Social Well-being Of Community Research Articles

Tracking electricity losses and their perceived causes using nighttime light and social media

Urban environments are intricate systems where the breakdown of critical infrastructure can impact both the economic and social well-being of communities. Electricity systems hold particular significance, as they are essential for othe infrastructure, and disruptions can trigger widespread consequences. Typically, assessing electricity availability requires ground-level data, a challenge in conflict zones and regions with limited access. This study shows how satellite imagery, social media, and information extraction can monitor blackouts and their perceived causes. Nighttime light data (in March 2019 for Caracas, Venezuela) are used to indicate blackout regions. Twitter data are used to determine sentiment and topic trends, while statistical analysis and topic modeling delved into public perceptions regarding blackout causes. The findings show an inverse relationship between nighttime light intensity and Twitter activity. Tweets mentioning the Venezuelan President displayed heightened negativity and a greater prevalence of blame-related terms, suggesting a perception of government accountability for the outages.

Looking back to inform the future: a review of published paramedicine research

ObjectiveParamedicine has evolved in ways that may outpace the science informing these changes. Examining the scholarly pursuits of paramedicine may provide insights into the historical academic focus, which may inform future endeavors and evolution of paramedicine. The objective of this study was to explore the existing discourse in paramedicine research to reflect on the academic pursuits of this community.MethodsWe searched Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Google Scholar and Web of Science from January, 2006 to April, 2019. We further refined the yield using a ranking formula that prioritized journals most relevant to paramedicine, then sampled randomly in two-year clusters for full text review. We extracted literature type, study topic and context, then used elements of qualitative content, thematic, and discourse analysis to further describe the sample.ResultsThe initial search yielded 99,124 citations, leaving 54,638 after removing duplicates and 7084 relevant articles from nine journals after ranking. Subsequently, 2058 articles were included for topic categorization, and 241 papers were included for full text analysis after random sampling. Overall, this literature reveals: 1) a relatively narrow topic focus, given the majority of research has concentrated on general operational activities and specific clinical conditions and interventions (e.g., resuscitation, airway management, etc.); 2) a limited methodological (and possibly philosophical) focus, given that most were observational studies (e.g., cohort, case control, and case series) or editorial/commentary; 3) a variety of observed trajectories of academic attention, indicating where the evolution of paramedicine is evident, areas where scope of practice is uncertain, and areas that aim to improve skills historically considered core to paramedic clinical practice.ConclusionsIncluded articles suggest a relatively narrow topic focus, a limited methodological focus, and observed trajectories of academic attention indicating where research pursuits and priorities are shifting. We have highlighted that the academic focus may require an alignment with aspirational and direction setting documents aimed at developing paramedicine. This review may be a snapshot of scholarly activity that reflects a young medically directed profession and systems focusing on a few high acuity conditions, with aspirations of professional autonomy contributing to the health and social well-being of communities.

Simple method for identifying interdependencies in service delivery in critical infrastructure networks

Critical infrastructure failures from natural hazard events affect the economic and social well-being of communities. This is particularly true in lower income countries, where infrastructure may be less resistant to natural hazards and disaster recovery is often limited by available resources. The interconnectivity of these systems can strongly affect the services they deliver, and the failure of one infrastructure system can result in cascade failures with wide-reaching consequences. Unfortunately, interconnectivity has been particularly difficult to measure. We present a method for identifying service-oriented interdependencies in interconnected networks. The approach uses well-established methods for network analysis and is demonstrated for healthcare services in the Commonwealth of Dominica, a small island state in the Caribbean. We show that critical links in road networks necessary for healthcare service delivery are important for more than just patient access to a facility, but also on the supply chains that enable the hospitals to function (e.g., water, fuel, medicine). Once identified, the critical links can be overlaid with known hazard vulnerabilities to identify the infrastructure segments of highest priority, based on the risk and consequences of failure. An advantage of the approach presented is that it requires relatively little input data when compared to many network prioritization models and can be run using open-source geospatial data such as OpenStreetMap. The method can be expanded beyond road networks to assess the service-oriented criticality of any infrastructure network.

Attitudes on land-use systems and social mindset transformations after group ranch subdivision in Kenya

Ranch subdivision transforms the landscape in terms of human, other biodiversity and land use systems. Studies have generally concentrated on its effects on land productivity and biodiversity. However, gaps exist on information available on social wellbeing of communities after ranch subdivision, perhaps due to its broad, diverse and complex nature. The case of Aimi ma Kilungu (AMK) ranch subdivision is used here to delve into the potential transformation of attitudes and practices on land tenure and land use systems in addition to social restructuring necessary for survival in the new environment. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews to respond to questionnaire questions. There were 79 respondents randomly selected from those who had settled in AMK after subdivision. The driving forces for ranch subdivision were; the opportunity to change one’s fate and economic empowerment which were presented, during the research, as the expectations and apprehensions held by the affected persons. Factors such as ownership of land and the desire for freedom also played a major role. There were challenges met on settling at AMK, but settlers developed coping strategies and transformed themselves and the land to enhance their living standards. From the results, respondents preferred ranch subdivision to group ranching, citing improved quality of life, freedom to determine land use priorities and ability to create practices for ambitious livelihoods.

