Socio-economic Development Of Communities Research Articles

АДАПТАЦІЯ ЗАРУБІЖНОГО ДОСВІДУ ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ФІНАНСОВИХ ТА ТРУДОВИХ РЕСУРСІВ ТЕРИТОРІАЛЬНИХ ГРОМАД

This scientific research explores the experience of territorial governance organization in European countries and its impact on socio-economic development. Starting with an analysis of the role of a specific form of public authority of territorial communities, the study highlights the necessity of their autonomy in addressing local issues and managing respective territorial units. Special attention is given to the problems of resource provision for regional and local development, particularly the creation of favorable conditions for entrepreneurship and innovative technologies. Further investigation focuses on analyzing various models of local self-government, considering their financial stability and degree of autonomy in governance. This allows for a deeper understanding of the influence of territorial governance on socio-economic development and identifying the most effective approaches to decentralization in European countries. Significant attention is also paid to the analysis of community labor potential and its impact on the labor market development and socio-economic strategies. Assessing this potential is a key element in planning community development and ensuring the stability of their socio-economic status. Detailed study of this aspect helps determine optimal ways for authorities to influence labor market formation and promote its efficient functioning. The text also emphasizes the importance of assessing the labor potential of communities for planning labor market development and socio-economic strategies. The necessity of labor market monitoring and predictive analysis to ensure sustainable community development is highlighted. Overall, the text reflects the importance of proper territorial governance and its impact on the socio-economic development of communities and regions, as well as indicates ways to improve this process. Overall, this research reflects the importance of proper territorial governance organization as a key factor in achieving sustainable and equitable socio-economic development in regions and communities. Therefore, its findings can serve as a basis for developing decentralization strategies and local self-government policies in different countries worldwide.

Internal and external factors related to the Return On Equity (ROE) of Ecuadorian Savings and Credit Cooperatives, Segment 1, Period 2014 – 2020

Savings and Credit Cooperatives in Ecuador play a very important role in the socioeconomic development of communities, productive associations and other niches that are not financially served by traditional private banks, both national and foreign. In fact, the financial inclusion of productive and consumer units in the rural sector - above all - depends on the economic and financial sustainability of these entities. In this context, it is important to know how profitable cooperatives are in Ecuador, identifying those factors, internal and external, that explain such profitability; for this reason, this article aims to analyze the relationship between internal factors such as liquidity, management and solvency indicators; and external factors such as inflation and real GDP with the profitability of cooperatives, segment I, measured through the Return On Equity (ROE). Using econometric techniques, it is found that the country's production level and the generalized price level as external factors, maintain a statistically significant relationship with respect to the ROE of the cooperatives.

Strategic priorities of socio-economic development of territorial communities of the region

In the modern world, the issues of socio-economic development of territorial communities are extremely relevant and complex. Local development is a key factor in ensuring sustainable economic growth and improving the quality of life of local residents. Strategic planning and targeted activities at the level of territorial communities are becoming increasingly important for achieving these goals. The socio-economic development of communities is a complex process that includes many aspects, such as economic activity, infrastructure development, education, healthcare, social needs, and many others. Taking into account the individual characteristics and resources of each territorial community, it is necessary to develop strategic directions that would meet its unique needs and capabilities. This approach will improve governance mechanisms, contribute to sustainable development, and improve the quality of life of the population. The article aims to analyze general approaches to shaping of strategic directions for the development of territories. General approaches to the creation of strategic plans and plans for the socio-economic development of individual territorial communities in Zakarpatska oblast located in different districts are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the need to harmonize the strategic directions of community development with strategic priorities at the regional and national levels. The article identifies the main trends in community development, which are reflected in the formulation of the goal and strategic and operational objectives, as well as in the identification of key development priorities and in overcoming various problems, including those related to human capital and infrastructure development, environmental improvement, small and medium-sized business and energy efficiency development, and governance improvement. The authors reveal that some of the approaches to formulating strategic goals may go beyond declarative ones, as they contain a wide range of tasks that cannot always be implemented in modern conditions due to insufficient resources.

