Public Meetings Research Articles

Nostalgia and the Protection of White Supremacy at a Public Farmers’ Market

In 2019, an organic produce vendor in a Bloomington, Indiana, farmers’ market was exposed as an active member of the violent white supremacist organization Identity Evropa, sparking national conversation about the whiteness of local food and local controversy over the vendor’s continued inclusion in the market. Activist groups and community members argued for the vendor’s removal from the market at public meetings and protested the vendor’s stand throughout the remainder of the season. Remarkably, official policy and much of public sentiment resolved on the side of the white supremacist vendor, while activists were arrested and silenced. Drawing on discourse analysis and participant observation, this article addresses three related dynamics. First, we highlight the resonances between the nostalgic rhetoric of local food and aspects of white nationalist ideology to explain why white supremacists in general might see farmers’ markets as an appropriate site to further their racial project. Second, we illustrate how overlapping themes including motherhood, community membership, and organic links between people and land operated to shield the white supremacist vendor from public scrutiny. Finally, we show how parallel rhetoric was deployed against activists who objected to the presence of white supremacists in the market, so the activists became the identified source of disruption and exclusionary violence.

“May I Contribute Some Data to the Discussion?”: Negotiating Data Politics Through General Education Reform

ABSTRACT We present a historical case study of “data-driven” general education policy reform at the City University of New York, where within-system transfer issues prompted the need for curricular reform that was debated and eventually implemented from 2011 to 2017. Through an empirical examination of artifacts such as meeting minutes, internal memoranda, institutional reports, speeches, testimonies and position statements, and recordings of public meetings, we trace the emergence of a policy problem, contests over its framing, and the development of a policy solution for a curricular crisis across competing strands of collaborative governance and conflict over curriculum-making. We illustrate how administrators and their allies engage informatic power to unify the means and ends of curriculum reform- producing curricular policy and new language practices for discussing curriculum that facilitate increased managerialism and the rise of audit culture. When curricular conversation primarily focuses on the use of data, normative questions about the purpose and organization of undergraduate curricula are elided. In this case, policy proponents and opponents focused on a narrow definition of what kind of data “counts” for policy making. We argue that governance actors need to allow for and incorporate an array of data resources into their curricular conversation.

E-spect@tor for performing arts

In the framework of DiMPAH (Digital Methods Platform for Arts and Humanities), an online course “e-spect@tor for performing arts” has been designed to make available digital methods created by the Digital Humanities project “The spectator’s school” to the scientific community and the students. The main aim of this course is to train learners to analyse performative works from video recordings. Those analysis are notably achieved with the use of the digital tool e-spect@tor developed by “The spectator’s school” to annotate live art videos with different features that allows to study performative aspects. While “Unit I” is focused on introducing the “Performing arts”, “Unit II” is dedicated to the analysis of case studies proposed to serve as models. The course can be used on e-learning and in a hybrid teaching format through a possible course structure and aims as described and tested with students. Furthermore, by using digital technology, this course can be at the forefront of new stories for Europe in terms of pedagogy as it trains to enable new media literacy and to analyse any activity that is staged such as political discourses, public meetings, or interviews.

Facilitating Online Participatory Planning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Problem, research strategy, and findings The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily shifted participatory planning processes from face-to-face to online meetings. Prior to the pandemic, public participation included online components, but only in support of face-to-face public meetings. Thus, there was very little guidance for practitioners on how to design and host online public meetings. We interviewed 32 professional planners and facilitators with experience hosting public meetings during the summer of 2020 and asked them to discuss their experience moving their practices online. We expected to see drastic changes in how these professionals approached their work, but our expectations were only partially met. Instead of revolutionizing participatory planning, online meetings only required modest adjustments to the practices used in face-to-face meetings. Our findings are limited because they represent a narrow window in time. More substantial changes to participatory planning practices may have taken place because of the pandemic and may not be reflected in our interview data. Takeaway for practice Face-to-face and online meetings may not be as different as popular opinion suggests, and many of the practices that planners have used to host face-to-face public planning meetings could be applied to online meetings. Moreover, the successful transition to online meetings during the pandemic also suggests that remote public meetings are a viable and legitimate option for participatory planning processes.

