Public Participation Research Articles

An attempt to open up a new path of rural development? rural transformational development under the characteristic town strategy in China

ABSTRACT The global decline in rural areas has made rural transformational development a subject of significant interest. The Characteristic Town (CT) strategy, a prominent aspect of China’s recent urbanization efforts, focuses on innovative development methods to promote coordinated urban-rural growth and enhance capacity and quality. However, the mechanisms through which this strategy facilitates potential rural transformational development have not yet been investigated. This study addresses this gap by employing a case study approach, using desk research, participatory observation, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires. The findings indicate that environmental transformation, achieved through targeted planning, design, and construction, is a prerequisite for the CT strategy to stimulate rural transformational development. Subsequently, economic transformation is a crucial step, which includes establishing a sustainable and systematic economic industrial system, local marketing and promotion, and facilitating private sector participation. The strategy also generates social effects, such as a modest improvement in living standards, a lack of public participation, changes in residents’ self-identity, and potential social estrangement between residents and newcomers. The rural transformational development driven by the CT strategy represents a process of creative destruction that progresses quickly, necessitating the consideration of various countermeasures.

SLAPPs: What are they? And how should defamation law be reformed to address them?

ABSTRACT This article examines the need for legislative reform to address the problem of strategic litigation against public participation (SLAPPs), with a focus on defamation law as the most common action for such claims. It draws upon legislative and judicial approaches from a range of different jurisdictions to define the problem of SLAPPs and examines whether the existing law in England and Wales provides an adequate solution to the problem of SLAPPs. This analysis indicates some important recent developments in the law that are relevant to SLAPPs but concludes that legislative reform is necessary to address the problem of SLAPPs. In contrast to the current proposals for reform, the article proposes an anti-SLAPP provision that crystallizes and builds upon recent developments in the law, to effectively address the problem of SLAPPs without posing an unnecessary risk of the denial of innocent claims.

Analyzing the role of social value in megaprojects: toward a new performance framework

Purpose Megaprojects stimulate and challenge public opinion across countries, generating extensive reactions from citizens. Given their ability to attract public attention, they may also influence public participation in collective choices and political decision-making. These issues are relevant for evaluating projects, but are unfortunately rarely discussed in the managerial literature. This study aims to open up a debate on social issues and how they could be taken into account within management studies. Design/methodology/approach This study carried out a systematic review of the literature on the social impact of megaprojects to identify different research areas related to the evaluation of megaprojects from a social perspective. Findings This study identified three different research areas related to the evaluation of megaprojects from a social perspective: the role of power and social issues; infrastructure and social space; and stakeholder engagement and endorsement. Originality/value This paper underlines the need to go beyond current understanding of the social impacts of megaprojects and calls for a more interdisciplinary research agenda.

Implementing e-Participation in Africa: What Roles Can Public Officials Play?

A key question in e-participation is what roles public officials can play to harness the benefits of emerging technologies and practices, mitigate potential harms, and, ultimately, ensure more inclusive and effective public involvement in decision making. This article presents results from a desktop analysis of e-participation projects from the African continent to highlight the diversity of public official roles and associated skills and perspectives that would be relevant to e-participation implementation. The identified roles and activities range from legal specialists developing guidelines to comply with personal data protection legislation and stakeholder managers designing models of collaboration with commons-based platforms to communications officials learning how to moderate social media conversations and technology developers exploring new ways of verifying online identity.

Modified sports interventions for children and adolescents with disabilities: A scoping review.