Антикризові інструменти відновлення та розвитку громад у воєнний і повоєнний час

The aim of the article is to study and analyze the scientific and methodological approaches and experience of managers in communities regarding the process of recovery and development, as well as to formulate recommendations for the use of the most effective anti-crisis tools for the recovery and development of communities during the wartime and in the post-war period, which are based on the principles of sustainability, efficiency and optimal quality of service provision, as the war has become a crucial determining test of territorial communities of Ukraine for institutional capacity, organizational readiness, resource economic endurance and potential of personnel. As a result of the analysis of scientific works of numerous scientists, it was found that there is no unified approach to the selection and application of tools for the recovery and development of communities in the scientific literature. As a result of the study, anti-crisis tools for the recovery and socioeconomic development of communities during the wartime and in the post-war period are systematized and it is proposed to classify them into institutional tools, financial-economic and socioeconomic tools. The advantages of using each of the anti-crisis tools for the recovery and socioeconomic development of communities during the wartime and in the post-war period are analyzed. Comprehensive recommendations for the effective use of anti-crisis tools for the recovery and development of communities during the wartime and in the post-war period are provided, taking into account the successful experience of cooperation during the wartime between Ukrainian managers and international partners. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the conceptual substantiation of the effectiveness of the use of anti-crisis tools for the recovery and socioeconomic development of communities during the wartime and in the post-war period, the essence of which lies in the synergistic projection of the strategic development of communities on the principles of consistency and integrity, efficiency and sustainability, multivariance and irreversibility. Prospects for further research in this direction are to study the experience of comprehensive operational response of local authorities together with representatives of civil society to situational challenges associated with direct hostilities and post-war consequences. Purposeful, albeit gradual, movement towards solving the problem of recovery and development of communities during the wartime and in the post-war period is the basis for the recovery of economic and other spheres of public life in Ukraine.

The role of social science research

Social science research is an important field in the scientific background of almost every country. In the history of development, social science has made great contributions to the development of mankind in general as well as the socio-economic development of communities and countries in particular. Social science research helps humanity to have diverse perspectives on real life, to interpret and explain the processes of movement and development, as well as to have a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of relationships and predict the next developments of events and phenomena in human life. However, at present, social science research in the world and in Vietnam is not really valued, so it has not been properly invested. Therefore, it is necessary to have solutions for the development of social science research, to meet the increasing demands of social life and international integration.

Effects of Artisanal Refinery on the Environment, Public Health and Socio-Economic Development of Communities in the Niger Delta Region

Nigeria discovered crude oil in 1956. Instead of making sustainable economic progress since, the country spiraled into serious economic waste and loss, due to pollution from crude oil, corruption, neglect of the oil producing regions and high handedness of the IOCs/NOCs. Today, not only are legitimate oil exploration pipelines leaking oil into the environment, illegal artisanal refineries are contributing to pollution problems and by extension economic and health effects. This study thus investigated, effects of artisanal refinery on the environment, public health and socio-economic development of communities in the Niger Delta Region. The cross-sectional research design was used in this study. The target population comprised of illegal bunkering/artisanal refining sites and households that dwell within the artisanal refinery sites. The Taro Yamane formula was used to determine the sample sizes for state and 400 was realized for each state. 1324 artisanal refining sites were determined and using Taro Yamane equation 313 sites were derived. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for data analysis. The study found that, locals complained about how artisanal refineries affected their environment, health and economics. These effects varied spatially based on the result of the Kruskal Wallis test at P<0.05. However, some of the locals identified that, despite the environmental pollution because of illegal artisanal refining in the area, some economic gains abound. It is therefore the position of this study that artisanal refining be improved, so that the environmental and health effects be reduced, while making room for sustainable economic development.

