Participation In Local Organizations Research Articles

How Homeownership, Race, and Social Connections Influence Flood Preparedness Measures: Evidence from 2 Small U.S. Cities

ABSTRACT Climate change and changing built environments are changing flooding regimes. Since flood management policies often rely on household preparedness, understanding what factors shape household flood preparedness measures is imperative. We focus on three dimensions: race, participation in local organizations, and homeownership as moderated by flood experience. With survey data from two small riverside cities in the northeastern United States, we examine how these factors affect the adoption of low-cost and high-cost flood protection measures. We find that effects of flood experience vary across renters, mortgage-holding homeowners, and homeowners without mortgages, and patterns differ for low-cost and high-cost measures. In regression models that control for other factors, white residents take more low-cost measures than nonwhite residents. Among households in locations with greater flood risk, nonwhite households take more high-cost flood protection measures. Community group participation has a positive effect on low-cost protective measures, and the effect is more pronounced among floodplain residents. Processes related to both race and homeownership shape people’s access to flood preparedness measures. Understanding patterns of household flood protection may help in identifying leverage points for ameliorating disparities in flood vulnerability across communities.

The Effect of Social Capital on Resident Attitudes Toward Tourism and Support for Rural Tourism Development

This article analyzes the effect of social capital on resident attitudes toward tourism and support for tourism based on data collected from 637 residents in Tucker County, West Virginia. Data analysis includes descriptive analysis, factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, multigroup analysis, and ANOVA. Results confirm findings of other studies that concern for the potential environmental, and social impacts of tourism and long-term planning have a direct positive effect on support for additional tourism development. In addition to the direct effect of the social and environmental impacts of tourism and long-term planning on support for tourism, this study identified that a common vision and participation in local organizations and informal social groups has a significant direct effect on long-term planning and protection of community values and an indirect effect on support for tourism development. In addition, significant differences were identified according to group, stake, and power in the community.

Determinants of non-farm income diversification strategies and decisions of Bangladesh farm households

Despite being mostly dependent on agriculture, farm households in Bangladesh frequently engage in non-farm income diversification activities in order to maintain or increase their standard of living. The aim of this study is to examine the factors that influence farm households’ strategies and decisions regarding the accumulation of non-farm income.Multi-stage sampling was used to collect primary data from 139 farm households in the Rajshahi district in order to meet the study aim. Descriptive and econometric analyses were both used for data analysis.The descriptive data showed that around 80% of the respondents earned income outside of agriculture. The findings of the binary logit model demonstrate that family size, years of schooling of the household head, and lack of participation in local organizations have a substantial impact on respondents’ decisions on diversification. The multinomial logit model examined how family size, local organization membership, and farm size affected factor diversification outside of farming. Furthermore, the household head’s years of schooling, participation in local organizations, and distance to the closest product market were the main factors influencing their diversification strategy.Policy makers should provide incentives and training that further stimulates non-farm income generating activities of farm households to facilitate the continuing transition of the Bangladesh economy away from its primary reliance on agriculture to generate national income.

Social Capital and Household Vulnerability: New Evidence from Rural Vietnam

Using the Vietnam Access to Resources Household Survey (VARHS) with a panel of households present from 2008 to 2016, the study investigates the impact of social capital on household vulnerability. The empirical results indicate that both commune shocks and household shocks are associated with the higher likelihood of having group memberships, except for the case of the political party. Group membership is also strongly influenced by a number of household characteristics. Most importantly, participation in local organizations could reduce both households' probability of being poor and the utility loss caused by covariate risks. In addition, social capital shows its influence on some intermediate factors, which in turn contribute to the lower vulnerability at the household level. While participation in the Women Union or the Farmer Union reinforces the households' ability to overcome negative shocks, the memberships of the Communist Party and the Farmer Union are associated with a higher level of saving. Members of the Communist Party are more likely to possess insurance, and members of the Women Union and the Farmer Union are able to access general information better. The findings imply that poverty reduction policies in rural Vietnam should consider the role of social capital, especially in the forms of group participation, as an effective informal coping strategy.