To establish the scope of the literature on modified sports interventions for children and adolescents with disabilities. For this scoping review, articles were screened and the characteristics of studies were extracted. The modified sports interventions were described in terms of their structure, using the items of the Template for Intervention Description and Replication. Components of intervention treatment were described by using the language of the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System. Results were analysed and validated by a group of professionals, using the Public and Patient Involvement strategy. Twelve studies were eligible for inclusion, investigating interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, and other conditions. Most studies presented a moderate level of evidence. Active ingredients were repeated sports-related motor training and introduction to the sport through a 'learning by action' mechanism. The intervention target was gross motor skills performance, and intervention aims (indirect outcomes) were physical activity participation and different body functions. The inclusion of stakeholders in this review helped to validate our findings about the characteristics and structure of modified sports interventions, to identify research gaps, and to provide a step process for clinical implementation. Future investigations are warranted of the effectiveness of modified sports investigations with better quality studies, including participation outcomes and studies with non-ambulant children.

A bridge between worlds: Embedding research in telepractice co‐design with disability community

AbstractIntroductionCo‐production approaches are increasingly being advocated for as a way of addressing the research translatory gap while including patient and public involvement in development of services they access, and particularly in disability service provision. Embedded research (ER) is a method which integrates the researcher within the target organization to better facilitate both co‐production of research outputs and the reduction of the research translation gap. The aim of this reflection is to better understand the commonalities and differences between ER in a disability context to accounts published in academic literature.MethodA review of embedded researcher literature was completed in combination with a personal reflection of lived experience as an embedded researcher within a disability support service organization. The reflective process included review of research journal entries and other records of lived experience (photographs, audio recordings, drawings) maintained throughout the period in the role of embedded researcher. A reflexive thematic analysis process was used.ResultsI reflect throughout the article upon five themes which highlight both the commonalities between my experiences and those of other embedded researchers as well as instances where they differed. The five themes include (1) A knowledge bridge, (2) Considerations of positionality, (3) Ethical complexity, (4) Anticipating change, and (5) Existing in the in‐between together.ConclusionExperiences of ER appear to transcend the discipline in which the research is being embedded, and while the lived experience in a disability host organization was invaluable in facilitating a successful co‐produced research project, significant avenues for improvement exist in terms of ethical frameworks, methodological guidance, and communities of support.

The effectiveness of public participation through forest advisory committees: Twenty years of shifting perspectives of Local Citizens Committee members in Ontario

In Canada, the most widespread approach to citizen participation in forestry decision-making is forest advisory committees. In this paper, we report on the results of a survey of forest advisory committee members that has been repeated every few years since 2001. We clustered the survey questions to create composite variables representing seven dimensions of the functioning and effectiveness of forest advisory committees: efficiency, representation, voice, decision-making process, trust in forest managers, effectiveness, and the availability, relevance, complexity and trustworthiness of information. While most committee members continue to view the process positively, after a steady improvement of committee members’ overall assessments since 2001, in the most recent survey, the proportion of those who are unsatisfied has grown. Moreover, effectiveness has consistently been assessed less favourably than the other six dimensions that we considered—dimensions upon which effectiveness presumably depends. Part of the reason is that a significant minority of committee members feel that they have little meaningful influence over forest management and that the relevance of the committees has declined. This points to the need for continual attention from policymakers to the matter of how and how much forest advisory committees are enabled to influence the direction of forest management.

Implementation of Community Participation in the Process for Forming Responsive Regional Regulations in Bandung City

