena. There has been also explored the essence of sensory marketing as an innovative concept that constitutes an answer to the demand of experience economy. In the part of this work which relates to market realities, examples of propagating disseminating attitudes were referred to. The primary goal of this article is to point out the possibilities of popularizing an ecological dimension of sustainable consumption through promotional activities taken by business entities. Whereas the secondary goal is to determine the factors conditioning the effective performance of marketing activities involving people’s senses and drawing the society’s attention to proecological behaviours. Among the main determinants the following activities have been identifi ed: coherent appeal to all senses of consumers, the connection of promotional actions with local societies, the formation of an “ecological” community around a brand, the use of an aspect of surprise, the organisation of campaigns which respect the rules of environmental protection.

Arsenicosis and stigmatisation

Arsenicosis is believed to have debilitating effects on social relations, but with arsenic poisoning previously associated directly with economic and cognitive impacts, the degree to which stigmatisation is influenced by socio-economic or health status has not been established in the literature. Based on face-to-face interviews with 100 arsenic outpatients from specialist arsenic clinics in rural Bangladesh, this study represents an early quantitative analysis of factors predicting social impacts of arsenicosis. Physical health status, average years of schooling, family size and the presence of non-government organisation (NGO) and government-run arsenic-awareness campaigns significantly predicted social impacts. We found that the presence of awareness-raising activities was by far the most significant predictor of social impacts after other key variables, including gender and income, thus underscoring the importance of public health interventions in mitigating the impact of stigmatised diseases. The study confirms previous qualitative findings that ostracism is a pervasive problem for arsenicosis patients, and that public health interventions can be a valuable counter to such social problems.

How conflicted authors undermine the World Health Organization (WHO) campaign to stop all use of asbestos: spotlight on studies showing that chrysotile is carcinogenic and facilitates other non-cancer asbestos-related diseases.

The silicate mineral asbestos is categorized into two main groups based on fiber structure: serpentine asbestos (chrysotile) and amphibole asbestos (crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite). Chrysotile is used in more than 2 000 applications and is especially prevalent in the construction industry. Although its use is banned or restricted in more than 52 countries, an estimated 107 000 workers die from asbestos exposure each year, and approximately 125 million workers continue to be exposed. Furthermore, ambient exposures persist to which the public is exposed, globally. Today, the primary controversies regarding the use of asbestos are the potencies of different types of asbestos, as opposed whether or not asbestos causes morbidity and mortality. The asbestos industry has promoted and funded research based on selected literature, ignoring both clinical and scientific knowledge. In this piece, we highlight a prominent example of a conflicted publication that sought to undermine the World Health Organization (WHO) campaign to stop the use of all forms of asbestos, including chrysotile asbestos. Independent and rigorous scientific data provide sufficient evidence that chrysotile asbestos, like other forms of asbestos, is a cause of asbestos-related morbidity and premature mortality.

Motivating intersectoral collaboration with the Hygienic City Campaign in Jingchang, China

Intersectoral collaboration is important for policy implementation. However, effective collaboration may be difficult to achieve because of poor internal drive to collaborate, disagreements on framing the problem, institutional constraints and poor leadership. This article examines how competitive campaigns stimulate intersectoral collaboration in the context of healthy urban planning. We examine the case of the Creating Hygienic City Campaign in Jingchang, China from 2006 to 2011, illustrating how the city resorted to intersectoral collaboration to achieve the multiple targets and thus improved public and environmental hygiene. The paper argues that a competitive campaign, when well-organized, can overcome some of the barriers to intersectoral collaboration by building a campaign organization team, legitimizing the leadership, and enhancing public awareness and involvement. The article also suggests that the campaign approach in its current form failed to involve local authorities in setting the targets and was unable to sustain certain efforts.