Support Community Development Research Articles

Access to Education for Hindu Women Amidst the Patriarchal Culture of the Balinese Tribal Community on the Island of Lombok, Indonesia

This research explores and explores the low access to education for Hindu women amidst the patriarchal culture of the Balinese tribal community on the island of Lombok, Indonesia. A very strong patriarchal system limits women's roles in various aspects of life, including access to education, the economy, and participation in decision making, at important Hindu religious events. The research was conducted in West Lombok in the Balinese tribal community. The method used is a qualitative phenomenological method with observation, interview and documentation techniques for data collection. The main problem explored is how access to education for Hindu women is in the midst of a society that is very strong in its patriarchal culture. Education is identified as the main key in changing social phenomena, especially the marginalization of women's access to education in a patriarchal culture. Women who receive an education have the potential to break free from traditional limitations, build careers, and support community development. The importance of empowering women through education as an investment in sustainable development is expected to contribute to the local economy and improve family welfare. The results of this research show that resistance to social change regarding equality between men and women, especially regarding women's access to education in a patriarchal culture, is still quite strong, so that change still requires full support from the government and community organizations, as well as community leaders. This research concludes that access to education for Hindu women is still subordinate to that of men. Achieving justice and equality in access to education requires a holistic approach that involves collaboration between government, non-government organizations, and local communities, as well as community leaders. Increasing women's access to education is not only important, it is also a necessity to achieve sustainable social and economic development in advancing civilization.

ENHANCEMENT IN-GROUP COHESIVENESS – NEW ASPECT IN THE TAXONOMY OF IDENTITY MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES (THE CASE OF PEOPLE LIVING IN POVERTY)

The main aim of the current study is to present the negative social identity management strategies used by the poor group of people living in Georgia. The qualitative and quantitative research was conducted with the participation of socially vulnerable citizens in order to explore the social identity theory in the targeted group. As a result of the research, the negative social identity management strategies, such as social creativity, individual/social mobility and enhancement in-group cohesiveness were identified. There was also adapted the scale of measuring negative social identity management strategies, which is related to Social Vulnerability Status. A novelty of the study is considering the enhancement in-group cohesiveness as a negative social identity management strategy. The study gives interesting potential to other researchers to continue studying new taxonomy of negative social identity management strategies withing other vulnerable groups. In addition, our findings help us understand identity management strategies better, revealing important insights for efforts to reduce poverty and support community development.

Social media behaviors and barriers impacting women e-commerce entrepreneurs in rural Australia: A pilot study

ABSTRACT E-commerce businesses have proven to offer lifelines for residents in regional, rural, and remote (RRR) locations traditionally reliant on agricultural income. Prolonged droughts and frequent floods have had devastating impacts on the ability to farm, propelling the need to generate off-farm income to survive. This ever-growing necessity to overcome climate hardship has catalyzed a new generation of women e-commerce entrepreneurs in RRR Australia, in turn, supporting community development. Our study focuses on interviews with successful women e-commerce entrepreneurs from rural Queensland, Australia, to explore the common barriers they face and their use of social media to connect with consumers throughout Australia and globally. Results identified their three greatest challenges to be product supply, product distribution, and unreliable internet connectivity. Data exploring social media behaviors suggested a strong reliance on Facebook and Instagram to drive website traffic and generate sales. This study provides a unique contribution to knowledge regarding an under-researched segment of entrepreneurs, and how they contribute to community development.

Public engagement and collaboration for carbon dioxide removal: lessons from a project in the Dominican Republic

Despite an increase in literature on public perceptions of carbon dioxide removal (CDR), there remains a paucity of evidence describing the social and developmental processes involved in the implementation of projects in-situ. This research illustrates a case study documenting a planned research project for coastal enhanced weathering—a form of ocean alkalinity enhancement—in a remote, rural area of the Northwestern Dominican Republic, a Small Island Developing State particularly at risk from climate change impacts. This paper is a collaboration between the company responsible for the project (Vesta) and researchers located in the Dominican Republic and the United Kingdom, We draw upon 2 years' worth of surveys, interviews, focus groups, group information sessions, and reflexive documentation by the Dominican Republic researchers, to present a first-hand account of local community responses to the planned research project and to coastal enhanced weathering and climate change more broadly. We discuss themes of climate vulnerability, justice, and adaptive capacity through the lens of the collaborative governance and social diffusion principles that the project was designed with. We also reflect on a program of outreach and participatory activities which was established to support community development in the areas surrounding the field trial site, as informed by exploration of community needs drawn from the research.

ADVANCING HEALTHCARE THROUGH CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A CASE STUDY IN COIMBATORE DISTRICT

The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has expanded from traditional profit-focused models to include an organizations wider commitment to make beneficial contributions to the environment and society. This study examines the use of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the healthcare sector in Tamil Nadu, highlighting the importance of companies operating in this field coordinating their operations with social, economic, and environmental concerns. The study explores the different initiatives and activities that healthcare organisations take on to support community development and well-being. The three main pillars that underpin the healthcare sectors CSR initiatives in Tamil Nadu are increasing access to medical facilities, raising public awareness of health issues, and funding healthcare-related projects. Through an analysis of case studies and contemporary practices, this study elucidates the diverse strategies utilised by healthcare organisations in the area to discharge their social obligations. These programmes support the communitys overall sustainable development in addition to addressing pressing health issues.