What do frontline communities want to know about lithium extraction? Identifying research areas to support environmental justice in Lithium Valley, California

Clean energy technologies provide global benefits through climate mitigation and many local environmental benefits for consumers. However, the supply chains that produce them inevitably impose some environmental burden on the communities where they operate. To align with the principles of environmental justice, the burdens and benefits of clean energy supply chains should be distributed equitably, with decision-making processes that empower local communities to participate. Academic research can play a key role as a source of transparent information that addresses the concerns of frontline communities; however, this requires deliberate effort during the initial stages of research to understand what those concerns are and seek data that will respond to them. As a case study, this article analyzes public meetings about a developing lithium industry in Imperial, California, and reviews relevant literature to build a research agenda that is guided by the priorities of local stakeholders. We find that water consumption, public health impacts, local employment, and opportunities to participate are high-priority topics for community members. We also compare the content of discussions across groups, finding that participants in community-focused meetings mainly asked about the local impacts of the process, whereas state-led discussions focused on the sustainability of direct lithium extraction compared to conventional production methods. To address the priorities of frontline communities, we recommend evaluating water consumption in the context of regional availability, including local air emissions and waste streams in sustainability analyses, and monitoring the impact on local employment over time to ensure the promises made during development accrue to communities.

LocalView, a database of public meetings for the study of local politics and policy-making in the United States

Despite the fundamental importance of American local governments for service provision in areas like education and public health, local policy-making remains difficult and expensive to study at scale due to a lack of centralized data. This article introduces LocalView, the largest existing dataset of real-time local government public meetings–the central policy-making process in local government. In sum, the dataset currently covers 139,616 videos and their corresponding textual and audio transcripts of local government meetings publicly uploaded to YouTube–the world’s largest public video-sharing website–from 1,012 places and 2,861 distinct governments across the United States between 2006–2022. The data are processed, downloaded, cleaned, and publicly disseminated (at localview.net) for analysis across places and over time. We validate this dataset using a variety of methods and demonstrate how it can be used to map local governments’ attention to policy areas of interest. Finally, we discuss how LocalView may be used by journalists, academics, and other users for understanding how local communities deliberate crucial policy questions on topics including climate change, public health, and immigration.

Controversy in wind energy construction projects: How social systems impact project performance

The energy industry strives to address a number of challenges—satisfy increasing energy demands, fulfill renewable energy policy requirements, and update aging infrastructure. Complicating energy projects are the controversies they can stir among stakeholders, sparking disagreements about environmental, economic, and aesthetic outcomes. Conflicts such as protests, petitions, or lawsuits can lead to schedule delays and cost overruns, which are difficult for project sponsors to predict. Using literature and news media, this study aims to identify trends in project controversies across energy projects. The study uses a mixed deductive and inductive content analysis to determine which actions, project phases, and stakeholders are discussed most frequently within both academic literature and news media. Using code cooccurrences, the study evaluates which stakeholders take specific actions at different project phases. Results show that the most active opposing stakeholders to energy development projects are community members, and actions opposing a project most frequently occur in the proposal phase. These results highlight the importance of engaging with communities early in project lifecycles. Opposition typically includes dissemination of information within communities, including letters to editors, internet newsletters, and public meetings. From this analysis, policy recommendations are provided for energy project sponsors to better anticipate and mitigate conflict.

Using enclave groups to discuss workplace cultural diversity and community inclusion

AbstractWorkplace cultural diversity and community inclusion are two facets of a complex public issue that require a deliberative community-based problem-solving approach. This article reports findings from a qualitative analysis of fourteen focus groups (N = 83 participants) held in a rural Midwestern community that centered on community members’ experiences with workplace cultural diversity and community inclusion. Three themes emerged: (a) racism and micro-aggressions; (b) discomfort talking about and across cultural differences; and (c) lack of belonging. Of the 14 focus groups, five represented enclave groups with culturally diverse employees. By engaging with historically excluded groups, researchers communicated with affected stakeholders when framing the public issue and convening public meetings to discuss that issue. This use of enclave groups to make the initial stages of the deliberative cycle more inclusive has implications for practitioners of public deliberation, scholars of human communication, and citizens and their communities.