Community participation in the formation of local regulations is very important, because local regulations that are formed must be in accordance with the wishes and needs of the community. Implementation of community participation in the formation of local regulations will determine the quality, have an impact on the local regulations that are formed. However, community participation in the city of Bandung in the formation of local regulations is lacking. The problems raised by the author are: (1) how is the basis for the implementation of the formation of local regulations in the city of Bandung number 2 of 2013 concerning social institutions 2) how the implementation of public participation in the formation of local regulations in the city of Bandung, 3) how the process of forming a participatory and responsive local regulations in Bandung. The purpose of this study is to find out, study and analyze regarding: (1) the basis of the implementation of the formation of local regulations in Bandung City number 2 of 2013 concerning social institutions, (2) implementation of community participation in the formation of local regulations in the city of Bandung, and (3) the process the formation of participatory and responsive local regulations in the city of Bandung. This study uses a sociological juridical approach, with descriptive research specification analysis. The data used in this study are primary and secondary data, obtained through interviews and literature studies, which are then analyzed qualitatively. The results showed that: (1) community participation in the formation of local regulations can improve the quality of local regulations because the community is the object of the local regulations and the people who run the local regulations. Community participation produces input to improve the quality of decisions, and the implementation of local regulations will run more optimally; (2) The process of forming local regulations in Bandung is less participatory and not responsive, so that the resulting decisions are not yet of quality and not in accordance with the needs and expectations of the community, other than that it can not be minimized public turmoil or dissatisfaction and in the end the implementation of regional regulations is not running properly; and (3) the causes of the lack of quality community participation in the formation of local regulations in the city of Bandung are: (a) lack of understanding of the community in the process of establishing local regulations, (b) lack of decisive efforts from local governments in capturing the aspirations of the community, (c) the regulations are not made based on the interests of the community and the socialization of local regulations have not been maximized, and (d) the community is less involved. The solutions needed include: (a) a commitment from the law makers in the regions to involve the community in any discussion of the Peraturan Daerah, (b) a clear and transparent socialization and enforcement of the Peraturan Daerah is needed, (c) a more accurate study of the problems faced community, and (d) involving all elements of society. Keywords: Community Participation and Responsive Local Regulations

Top-down and bottom-up initiatives for the Walloon landscapes and their inhabitants

Landscape protection implies selecting values for preservation and legitimising specific interests while potentially excluding others. Literature on landscape protection recognises the need to move beyond the expert-dominated conservationist paradigm. Based on an analysis of laws, decrees, charters, web documents and semi-structured interviews, this research examines the processes and results of public involvement in landscape protection in Wallonia. While ‘democratisation’ of the landscape gains ground in institutional protection tools, citizen initiatives are mostly carried by only a few inhabitants or isolated groups and wield limited influence in the decision making process. Nonetheless, citizens’ groups increasingly invoke landscape interest in local initiatives, expressing a desire to share their values and develop local projects. This observation underlines a gap in participation processes. Rights and responsibilities of the population depend not only on their place in the decision-making process but also on their interests and attitudes towards their landscapes.

Backend Development of a Microservice-Based Website Application for Public Issue Reporting: Case Studyn in People Representative Council

This research introduces a web application aimed at advancing public issue reporting, promoting civic engagement, and expediting government responses. In collaboration with DPRD Jawa Barat, the research leverages Scrum methodology, social network features, and a microservice architecture to create an efficient communication platform between citizens and governmental bodies. The backend of the application, developed using the Go programming language, adopts a microservice architecture to enhance scalability and maintainability. The Scrum methodology facilitates an agile development process, ensuring adaptability to changing requirements and fostering continuous improvement throughout the project lifecycle. Additionally, the study explores the incorporation of social network features to encourage public engagement within the application. This integration allows citizens to connect, share, and discuss public issues, further enhancing the collaborative nature of the reporting platform. To ensure the seamless functionality of the microservices, API testing is employed, validating the reliability and consistency of the application's interfaces. Stress testing is also conducted to assess scalability and performance capabilities, identifying potential optimizations for the system's responsiveness under varying levels of load. In conclusion, this research presents an innovative solution for public issue reporting that combines microservice architecture, Scrum methodology, and social network features. The application's integration of these elements aims to not only streamline citizen-government communication but also create a dynamic platform that encourages active public involvement and collaboration.

Negotiating pace, focus and identities: Patient/public involvement/engagement in a palliative care study.

Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) is an increasingly important component of research conduct to enhance processes and potential for impact, yet is rarely critically interrogated. This paper draws on Foucauldian analysis to highlight the disciplinary powers and tensions arising in PPIE. The paper draws on a nested evaluation interview study with three PPIE members and eight academics, who had been involved in an implementation science study focused on palliative care. PPIE members were involved in the whole study and are co-authors of this article. Through shared values and commitments to the study, a team culture of equality was developed. Yet while power was dispersed and taken-up by all team members, in so doing a self-governance approach within the team was developed. The pace and focus of discussions was at times more subjugating than co-production. Identities and positions were porous; the simplistic division of 'academic' and 'PPIE' did not stand up to scrutiny, with an increasing blurring of boundaries as people's experiences and insights changed over time. Continual, subtle, negotiations of roles, inputs and identities were manifest throughout the project. PPIE in research involves subtle, complex and ongoing disciplinary practices enacted by all members of the team.

"People don't have the answers": A qualitative exploration of the experiences of young people with Long COVID.

Young people living with Long COVID are learning to navigate life with a constellation of poorly understood symptoms. Most qualitative studies on experiences living with Long COVID focus on adult populations. This study aimed to understand the experiences of young people living with Long COVID. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted (n = 16); 11 young people (aged 13-19) and five parents were recruited from the Children and Young People with Long COVID (CLoCk) study (n = 11) or its patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) group (n = 5). Thematic analysis generated four themes: (i) Unravelling Long COVID: Exploring Symptom Journeys and Diagnostic Dilemmas; (ii) Identity Disruption and Adjustment; (iii) Long COVID's Ripple Effect: the impact on Mental Health, Connections, and Education; and (iv) Navigating Long COVID: barriers to support and accessing services. Treatment options were perceived as not widely available or ineffective, emphasising the need for viable and accessible interventions for young people living with Long COVID.

Digital Mental Health for Schizophrenia and Other Severe Mental Illnesses: An International Consensus on Current Challenges and Potential Solutions.

Digital approaches may be helpful in augmenting care to address unmet mental health needs, particularly for schizophrenia and severe mental illness (SMI). An international multidisciplinary group was convened to reach a consensus on the challenges and potential solutions regarding collecting data, delivering treatment, and the ethical challenges in digital mental health approaches for schizophrenia and SMI. The consensus development panel method was used, with an in-person meeting of 2 groups: the expert group and the panel. Membership was multidisciplinary including those with lived experience, with equal participation at all stages and coproduction of the consensus outputs and summary. Relevant literature was shared in advance of the meeting, and a systematic search of the recent literature on digital mental health interventions for schizophrenia and psychosis was completed to ensure that the panel was informed before the meeting with the expert group. Four broad areas of challenge and proposed solutions were identified: (1) user involvement for real coproduction; (2) new approaches to methodology in digital mental health, including agreed standards, data sharing, measuring harms, prevention strategies, and mechanistic research; (3) regulation and funding issues; and (4) implementation in real-world settings (including multidisciplinary collaboration, training, augmenting existing service provision, and social and population-focused approaches). Examples are provided with more detail on human-centered research design, lived experience perspectives, and biomedical ethics in digital mental health approaches for SMI. The group agreed by consensus on a number of recommendations: (1) a new and improved approach to digital mental health research (with agreed reporting standards, data sharing, and shared protocols), (2) equal emphasis on social and population research as well as biological and psychological approaches, (3) meaningful collaborations across varied disciplines that have previously not worked closely together, (4) increased focus on the business model and product with planning and new funding structures across the whole development pathway, (5) increased focus and reporting on ethical issues and potential harms, and (6) organizational changes to allow for true communication and coproduction with those with lived experience of SMI. This study approach, combining an international expert meeting with patient and public involvement and engagement throughout the process, consensus methodology, discussion, and publication, is a helpful way to identify directions for future research and clinical implementation in rapidly evolving areas and can be combined with measurements of real-world clinical impact over time. Similar initiatives will be helpful in other areas of digital mental health and similarly fast-evolving fields to focus research and organizational change and effect improved real-world clinical implementation.