Jatropha Suppliers as Contributors to the Sustainability of the Production of Bioelectricity in Ecuador

The “Jatropha for Galapagos” (JFG) project in Ecuador aims to progressively replace diesel with jatropha oil in the generation of electricity in The Galapagos Islands. Thus, understanding and motivating the participation of jatropha suppliers is a priority for the sustainability of JFG. For this reason, the factors influencing their decision-making to participate in the project have been identified and analyzed using a binomial logit model. The results show that factors found to positively influence the likelihood of participation include, amongst others, the supplier’s experience within the project, their participation in local organizations, and the degree of satisfaction with the price of jatropha oil. In addition, children from producer families’ collaboration in the harvest of jatropha increases the overall likelihood of participation within the project. Similarly, the distance to the collection center positively influences the chances of participation. Conversely, those suppliers with higher wages and those who declared that jatropha harvest starts in April have a reduced likelihood of participating in the project. The findings obtained from this project can help decision-makers develop new measures to improve the sustainability of the project through initiatives to motivate the participation of jatropha suppliers in the program.

Housing Tenure and Neighbourhood Social Capital

Prior research finds a positive association between social capital and community well-being, ranging from decreased crime to greater local economic development and resiliency. Using a nationally representative sample from Canada, this study explores the specific impact of housing tenure (homeownership vs. renting) on three forms of neighbourhood social capital: bonding (trust, exchanges among neighbours and sense of belonging to one’s community), bridging (participation in local organizations) and linking social capital (voting in municipal elections). Findings suggest a positive association between homeownership and forms of bonding social capital and, to a lesser degree, linking social capital, but no clear effect on bridging social capital. Length of residence, having children at home, education, being a visible minority and region also emerged as significant in many models. We argue that exploring further housing stabilization and community-building efforts among rental properties – both public and private – might yield important social capital returns.

Investigating the Effect of Land Consolidation Projects on Agricultural Sustainability (Case Study: Haraz Plain in Mazandaran Province)

Investigating the Effect of Land Consolidation Projects on Agricultural Sustainability (Case Study: Haraz Plain in Mazandaran Province)

Birds of a Feather

We examine the formation process of friendship networks of Mainland Chinese undergraduates in Hong Kong. The data comes from a 2011 survey of Mainland undergraduates at a university in Hong Kong and from in-depth interviews with students. We found a strong in-group pattern in the friendship networks of these students. More than 60% do not have good local friends. On a campus where nearly 90% of the students are locals, on average, only 18% of the good friends named by Mainland students are locals. We find that cultural differences—such as the language barrier, differences in values and ideologies, and differences in academic orientation and future plan—discourage formation of intergroup friendship. But intergroup contacts, as indicated by participation in local organizations, have positive effects on intergroup friendship formation. Both contact opportunities and their timing (i.e., when they become available) are important. During their first year, Mainland students have many more opportunities to interact with other Mainlanders than with local students. This may also be an important factor accounting for the strong in-group pattern in Mainland students’ friendship networks.

Collective Action and Armed Group Presence in Colombia

The main objective of this paper is to provide empirical evidence on the mechanisms that shape the relationship between violent conflict and collective action. Conflict dynamics in Colombia allow us to exploit rich variation in armed group presence and individual participation in local organizations. Our identification strategy is based on the construction of contiguous-pairs of rural communities that share common socio-economic characteristics but differ in armed group presence. This allows us to control for unobservable variables that may affect local participation and conflict dynamics simultaneously. The results show that the presence of armed groups increases overall participation in local organizations, with a particularly strong effect on political organizations. Contrary to existing results, we find that stronger individual participation may arise from coercion exercised by armed groups and not from a more vibrant civil society.

Participation in Context: Neighborhood Diversity and Organizational Involvement in Boston

We use unique data from the Boston Non–Profit Organizations Study, an innovative survey containing rich information on organizational participation across seven social domains in two Boston neighborhoods, to examine the relationship between ethnic diversity and participation in local organizations. In particular, we identify neighborhood–based social ties as a key mechanism mediating the initial negative association between diversity and participation. In contrast to previous work, we measure participation using both the domain–based and group–based approach, with the former approach uncovering a wider range of organizational connections that are often missed in the latter approach. We also investigate the relationship between interpersonal ties and organizational ties, documenting how primary involvement with an organization facilitates the development of further interpersonal ties and secondary forms of organizational involvement. We then discuss implications of our findings for urban poverty research.