Regulatory scripting: Stakeholder participation in food and drug administration medical device advisory meetings.

In an age of biomedicalization, medical devices have become more common and more technologically complicated, and adverse events associated with medical devices have increased. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) relies on advisory panels to assist in regulatory decision making regarding medical devices. Public meetings held by these advisory panels allow stakeholders to testify, presenting evidence and recommendations, according to careful procedural standards. This research examines the participation of six stakeholder groups (patients, advocates, physicians, researchers, industry representatives and FDA representatives) in FDA panel meetings focused on the safety of implantable medical devices between 2010-2020. We use qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze speakers' opportunities for participation, bases of evidence, and recommendations, applying the concept of 'scripting' to understand how this participation is shaped by regulatory structures. Regression analysis demonstrates statistically significant differences in speaking time, where researchers, industry, and FDA representatives had longer opening remarks and more exchanges with FDA panelists than patients. Patients, advocates and physicians shared the least amount of speaking time, and were the parties most likely to leverage patients' embodied knowledge and recommend the most stringent regulatory actions like recalls. Meanwhile, researchers, FDA, and industry representatives rely on scientific evidence and, with physicians, recommend actions that preserve medical technology access and clinical autonomy. This research highlights the scripted nature of public participation and the types of knowledge considered in medical device policymaking.

Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule, United States, 2023.

Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule, United States, 2023.

Trust and collaboration connect remediation and restoration to community revitalization

Improvements to environmental quality through sediment remediation and habitat restoration are considered important components of the revitalization of communities with current or historical concentrations of industry. Moreover, these improvements can increase property values and consequently contribute to resident displacement and gentrification. However, little is known about the actual mechanisms that connect remediation and restoration to revitalization outcomes. Thus, there is a need to better understand the connections between remediation, restoration, and revitalization to inform more equitable revitalization processes. We address this gap through a case study of three communities in the Great Lakes region of the United States, where high levels of sediment contamination and habitat loss from industrial pollutants led to their designation as three of 43 Areas of Concern (AOCs) by the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Drawing from 16 semi-structured interviews with community leaders and participant observation in three public meetings, our study reveals that community leaders define revitalization largely through economic diversification and housing development. Connections between remediation, restoration and revitalization are driven in part by visual indicators of environmental improvement and public access to the waterbody that support investment, in addition to cross-sectoral and multi-scalar collaboration. Importantly, these collaborations and local champions’ leadership are highly dependent on affinitive trust revealing that there is great potential to increase resilience in AOCs by increasing trust diversity. Together, these findings add to our understanding of the ways remediation and restoration contribute to revitalization and inform city planning practices that promote more equitable revitalization outcomes.

The National Clinical Care Commission Report to Congress: Recommendations to Better Leverage Federal Policies and Programs to Prevent and Control Diabetes.

The National Clinical Care Commission (NCCC) was established by Congress to make recommendations to leverage federal policies and programs to more effectively prevent and treat diabetes and its complications. The NCCC developed a guiding framework that incorporated elements of the Socioecological and Chronic Care Models. It surveyed federal agencies and conducted follow-up meetings with representatives from 10 health-related and 11 non-health-related federal agencies. It held 12 public meetings, solicited public comments, met with numerous interested parties and key informants, and performed comprehensive literature reviews. The final report, transmitted to Congress in January 2022, contained 39 specific recommendations, including 3 foundational recommendations that addressed the necessity of an all-of-government approach to diabetes, health equity, and access to health care. At the general population level, the NCCC recommended that the federal government adopt a health-in-all-policies approach so that the activities of non-health-related federal agencies that address agriculture, food, housing, transportation, commerce, and the environment be coordinated with those of health-related federal agencies to affirmatively address the social and environmental conditions that contribute to diabetes and its complications. For individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes, including those with prediabetes, the NCCC recommended that federal policies and programs be strengthened to increase awareness of prediabetes and the availability of, referral to, and insurance coverage for intensive lifestyle interventions for diabetes prevention and that data be assembled to seek approval of metformin for diabetes prevention. For people with diabetes and its complications, the NCCC recommended that barriers to proven effective treatments for diabetes and its complications be removed, the size and competence of the workforce to treat diabetes and its complications be increased, and new payment models be implemented to support access to lifesaving medications and proven effective treatments for diabetes and its complications. The NCCC also outlined an ambitious research agenda. The NCCC strongly encourages the public to support these recommendations and Congress to take swift action.