Digital Democracy: Exploring the Potential and Challenges of SIPOL in the 2024 Indonesian Election

This research discusses the use of the SIPOL application as a form of digital transformation carried out by the KPU in the registration process as a candidate for the 2024 Election. The use of SIPOL for preparation for the 2024 Election is the second year it has been used. Previously, SIPOL was also used in 2017 to prepare for the 2019 Election. As a result, this research found that the use of SIPOL for the 2024 Election was better than the use of SIPOL for the 2019 Election. It was also found that the use of SIPOL aims to increase public participation in the 2024 elections. Additionally, SIPOL contributes to transparent and accountable elections. However, in its implementation, researchers found that the use of SIPOL still encountered many problems, for example the recording of a person's Population Identification Number (NIK) by a political party to be registered as a party member. Furthermore, some political parties still faced challenges in accessing SIPOL. SIPOL is also considered to be unable to help the public monitor political parties in fulfilling the requirements regulated by law. This research aims to explain the application of SIPOL in the registration stages of candidate participants in the 2024 election and to identify opportunities and challenges associated with using the SIPOL application. This research uses a qualitative descriptive analysis method. Data collection was carried out through the interview method accompanied by literature analysis and reporting in online media.

How to make EU enlargement work? A grass-roots approach to strategic preparations

Enlargement is back on the EU agenda. Leaders have broken long-established foreign policy taboos by green-lighting accession talks with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, and by awarding EU candidate country status to Georgia. This bold step has elevated the expectations of the existing candidate countries, instilling renewed optimism in the Western Balkans Six. At the same time, the EU has recognised the need to carry out its own reforms to be prepared to integrate potentially 10 new member states. However, given the complexities of EU institutional reform, coupled with the uncertain political context, expectations of EU enlargement may lead to disillusionment. This article argues that the EU should not tie its progress on institutional reform too closely to its enlargement policy and that it needs to take a grass-roots approach to enlargement. It should focus on strengthening horizontal cooperation, enhancing efficiency and increasing public involvement in the EU enlargement process.

Improving foot self-care in people with diabetes in Ghana: A development and feasibility randomised trial of a context appropriate, family-orientated diabetic footcare intervention.

Africa presents a higher diabetic foot ulcer prevalence estimate of 7.2% against global figures of 6.3%. Engaging family members in self-care education interventions has been shown to be effective at preventing diabetes-related foot ulcers. This study culturally adapted and tested the feasibility and acceptability of an evidence-based footcare family intervention in Ghana. The initial phase of the study involved stakeholder engagement, comprising Patient Public Involvement activities and interviews with key informant nurses and people with diabetes (N = 15). In the second phase, adults at risk of diabetes-related foot ulcers and nominated caregivers (N = 50 dyads) participated in an individually randomised feasibility trial of the adapted intervention (N = 25) compared to usual care (N = 25). The study aimed to assess feasibility outcomes and to identify efficacy signals on clinical outcomes at 12 weeks post randomisation. Patient reported outcomes were foot care behaviour, foot self-care efficacy, diabetes knowledge and caregiver diabetes distress. Adjustments were made to the evidence-based intervention to reflect the literacy, information needs and preferences of stakeholders and to develop a context appropriate diabetic foot self-care intervention. A feasibility trial was then conducted which met all recruitment, retention, data quality and randomisation progression criteria. At 12 weeks post randomisation, efficacy signals favoured the intervention group on improved footcare behaviour, foot self-care efficacy, diabetes knowledge and reduced diabetes distress. Future implementation issues to consider include the staff resources needed to deliver the intervention, family members availability to attend in-person sessions and consideration of remote intervention delivery. A contextual family-oriented foot self-care education intervention is feasible, acceptable, and may improve knowledge and self-care with the potential to decrease diabetes-related complications. The education intervention is a strategic approach to improving diabetes care and prevention of foot disease, especially in settings with limited diabetes care resources. Future research will investigate the possibility of remote delivery to better meet patient and staff needs. Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR) - PACTR202201708421484: https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=19363 or pactr.samrc.ac.za/Search.aspx.

Understanding engagement in diet and dementia prevention research among British South Asians: a short report of findings from a patient and public involvement group.