Taxes in the formation of financial resources territorial communities: Ukraine and the EU

The issues of fiscal decentralization and the search for ways to increase the level of financial independence of territorial communities are extremely important for the socio-economic development of Ukraine. The main instrument by which territorial communities carry out their functions is the budget. Therefore, issues and problems that relate to the formation of the revenue side of local government budgets, the search and implementation of reserves for their filling, the expansion of the tax base is given a lot of attention in the scientific works of scientists from both foreign and domestic scientific schools. At the same time, the novelty of the problems associated with fiscal decentralization requires further research, in particular, substantiation of directions for increasing the role of taxes in the formation of financial resources of territorial communities. The objective of the study is to analyze the formation of local budget revenues in Ukraine at the expense of tax revenues and a comparative analysis of tax sources for the formation of financial resources of territorial communities in Ukraine and in individual EU countries. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the directions for increasing the role of taxes in ensuring the financial autonomy of territorial communities. During the research, general scientific and special methods were used: analysis and synthesis, the method of comparison, generalization, statistical, etc. The article analyzes the formation of incomes of local budgets in Ukraine at the expense of tax revenues. It has been proven that financial decentralization, tax and budget reforms have positive trends and contribute to the growth of revenues of local budgets and increasing their fiscal potential. However, local taxes have not become a regulatory instrument, but are secondary to government taxation. Therefore, the local taxation system in Ukraine requires further reform. The current system of local taxes and fees in the country requires further development, since it must provide sufficient volumes of own revenues of local budgets, as well as be an instrument of local socio-economic policy. The way to increase the volume of local taxes and fees should be the establishment of taxes that provide a sufficient volume of revenues, which in turn will create a reliable source of revenue for local budgets. Expanding the autonomy of local authorities will enable them to play an important role in the socio-economic development of communities and the country as a whole. Since local taxes and fees should form the basis of local budget revenues, it is necessary to expand the rights of local territorial communities to approve tax rates and fees, grant tax benefits, and also, taking into account the positive experience of EU countries, on diversifying tax revenues, in particular, through taxation of real estate. The results of this study can be applied in the process of reforming the local taxation system in order to ensure the financial independence of territorial communities.

СОЦІАЛЬНО-ЕКОНОМІЧНІ ПОКАЗНИКИ РОЗВИТКУ РЕГІОНУ

The study of some indicators of the components of socio-economic development of the region on the example of Vinnytsia region, namely production, financial, demographic, scientific and technical, social, environmental. It is stated that the provision of socio-economic development of the territorial community is realized through the financial content of the social sphere at the expense of own municipal funds and subsidies from the state budget. The assessment of expenditures proves that the social protection of the Vinnytsia region ensures compliance with the constitutional guarantees of citizens. The studied indicators of the Vinnytsia region prove that the socio-economic development of the community is aimed at ensuring the statutory guarantees of social protection of citizens, as well as streamlining the existing system of municipal assistance, benefits and compensation. One of the most successful system technologies that allows you to assess the impact of external and internal factors is a SWOT-analysis. The results of the SWOT analysis make it possible to assess the ability to withstand threats, as well as to overcome internal shortcomings. Thus, the internal factors of socio-economic development of the Vinnytsia region are dominated by strengths. With regard to agriculture and industry, the situation in the region is currently exacerbated by a shortage of skilled labor, namely, specialists in engineering and manufacturing. External labor migration increases the risk of further development of the labor industry. Declared indicators of socio-economic development of the territorial community are considered in terms of a set of different social and economic goals, rational and reasonable use of municipal and state financial resources. The given separate indicators characterizing social and economic development of territorial community allow to define acceptability of conditions for life and development of the person, social and economic stability of community. Changes in social and economic indicators under the influence of internal factors are the basis for the formation of qualitative socio-economic development of the region and the state as a whole.