Extension agents as liaisons: connecting rural people to food security programs?

ABSTRACT This paper examined the use of extension agents in connecting rural people to food security programs in the Irob and Gulomekeda districts, in eastern Tigray, Ethiopia. This study employed qualitative research involving 50 semi-structured interviews, 10 focus group discussions, and 15 hours of personal observation. Extension agents use public meetings to transfer agricultural technologies to rural people. However, results showed that public meetings are ineffective to connect rural people to food security programs. This has limited peoples’ power to voice their concerns and restrained their agency to sanction their choices and negotiate the structures. Besides, the food security implementation procedures are not inclusive limiting people’s participation in the strategy design and strategy implementation procedures. Study results also showed that administrative challenges and personal incompetence have affected extension agents from undertaking their duties effectively. Overall, despite Ethiopia invests in agricultural extension systems, little has been achieved to improve rural food security.

The whole story: Rumors and science communication in the aftermath of 2012 Emilia seismic sequence

Controversies that stir the public debate on geological matters usually revolve around a few specific aspects, including the actual trigger of geological phenomena (i.e., natural vs. anthropogenic), their predictability, and the trustworthiness of the experts who provide information and advice on the phenomena. A typical example of such difficulties is the case of the 2012 Emilia, Italy, seismic sequence which struck an area of relatively moderate seismic hazard. In that period, geophysical prospecting was planned to assess the potential of a reservoir for gas storage, near the town of Rivara. The low frequency of important seismic events in the area, associated with the ongoing industrial planning prompted widespread rumors of an anthropogenic origin of the 2012 earthquakes. Controversy also arose about the actual size of the seismic events: earthquakes magnitude can be computed with different methods, and its value depends on the type, number, and geographical distribution of the available seismic stations. As a result, different institutions commonly release different estimates of the earthquake magnitude, casting doubts on the reliability of each estimate. Since 2012, public concern has also been caused by the repeated occurrence of unusual phenomena in the area, such as ground heating or bubbling well waters. Popular belief tends to establish a causal link between particular phenomena and seismic activity, reinforcing the false conviction that seismicity could be predicted. In this work we present and discuss some of the activities that INGV pursued through the years to contrast rumors and disseminate correct scientific information. In the aftermath of the 2012 seismic sequence, INGV worked in collaboration with the National Department of Civil Protection, the local administrations, the University Network of seismic engineering, the Regional Healthcare System and local volunteer organizations. The organization of public meetings, the collection and analysis of widespread rumors and the creation of ad hoc outreach materials all contributed to reinforce the mutual trust between our research institute and the local population.

Neighbourhood opposition to relocation of people with disabilities in Lithuania: ‘fake ethics’ in the community discourse