Dementia is a global public health challenge. Evidence suggests that individuals from South Asian communities are an at-risk group for dementia, partly as a result of early and cumulative exposure to known dementia risk factors, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. There needs to be more culturally appropriate community engagement to increase awareness of dementia and identify better strategies to encourage participation in dementia-related research. We aimed to better understand the barriers and facilitators towards engaging with, and participating in, diet and dementia related research among British South Asians. This was achieved using a public and patient involvement (PPI) approach. A community-based, engagement event involving information sharing from experts and roundtable discussions with South Asian communities (n = 26 contributors) was held in June 2023 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. Collaboration from preidentified PPI representatives (n = 3) informed the content and structure of PPI activities, as well as recruitment. Data were synthesised using template analysis, a form of codebook thematic analysis. This involved deductively analysing data using relevant a priori themes, which were expanded upon, or modified, via inductive analysis. The findings highlighted the importance of trust, representation and appreciation of cultural barriers as facilitators to engagement in diet and dementia risk reduction research. Consideration of language barriers, time constraints, social influences and how to embed community outreach activities were reported as driving factors to maximise participation. This PPI work will inform the design and co-creation of a culturally adapted dietary intervention for brain health in accordance with the Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health and Care Research guidance for developing complex interventions.

Emerging technologies in citizen science and potential for insect monitoring.

Emerging technologies are increasingly employed in environmental citizen science projects. This integration offers benefits and opportunities for scientists and participants alike. Citizen science can support large-scale, long-term monitoring of species occurrences, behaviour and interactions. At the same time, technologies can foster participant engagement, regardless of pre-existing taxonomic expertise or experience, and permit new types of data to be collected. Yet, technologies may also create challenges by potentially increasing financial costs, necessitating technological expertise or demanding training of participants. Technology could also reduce people's direct involvement and engagement with nature. In this perspective, we discuss how current technologies have spurred an increase in citizen science projects and how the implementation of emerging technologies in citizen science may enhance scientific impact and public engagement. We show how technology can act as (i) a facilitator of current citizen science and monitoring efforts, (ii) an enabler of new research opportunities, and (iii) a transformer of science, policy and public participation, but could also become (iv) an inhibitor of participation, equity and scientific rigour. Technology is developing fast and promises to provide many exciting opportunities for citizen science and insect monitoring, but while we seize these opportunities, we must remain vigilant against potential risks. This article is part of the theme issue 'Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring'.

Patient and public involvement in simulation via instant messaging - birmingham advance (SIMBA) training improves clinicians' confidence in managing reproductive endocrinology cases

Patient and public involvement in simulation via instant messaging - birmingham advance (SIMBA) training improves clinicians' confidence in managing reproductive endocrinology cases

Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Political Participation: A Review of Empirical Studies

Politicians around the world are increasingly using social media platforms as a means to engage with the public and conduct election campaigns. However, the true impact of social media campaigns on political outcomes remains untested and empirical evidence is scant. This research aims to review the existing literature on this issue to explore the impact of social media on political participation. The widespread use of social media by the public has attracted the attention of politicians as a platform for election campaigns. This type of research is a literature review by analyzing previous research qualitatively. The results show that social media has a significant impact on political participation. Social media platforms provide powerful new tools for individuals to engage in the political process and make their voices heard. However, it is important to be aware of the potential challenges of using social media for political participation and to use it responsibly and ethically. Social media has a significant role in expanding access to political information, mobilizing public participation, and reaching marginalized voters. Social media provides an inclusive platform for individuals to participate in political discussions, organize political movements, and strengthen democracy by ensuring the voices of all citizens are heard. However, challenges such as the digital divide and imbalances in social media use also need to be addressed so that the full potential of social media in democracy can be realized. Therefore, joint efforts from governments, NGOs, social media platform providers and the general public are needed to ensure that social media is used responsibly and inclusively in supporting democratic political processes.