Do Rural Residents Really Use the Internet to Build Social Capital? An Empirical Investigation

Recent research suggests that Internet usage can positively influence social capital in rural communities by fostering avenues for voluntary participation and creating social networks. Most of this research has examined whether Internet use is associated with participation in local organizations and social networks but not the means by which residents use the technology to learn about local activities. To address this gap in the literature, the authors use a mixed-methods approach in an isolated rural region of the western United States to evaluate how residents use their connections to maintain local social networks and learn about local community events and organizations. The authors show that Internet usage can play an important role in building social capital in rural communities, thus extending the systemic model of rural voluntary participation and community attachment. Implications for rural community development are addressed.

Community Remembering

The dictatorship in Chile perpetrated massive human rights violations for 17 years, causing a rupture in social processes and engendering fear in the population. Data being gathered in an ongoing participatory action research study of the población (shantytown) La Pincoya show that while memory can be debilitating to most persons, it may empower others. Memories of the practices of the military regime continue to cause fear in some of the population, affecting community cohesion and participation in local organizations. This has led to the dismantling of social networks in the community, robbing members of their ability to be the protagonists of their own lives.

Assessing the Social Bonds of Elderly Neighbors: The Roles of Length of Residence, Crime Victimization, and Perceived Disorder

Starting from the rationale that elderly urban residents tend to be “neighborhood‐bound,” this study examines the relationship between age or aging and local social bonds (friendship, social cohesion and trust, informal social control, and participation in local organizations). Specifically, is the level of local bonding among elderly urban residents (age 65 and over) greater than that of the younger cohorts (17–35, 34–49, and 50–64)? Additionally, two specific hypotheses are constructed to examine the determinants of local social bonds among elderly urban residents: the systemic approach, regarding length of residence; and the social‐disorganization approach, regarding crime victimization and perceived disorder. Using Chicago data collected in 1995, the analysis found a substantial difference between the elderly cohort and each of the younger cohorts in only the friendship category of local social bonds. The other results show that in a sample of elderly urban residents, length of residence is the only significant, positive factor in local friendship, and that the two disorder predictors, physical and social, play a substantial role in weakening two types of local social bonds, social cohesion and trust and informal social control.

An exploration of sense of community, Part 3: Dimensions and predictors of psychological sense of community in geographical communities

AbstractWithin the discipline of community psychology there remains considerable debate as to the latent structure of psychological sense of community (PSOC). One of the few theoretical discussions is that of McMillan and Chavis (1986), who hypothesized four dimensions: Belonging, Fulfillment of Needs, Influence, and Shared Connections. Discussion has also emerged in the literature regarding the role of identification within PSOC. However, few studies have empirically investigated the role of identification in PSOC. The current study explored PSOC in a sample of residents of rural, regional, and urban geographical communities (N = 669). In an endeavor to clarify the underlying dimensions of PSOC, a test battery included several measures of PSOC as well as measures of identification with the community. The study also examined the role of demographic factors in predicting PSOC. Results provided support for McMillan and Chavis' (1986) four dimensions of PSOC. Further, a fifth dimension emerged, that of Conscious Identification, suggesting that identification is separate to existing dimensions of PSOC. The demographic factors significantly associated with PSOC were type of region, with rural participants displaying higher PSOC than their urban counterparts; participation in local organizations; having children; and a vision of one's neighborhood as broader than just a street or block. These results, and the implications for PSOC research, are discussed. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Women's Participation in Local Organizations: Conditions and Constraints

Civic organizations have a capacity to contribute to economic growth and an equitable distribution of welfare by reducing information asymmetries and transaction costs. While donors increasingly recognize that group-based projects are a means to advocate organizational capacities of target groups, it is not clear whether group-based organizations always increase efficiency and equity. This article analyses the determinants of participation in local development groups (LDGs) using data from two projects funded by UNDP in Kashmir and GTZ in Chad. A major result of the empirical analysis is the identification of a “middle-class effect” of participation. The exclusion of the majority of the poor can be explained by high opportunity costs to join the group, especially for income-earning women. In addition, it can be shown that an existing social network is a pre-condition for participation. Finally, the assumption has been confirmed that bargaining power of the members is important for their decision to participate in groups.