Abstract Like other post-Soviet countries, Lithuania inherited large residential care institutions for people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities. The reform aimed at relocating these people to community-based group homes has been met with opposition, and the communities see it as a threat to their habitus. The news media has become an important actor in this process, in its attempt to reproduce public discourse accompanying such social change. Research using case study methodology was implemented to explore the ethical aspects of community participation in deinstitutionalization. It involved observation of different public meetings between central government and communities, content analysis of gathered data and discourse analysis of the news media publications on a resonant case of opposition to the deinstitutionalization. Although other accounts of ethics privilege those of the individual worker or organization, this article looks at the ethics of multiple actors—including the community as an actor, and thus understands ethics as multiple, dynamic and intersecting. In this sense, the account is less about individual workers and more about communities and how they change and develop. Different ethical attitudes of the main actors—Ministry of Social Security and Labour, local authorities, social care institutions and communities, shaping public and news media discourses about deinstitutionalization—were identified in the data collected. Initial unethical community discourse was met with critique from the society at large, and it forced communities to switch to ‘fake’ ethics arguments for opposing deinstitutionalization. Fake ethics was manifested as intentional disguise of prejudices against people with disabilities through citing ethical phrases of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, even though these words contradicted the actions of all parties participating in the discourse. Moreover, people with disabilities themselves, directly affected by the community prejudices, were absent both in public and media discourses, and this entails a risk for their successful inclusion into the community.

Abstract PR003: Colorectal cancer screening among Native Americans of Nebraska: A qualitative analysis of the barriers and facilitators

Abstract As a component of statewide cancer needs assessment, this study explored factors impacting colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and approaches to increase screening among Native Americans of Nebraska. Three 75-minute focus groups were conducted October-December 2021: Omaha Urban Indian clinic (n=11), Lincoln Urban Indian clinic (n=6), and Ponca Tribe (n=9). Participants were Native American cancer survivors and caregivers aged 30+ residing in Nebraska. Verbatim transcripts were inductively coded and analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. Most participants were female (88%) and caregivers (85%). Most had heard of colonoscopies (83%), but awareness of fecal tests was low with two participants unaware of any screening. Only 38% had heard of the Fecal Occult Blood Test despite tribal outreach during March incentivizing stool tests. Reasons for low uptake of screening tests included lack of awareness (“What is colorectal cancer?” and “I don't think a lot of Natives get that type of cancer, do they?”), elderly avoidance of medical care (“even when I’m real sick I have to be…near…death” before seeking care), fear (“fearing what they’re gonna find out”), and embarrassment (“perception of manhood”). The invasive and uncomfortable procedural aspect of colonoscopy and use of excreta for stool-based tests "Because I don't wanna be digging in my poop" were other deterrents. Some providers did not strongly recommend the screening. Other barriers include insurance and transportation/travel distance for colonoscopy. Suggested approaches to improve CRC screening were increasing awareness of CRC and screening options using billboards, flyers, posters, brochures, health fairs, public meetings, and social media (e.g., Facebook). Posters and educational materials in clinics were already in use. Suggested message content should portray that CRC is treatable “if they catch it in time,” emphasizing being there for family (“you’ve got kids, you want to see them graduate”), funny (“goofy…they can kinda laugh at the ad and hopefully not be so nervous”) and having community members share CRC survival stories. Engaging the community was also discussed either through 1) having nursing students provide health education outreach, 2) forming elder committees to encourage the elderly to complete screenings, and/or 3) ensuring physicians recommend and explain the importance of screenings during appointments. Community support in terms of transportation, social workers to attend appointments with the elderly, and financial counselors were discussed as important to complete screenings. Certain types of health facilities should enhance their partnership with Native Americans to share information with the community. Low awareness and wrong perception of CRC and screening tests are reasons for low utilization of screening. Participants expressed a desire for the researchers to continue building relationships with the tribal groups to address CRC. The state can use study results to prioritize interventions to reduce cancer care disparities. Citation Format: Krishtee Napit, Kendra L. Ratnapradipa, Lady Beverly Luma, Danae Dinkel, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway. Colorectal cancer screening among Native Americans of Nebraska: A qualitative analysis of the barriers and facilitators [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PR003.