Просторова несправедливість у формуванні територій землекористувань об’єднаних громад

The author revealed the injustices in the territories formation of the united territorial communities (UTC) under the local self-government reform, which are manifested in different, uneven volumes of their land use and the resource basis in general for local socio-economic development. The methodological approach used by the authorities in determining the capacity of united communities in their formation (in terms of compliance with the criteria – the area and the population density), led to the fact that in rural areas with low population density they had to form large UTCs to reach specific parameters by population. The hypothesis that territorially large UTCs are capable is ambiguous: on the one hand, land tenure and land use is a resource for socio-economic development of communities, on the other – in a large area the cost of providing essential services to the population in remote villages increases together with the administrative and other costs. Paper proves that large-scale rural UTCs should become objects of the state support as the “rural areas in unfavourable conditions” under the State Strategy for Regional Development for 2021–2027. The author justifies injustices in the centralization of powers on disposal of land resources. The land decentralization as a transfer of relevant powers to UTC local governments will be finally completed, according to the Decree of the President of Ukraine “On some measures to accelerate reforms in the field of land relations” № 449 from 15.10.2020, which will contribute to orderliness in this area and filling local budgets. It is also advisable within the UTCs to give internal communities the right to dispose of their economic territory’s land resources in these communities’ interests. The paper shows discriminatory aspects of administrative reformatting of 120 voluntarily formed and functioning UTCs, according to the Government’s long-term plans for 2020: by recognizing them as insufficiently capable, they should join other communities or unite into larger UTCs.

Prevalence and intensity of neglected tropical diseases (schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths) amongst rural female pupils in Ugu district, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

BackgroundInadequate water supply and sanitation adversely affects the health and socio-economic development of communities and places them at risk of contracting schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). The aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis (bilharzia) and STHs amongst female school-going pupils in Ugu district.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Ugu district amongst primary school pupils from 18 randomly selected schools in 2010. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on the history and knowledge of bilharzia of 1057 pupils. One stool and 3 consecutive days of urine samples were collected per participant and screened for helminth ova. Findings were compared with those reported by the parasite control programme, which collected data in the same area in 1998.ResultsThe prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura was 25% and 26%, respectively, and their corresponding mean intensities of infection were 21 and 26 eggs per gram. The prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium was 32%, and its mean intensity of infection was 52 eggs per 10 mL urine. Of the pupils, 60% knew about schistosomiasis, 9% reported red urine in the past week and 22% had had dysuria before. Although the prevalence of ascariasis and trichuriasis had decreased since 1998 (62% and 59%, respectively), the prevalence of schistosomiasis had increased to 32% (p < 0.05).ConclusionFemale pupils in rural schools remain at risk. A mass treatment campaign, increased public awareness and improved sanitation are required to reduce these infections and sustain a reduction of STHs and schistosomiasis.Keywordsprevalence; intensity; schistosomiasis; soil-transmitted helminths; Ascaris lumbricoides; Trichuris trichiura; Schistosoma haematobium; parasite control programme; water contact.

Strategic planning for socio-economic development of communities as a tool of regional policy implementation

At present, considerable attention is being paid to substantiating and deepening the conceptual framework for the implementation of public regional development policy. The modernization of the public administration system entails redistribution of tasks, powers and resources at the central, regional and local levels, which will promote efficient cooperation between regions and communities, increase initiative and responsibility of public authorities in the region. &#x0D; In this context, the necessity and importance of strategic planning becomes of high priority, which is stipulated by the possibility of using it as an efficient tool for coordination and cooperation of governmental institutions, business structures and civic organizations, optimal use of available territorial resources. &#x0D; Strategic planning is an integrating force that organizes and directs the process of developing strategic goals and creates the basis for the distribution of resources at the level of regional authorities [1, с.221].&#x0D; At the regional level, public policy is implemented by selecting priorities and substantiating the strategy for the development of long-term and current forecasts of the socio-economic development of the region; forming a regional budget; coordinating the work of local authorities in resolving interregional issues; ensuring environmental protection and rational nature use; equalizing the living standards of the population of administrative territorial units of the region; creating highly developed social infrastructure; developing and managing recreational economy; regulating the energy consumption in the territory; encouraging foreign investment and etc. &#x0D; The formation and implementation of public regional policy is based on an integral approach, which involves a combination of the following components: sectoral – increasing the level of competitiveness of regions by optimizing and diversifying the structure of the economy, ensuring effective specialization of regions with the prioritized use of the own resource potential; territorial (spatial) – achieving even and balanced development of territories, developing interregional cooperation, preventing intensification of socio-economic disproportions by forming “growth poles”, activating local economic initiatives and strengthening rural potential, ensuring the socio-economic unity and evenness of regional development in order to create equal conditions for human development; managerial – applying single approaches to forming and implementing regional development policy, creating a single system of strategic planning and forecasting of the development of the State and regions, optimizing the system of territorial organization of power [2, с.11].