Human Capital Management and Accountability of Social Enterprise

The emergence of social business enterprises has been attributed to the increased demand for sustainability among the non-profit organisations (NPOs) due to diminishing funding from traditional sources and increased competition for the scarce resources. To date, there is growing interest on social businesses (SBs) as innovation in providing public services that contributes to the social wellbeing of community. This in turn can be linked directly or indirectly to economic development as the sustainability level of the country is measured specifically towards the development of human capital and solving the social problems rather than the economics alone. Indeed, having both economic and non-economic aims, SBs would be the potential solutions to address a range of societal issues and increase the efficiency and quality of public sector services that focus on equitable growth with ecological sustainability. Therefore, it is important to explore the relationship between capability of SBs and the social impact created. This paper explores on capability based on human capital management and social impact or value created through SBs. This is expected to provide some insights on the sustainability and credibility of SBs to support the government efforts in moving towards high nation income.

The Influence of Length of Residency on the Social Impacts of Selected National Arts Festivals in South Africa

Festivals in South Africa contribute greatly to the economic and social well-being of communities and offer various benefits. The host community is considered to be one of the key role players in tourism and therefore relations between the festivals and the host communities play an important role in understanding the social impact of an event. The aim of this research is to determine the influence of length of residency on the social impacts of arts festivals. To achieve this aim, a quantitative study was conducted in the communities of Oudtshoorn and Potchefstroom. Results indicated that residents who had been living in these communities for longer, had stronger opinions about certain negative impacts resulting from the festivals than those residents who had been living in these towns for a shorter period of time. It is thus evident that length of residency influences the social impacts of arts festivals and may influence the sustainability of these festivals as well. * Address for correspondence:

Cultural Heritage Rights: From Ownership and Descent to Justice and Well-being

The protection of cultural heritage sites is normally evaluated in terms of universal and scholarly significance criteria, although increasingly the contributions of sites and monuments to the economic and social well-being of communities have been recognized. Human rights discourse, despite its many problems and limitations, offers a possible mechanism for evaluating heritage in terms of social justice and well-being. A cultural heritage right based on descent is particularly problematic and cannot be supported by archaeological, historical, and anthropological theories. A cultural heritage right based on whether people are in practice able to participate in sites and objects in such a way as to fulfill their capabilities is an alternative, as long as it also includes responsibilities to other communities with conflicting interests. However, few archaeologists and heritage managers have the training and expertise to work out short- and long-term economic and social benefits of artifacts, sites, and monuments, and they have limited experience in facilitating human capabilities through heritage beyond scholarship, aesthetics, and identity politics.

A Place for the Arts in Rural Revitalisation and the Social Wellbeing of Australian Rural Communities

Despite the significance of rural Australia to national identity, many commentators claim that rural Australia is in crisis and suffering from decline as a consequence of economic restructuring and policy reform (Gray & Lawrence, 2001; Sonn, Drew, & Kasat, 2002; Baum, O’Connor, & Stimson, 2005; Tonts & Atherley, 2005). As a result, the social wellbeing of people living in rural Australia has become an issue of major national significance. Despite a number of commentators suggesting that the arts could play a crucial role in the contribution to the social wellbeing of rural communities, there is an absence of thorough research in this field (Kingma, 2002; Matarasso, 1997; Mills & Brown, 2004; Williams, 1995) . The most rigorous research into the benefits and impact of the arts has been conducted with a focus on individual health and wellbeing in a clinical and therapeutic setting. Extensive research in a community setting however is somewhat limited. This paper demonstrates, through a review of the current literature, the place for the arts in rural revitalisation and therefore, the social wellbeing of a community, directly through tourism, income generation and employment opportunities, and indirectly by enhancing participation and creativity in public decision-making, strengthening community capacity, and strengthening identity and sense of place.

Land Like Diamonds, Money Like Ice

In the United States, government policy expressly attempts to make the consequences of forced relocation due to federal projects uniform and fair for all relocatees. Congress originally attempted to achieve the goal of similar consequences through the provisions of the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, popularly titled the Uniform Relocation Act. These policies were confirmed and strengthened by Amendments to the Act in 1987 (Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance-Act of 1987, PL 100-17, Title IV), which state that relocation assistance policies must provide for fair, uniform, and equitable treatment of relocatees and must minimize adverse impact of displacement to maintain the economic and social well-being of communities. The Amendments also state that relocatees shall not suffer disproportionate injuries as a result of programs designed to benefit the public as a whole.