Crime and safety-related concerns in a small community

This research utilizes social context and personal characteristics as determinants of both perceptions and satisfaction with safety in the local neighborhood. Using survey data obtained from residents of a small town, this analysis examines the impact of satisfaction with the environment, victimization, and social integration on attitudes concerning safety. Consistent with past research, results indicate that victimization and satisfaction with the local area are both significant predictors of perceptions of safety. They also share a significant relationship with satisfaction with safety. Two indicators of social integration yielded differing results. Participation in local organizations and associations played a more significant role in attitudes concerning safety than did the number of friends a respondent has in the neighborhood. When controlling for personal characteristics, participation in organizations was a more significant predictor of perceptions of safety than of satisfaction with safety.

NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION AND THE COMMUNITY QUESTION

This study addressed the question of whether the community exists as a meaningful social entity in modern urban society by examining neighborhood participation patterns and degrees of neighborhood attachment in a revitalized neighborhood. The research examined the effects of informal networks and participation in local organizations on resident's neighborhood attachments. Differences were found between longterm residents and newcomers, and renovators and non-renovators. Long-term residents were integrated into the social network of the neighborhood. Long-term residents who were renovators were also active in neighborhood organizations. Newcomers, whether renovators or not, were not integrated into the local network but newcomer renovators were highly active in local organizations.

Attitudes Toward Community Change: A Comparison Between Rural Leaders and Residents

Community development practitioners are faced with a complex array of challenges and opportunities brought about by technological change. Some communities seem to be better able to deal with change than others. It is believed that the attitudes of leaders and residents toward community change underlie local actions. The similarities or differences between attitudes of leaders and residents may indicate the amount of community support for or opposition to various local actions and therefore affect the community's ability to deal with change effectively. In an attempt to better understand attitudes toward community change, this paper examines several factors believed to affect such attitudes. Leaders' and residents' attitudes are then compared. Leaders differed significantly from residents in socioeconomic characteristics and were more change-oriented. The level of psychological attachment to the community and the degree of participation in local organizations had the strongest effects on both leaders' and ...

Voluntarism and the Manager: The Impacts of Structural Pressure and Personal Interest on Community Participation

The extent to which participation in voluntary organizations reflects autonomous decisions by individuals, rather than a less than fully voluntary response to social pressure, has been a matter of debate in the voluntary action literature. Middle- level managers of manufacturing companies are particularly likely to experience pressures regarding the extent and nature of their participation in local organiza tions. For this reason, a nationwide sample of production managers is used to explore the relative usefulness of personal interest in community affairs, of socio- demographic and structural characteristics known to be related to participation, and of company policy for predicting participation in local voluntary organizations. Participation is shown to reflect a number of factors, including company policy. However, the importance of community interest suggests that membership and participation in many organizations continue to be perceived as voluntary.

Identifying Differences in Time Managers

A measure to differentiate time managers was developed in which performance indi cators were used to derive a self‐perception measure (TM Score). It was based upon planning for the future, meeting deadlines, and accuracy in estimating duration of routine tasks. Statistical tests used to investigate time management effectiveness were analysis of variance and Pearson product ‐moment correlation coefficients. From the analyses it was concluded that middle‐aged adults who live busy lives were more likely to be effective time managers than others. Age was one of the key characteristics related to differences in TM Scores. This finding was reinforced by information on retirement status, family description, and residential longevity. Team spirit, as indicated by family cohesion, was also another characteristic associated with differences in TM Scores, for as family cohesion increased, TM Scores also increased. Among other management prac tices, orderly storage areas and a sense of the importance of time usage were both associated with more effective time management. A multivariate analysis (GLM proce dure of SAS statistical computer package) produced a model that accounted for 25 percent of the total variation in TM Score. Of the six variables in the model, education, household production, and social participation in local organizations were most influential.