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF ECONOMIC SYSTEMS: PROJECT-DECENTRALIZATION APPROACH

Topicality. The conceptual foundations of institutional support for the development of regional economic systems around the world are in state of constant transformation according to the impact of key topical trends. During the last two decades, the EU has adopted policy of active investment support for the development of local destinations, territorial centers of resource concentration and economic growth. The general rules of the investment activities conducting are combined with targeted measures of support for the implementation of strategically significant projects. The emphasis in the European regional policy has shifted towards the will of the investments attracting so much that, in fact, the whole policy of stimulating of regional sustainable development has turned into investment policy. An important task for the practical implementation of tools for a project, decentralization approach is the development of methodical tools for the preparation and execution of priority investment projects in the territorial communities in order to develop scientific and applied tools. Even the consideration of specific practical situations is urgent with the purpose of generation of new organizational and economic mechanisms that are to stimulate investment development of territories. Despite numerous theoretical and applied developments in the field of the socio-economic development stimulation of regions and territorial communities, the questions remain unanswered regarding the methodological bases for regulation of priority areas of economic activity of territorial communities and methodological approaches to selection, assessment of the degree of perspective and promotion of implementation of priority investment projects taking into account the specifics and the concentration of local resources. In more specific and applied aspects, the issue of project incentives for socio-economic development of communities is unresolved for the conditions of the national economy, on the basis of decentralization reform and taking into account the requirements of the ideology of sustainable development. Also, the description of various situations with the organization of socio-economic development of the territorial community in the conditions of decentralization, as an example of concrete projects, is still insufficiently considered.Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to formulate conceptual foundations, methodological approaches to the stimulation of the sustainable development of territorial communities in the conditions of decentralization, using the best European principles, practices and on the basis of specific situation description of the development and implementation of a long-term investment project for the territorial community. Consideration of the prospects and key aspects of the implementation of investment projects will be considered on the example of the planned association of the Lyman united territorial community of the Tatarbunarian district of the Odessa region.Research results. The conceptual, methodical principles of project support of investment activity in territorial communities are considered, algorithm of selection and support of investment project realization, which is a priority for the territorial community, is defined. There is considered, on the example of the Lyman United Territorial Community, a project on integrated recycling and rational waste management, the results of which the experts of the Institute for Market Problems and Economic &amp; Ecological Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine with representatives of the future community testify to the demand for an individual, pro-project approach to the solution of territorial communities problems, on the basis of local features. Thus, in the considered example, taking into account the specifics of composition, volumes, garbage structure and taking into account the seasonal fluctuations in its formation, the original methods are proposed that are available for the community during the processing of waste products into useful products, which are in demand, first of all, in the domestic market segment of the same community. The economic, social, ecological effectiveness of this project is determined, prospects of viability and opportunities for project development are estimated.Conclusions. The experience of working with representatives of territorial communities in the field of implementation of scientific and applied developments to stimulate the socio-economic growth of economic systems on the basis of sustainable development suggests the need for methodological tools on planning sustainable development of territorial communities in the context of decentralization reform.The prospects of the proposed approach include the possibility of local administration and application of measures of economic and organizational assistance for the implementation of such unique projects by the very same territorial community. Support for promising investment projects can be carried out directly by the administrations of territorial communities on the basis of scientifically substantiated principles concerning economic, tax, organizational and other types of regulation.