APPROACHES TO DETERMINING CONTRACTORSFOR THE COLLECTION AND TRANSPORTATION OF HOUSEHOLD WASTE

The presented article was prepared in connection with the adoption of the Law of Ukraine «On Waste Management» and is directed to the current topic of the formation of a mechanism for determining business entities involved in the collection and transportation of household waste in the structure of household waste management services in territorial communities. The purpose of the scientific research is to establish an algorithm for determining the performers of the collection and transportation of household waste. The article proposes approaches to conducting a competition for the implementation of operations for the collection and transportation of household waste. It is proposed not to set limits on the number of participants in the competition to identify executors for the collection and transportation of household waste. Tender proposals of participants are considered by the tender commission, which is created by the organizer, which can be the executive body of the village, town or city council (subjects of cooperation of the relevant local self-government bodies in the forms provided for by the Law of Ukraine «On Cooperation of Territorial Communities») or the local state administration in the case delegation of powers to it by the relevant councils in accordance with the procedure established by law. The main form of the commission is holding open and public meetings at which the winner/winners of the competitive selection are determined and the minutes are drawn up. The algorithm for conducting the competition begins with the creation of a competition commission with an offer to join its work. The next stage is the preparation of relevant documentation, which should contain information about: the organizerʼs data, the person responsible for communication with the competition participants, the place of the competition, the time and date of the meetings, the requirements for the participants and their proposals, forecast tariffs, draft contracts, a detailed description of rooms and the names of the objects of the competition, explanations regarding all the nuances of the competition. Participants who submitted their bids are subject to registration in the accounting journal and further invitation to participate in the meeting of the bid committee. It is proposed that the tender commission at the meeting chooses the winner/winners of the tender that have the lowest proposed estimated tariffs for the collection and transportation of household waste and possess a greater number of advantages compared to competitors. According to the results of the meeting of the tender commission, the organizer is invited to draw up and approve the relevant protocol with subsequent conclusion of the contract. The main and additional qualification requirements for the criteria for compliance of tender offers with the qualification requirements are proposed.

“<i>Tuning Them in, Tuning Them out</i>”—Who Do Government Officials Listen to in Citizen Efforts to Shape Policy? Evidence from Local Public Meetings in U.S. Midwestern Cities

“<i>Tuning Them in, Tuning Them out</i>”—Who Do Government Officials Listen to in Citizen Efforts to Shape Policy? Evidence from Local Public Meetings in U.S. Midwestern Cities

University setting and infrastructure for the people’s well-being: Universidad de Guadalajara in the face of the pandemic

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, the University of Guadalajara (UdeG) placed its infrastructure, —particularly schools, laboratories, research centers and institutes, and departments related to the areas of health and human resources— at the service of civil authorities and the population in general. Before any other public university in Mexico, UdeG implemented and published measures to prevent COVID-19 infections, which began with the suspension of public meetings and face-to-face activities, and the installation of a Health Situation Room, and which continued with the Enabling of the Active COVID-19 Detection System, the reconversion of the Civil Hospitals of Guadalajara, until reaching the Design of the Vaccination Plan, to name a few. The objective of this article is to describe how actions related to the management of the university environment and infrastructure not only put the largest state public university in the country at people’s service as never before, but also about how we have been forced to reconceptualize the mission and vision of higher education based on the needs identified during the pandemic, from a humanistic, integrative, unitary, global and interdisciplinary perspective.Keyword: COVID-19, universities, setting and infrastructure, health sciences, innovation

The 2022 Copyright Amendment Bill: Implications for the South African universities’ research economy

The South African Copyright Amendment Bill of 2017 was passed in 2022. In justifying the weakening of copyright protections with regard to the educational arena, the Bill’s proponents have largely applied rhetorical discourses published in the popular media, also aggressively propagated at their public meetings. In contrast, the publishing industry has generated many hundreds of pages of economic impact studies supported by detailed legal arguments with reference to global treaties. My analysis assesses the different positions taken by the pro-Bill lobby, ReCreate, in comparison to the Copyright Coalition that questions the importation of an American fair use doctrine. The potential implications of the Bill for South African authors and artists operating in the educational environment are described. Since the object of study has been a moving target, and still was at the time of submission of this article, the conclusions that arise out of the ongoing debates are tentative – but prescient for the current conjuncture. The analysis relies on cross-referencing stakeholder submissions, newspaper articles and statements made by all parties to the discussion. In addition, a number of rejoinders were invited, which are published below. The study reveals the stark contradictions within emerging state policy relating to the creative industries in an era when information has economic value.