ОСНОВНІ НАПРЯМИ СОЦІАЛЬНО-ЕКОНОМІЧНОГО РОЗВИТКУ ТЕРИТОРІАЛЬНИХ ГРОМАД З ТОЧКИ ЗОРУ ЇХ МЕШКАНЦІВ

The article analyzes the main directions of socio-economic development of territorial communities from the point of view of their inhabitants. Conducting a sociological survey, determining the opinion of community residents on the problems and prospects of sustainable rural development, taking into account the influence of demographic, gender and socio-economic factors, is a modern method of public involvement in strategic planning, increasing initiative and improving dialogue between government and community. Based on the analysis of the data obtained from the sociological survey of the residents of the territorial community, it was found that the biggest problems that concern the residents are economic: high unemployment, low income. In second place were problems related to underdevelopment and unsatisfactory condition of infrastructure. In third place, respondents put the lack of conditions for self- realization and lack of activity and entrepreneurship of residents. Issues of the social plan (education, health care, trade and consumer services) have receded into the background. The assessment of the main resource of community development is dominated by factors related to exogenous factors - the availability of natural resources, progressive government, and only one in nine believes that the entrepreneurship of residents. When developing a strategy for socio-economic development of the community, the majority of respondents prefer projects of an economic nature over projects of socio-cultural orientation. Despite the fact that the majority of residents are pessimistic about the prospects of community development projects, the vast majority are ready to take personal part in the implementation of community development tasks. The most important areas of which are the development of the business environment, support for small and medium-sized businesses.

Effects of Large-Scale Acquisition on Food Insecurity in Sierra Leone

The recent phenomenon of large-scale acquisition of land for a variety of investment purposes has raised deep concerns over the food security, livelihood and socio-economic development of communities in many regions of the developing world. This study set out to investigate the food security outcomes of land acquisitions in northern Sierra Leone. Using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the study measures the severity of food insecurity and hunger, compares the situation of food security before and after the onset of operations of a land investing company, analyzes the food security implications of producing own food versus depending on wage labour for household food needs, and evaluates initiatives put in place by the land investing company to mitigate its food insecurity footprint. Results show an increase in the severity of food insecurity and hunger. Household income from agricultural production has fallen. Employment by the land investing company is limited in terms of the number of people it employs relative to the population of communities in which it operates. Also, wages from employment by the company cannot meet the staple food needs of its employees. The programme that has been put in place by the company to mitigate its food insecurity footprint is failing because of a host of reasons that relate to organization and power relations. In conclusion, rural people are better off producing their own food than depending on the corporate structure of land investment companies. Governments should provide an enabling framework to accommodate this food security need, both in land investment operations that are ongoing and in those that are yet to operate.

Assessment of Some Indices of Primary Health Care in Masaki Village, Tanzania

Background: Primary Health Care (PHC) is a critical element in health and socioeconomic development of communities especially in rural Africa. There is paucity of information on the assessment of many indices of PHC in Tanzanian villages. This study was therefore designed with the purpose of evaluating some critical primary PHC indices of Masaki Village in Tanzania. Methodology: One hundred owners of homesteads living within Masaki village were recruited for the study based on informed consent. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, quality of housing, water supply, personal hygiene, diseases’ vectors, general health status and environmental sanitation were gotten through self-administered semi-structured questionnaires. Data collected was analyzed using standard statistical methods. Results: The results showed that standard of living (quality of housing is low 23%) and education level of adults in Masaki is low (no education 47%). Water supply is a major problem (only 13% accessed safe water), diseases’ vectors are very common (95%). There is high prevalence of malaria (73%), acute respiratory tract infections (19%), typhoid (10%) and diarrhea (6%). Environmental sanitation is poor (56% inadequate refuse disposal and 35% deep latrine). Conclusion: PHC indicators; standard of living, water supply, education, sanitation and diseases’ vectors need to be addressed appropriately. Community based health education activities and other programmes geared towards enhancing PHC should be developed and implemented.

The Use of Renewable Sources of Energy in the Development Process of a Slovak Municipality

The present article deals with the issue of renewable energy sources for the development needs of Čakanovce municipality in terms of solar, geothermal, and biomass energy which are available for this region. Using renewable energy is viewed not only in the context of environmental benefits, but also in the context of further socio-economic development of communities and an increase of its energy independence. The analysis of the solved problems was based on relevant data on the possibilities of using different types of renewable energy in relation to supporting the development of Olšava-Kecerovce region which also includes Čakanovce. Choice of the most appropriate types of renewable energies to promote further development of Čakanovce municipality was based on proportionately index method, according to pre-defined decision-making factors.

An ethical approach to socio-economic information sources in ongoing vulnerability and resilience studies: the Mount Cameroon case

The study of the vulnerability of facing natural and man-made hazards, with the related resilient answers belong to the complex and articulate field of social sciences called ‘Disaster Anthropology’. Vulnerability is generally defined as a weak point in facing an aggressive event that is difficult to manage. Resilience is the subsequent capacity for self-repair after a sustained natural or anthropogenic stress. Consequently, the theoretical model of economic resilience is the ability to restore an economic background that can support the gradual recovery of social benefits following a disaster. Moreover, the presence in the territory of different systems of production (natural eco-systems and/or technical systems) should allow multi-resilient communities. The mathematical structure of these economic theorems makes their practical application difficult inside an ethno-anthropological context, as it conflicts with cultural variables of the socio-structural fabric. An example can be given by some urban and rural family structures that are settled around the Mount Cameroon volcano (southwest Cameroon), in which the general psychological pressure increases because of both the constant exposure to natural hazards and the vulnerability arising from its social environment (e.g. castes, forced housing allocation, cultural estrangement to local chiefdom). Therefore, the rational heuristic model to be adopted in this social vulnerability study is performed by several combined analyses that have many interpretive obstacles. In 2009, within FP7-MIA-VITA, the first fieldwork mission for the study of socio-economic development of communities living around Mount Cameroon was launched. This completed 108 interviews across several social groups of different ethnicities and religions. The resulting information is being re-tested and verified from the second fieldwork mission in 2011, for completion of the study area.

Educating students for effective community engagement: student perspectives on curriculum imperatives for universities in South Africa

ABSTRACT The public sector, including higher education institutions (HEIs), has a critical role to play in the national post-apartheid transformation agenda in South Africa. With the formalisation of community engagement (CE) as a core function of HEIs, universities are now required to contribute to the socio-economic development of communities and to promote students’ social and civic responsibilities through community engagement. Students are viewed as both agents and beneficiaries of community engagement. We propose that students of HEIs in South Africa have to be educated and prepared for engaging with communities, otherwise the potential to cause harm (albeit unintentional), specifically to previously disadvantaged communities, is real. Based on our proposal, this article presents the findings of exploratory research conducted for developing curricula to prepare students for community engagement practice and scholarship at the University of Fort Hare (UFH), in the Eastern Cape. Students currently involved in various forms of community engagement and areas of scholarship were purposefully selected from both the rural and urban campuses of UFH. The research asked the following question: What should be the nature and form of education/preparation of students, for the different kinds of CE activities and scholarship undertaken at UFH? The notion of ubuntu formed the philosophical base, with holistic education as the theoretical foundation of the study. The research drew from the scholarship of Barnett and Coate (2005) on the three functions of university curricula – knowing, acting and being – which we deem well suited to the functions of community engagement in the South African context.