Reviving BaTonga culture to support community development: A case of Zambezi Valley communities, Zimbabwe

The Tonga culture in the Zambezi Valley has lost some value due to various driving factors which speeded the atomisation of culture amongst BaTonga people in North-Western Zimbabwe. The main thrust of the paper is to identify major causes of cultural decay in the Zambezi Valley communities, assess the impact of cultural decay and suggest solutions that are aimed at preservation of BaTonga culture in ways that promote community development This study was carried out in the Zambezi Valley communities of Binga, Nyaminyami, and Hwange with a sample size of 30 people targeting Tonga people. Mixed methods and simple statistics were used to quantify the data collected during the research. Ethically, local leadership (chiefs and village heads), heads of departments in the districts were consulted to seek permission to carry out the research. The key informants and focussed group discussion participants were carefully selected to include old men and women who were displaced from Zambezi River during the construction of the Kariba dam in 1950’s as well as group of able-bodied men, women and youth to obtain detailed information on the phenomenon which is under review. The need for this research therefore arose due to unbridled increase in disappearance of cultural values and norms among BaTonga people along Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe. How to cite this article using ASWNet style Muntanga W. (2023). Reviving BaTonga culture to support community development. A case of Zambezi Valley communities, Zimbabwe. People centred – The Journal of Development Administration (JDA), 8(4), 121-126. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jda.v8i4.4 Visit journal website: https://jda.africasocialwork.net

The Impact Assessment of CSR Program using Social Return on Investment (SROI): A Lesson from Pertamina Patra Niaga Integrated Terminal Jakarta Indonesia

The measure of the company’s success is now shifting to maximizing profits and contributing to the achievement of environmental and community development by the triple bottom line concept. The purpose of this study is to analyze the social impact of the Bunda Koja CSR program during the period 2018 to 2021. The case study approach, which is ideal for thoroughly examining complicated social phenomena using the SROI method, which is carried out through some activities in the CSR Program (i.e. digital marketing training, BPOM technical support, food handler training, financial governance training, Pertamina Sehati School of Nutrition, etc.) is assessed its impact on the community through SROI method. The stages of the SROI method are carried out by defining the scope and identifying stakeholders, mapping impact, proving impact and giving it value, establishing impact, establishing the value of the investment, and calculating the SROI ratio. The results of this study indicate that the SROI ratio is 1.89 showing that every rupiah spent to be invested to support the program will gain an impact value IDR 1.89. The result indicates that such a program is considered to be favorable to continue to support community development.

Puerto Rico’s Rescued Schools: A Grassroots Adaptive Reuse Movement for Abandoned School Buildings

From 2007 to 2019, over 650 public schools closed in Puerto Rico. School closures not only affect students and teachers; these spaces serve as anchor institutions providing social infrastructure for the sustained health of communities. While closed schools remove a critical community asset, these vacant buildings provide adaptive reuse opportunities for alternative social infrastructure and community resources. This article explores how abandoned schools are repurposed in Puerto Rico, focusing on “rescued schools”—that is, grassroots, voluntary initiatives that repurpose schools to support community development. Through a multi-method approach, we categorized and mapped 161 repurposed schools throughout Puerto Rico—38 were rescued schools—and conducted twelve interviews and two focus groups on rescued school initiatives. Our results describe how abandoned schools offer a galvanizing opportunity for motivated community members to meet emerging, localized needs, and the challenges in gaining school ownership and attracting sustained financial and volunteer support, the lack of which impedes their potential impact. We demonstrate how rescued schools embody alternative regional political visions within Puerto Rico and argue that government authorities can minimize the harm from school closures by forging new partnerships between community-based organizations, municipal governments, and other supportive actors to repurpose schools and reproduce their role as community anchor institutions.

English for Tourism : Peningkatan Kemampuan Komunikasi Bahasa Inggris Bagi Anggota Geopark Youth Forum Kabupaten Lebak

Improving English language communication skills is crucial for members of the Geopark Youth Forum (GYF) in Kabupaten Lebak to face the growing tourism sector. This study aims to conduct a community engagement program entitled "English for Tourism: Enhancing English Communication Skills for Members of the Geopark Youth Forum Kabupaten Lebak" to enhance the quality of tourism services through improved English language proficiency. The community engagement program includes an "English for Tourism" workshop that covers tourism-related vocabulary, daily conversations with tourists, and presentation of tourist attraction Geopark Bayah Dome. The implementation method involves needs analysis, curriculum development, facilitator training, pre-test, and post-test evaluation to measure the participants' progress in language proficiency. The results of the community engagement program indicate a significant improvement in the English language communication skills of GYF participants in Kabupaten Lebak. Pre-test and post-test scores show an average increase of 30 points in English language proficiency, showing the workshop's success in enhancing language skills. Participant evaluations also indicate that the workshop provides tangible benefits, boosting their confidence in speaking English and enhancing their understanding of tourism-related terms. This community engagement program is expected to make a positive contribution to the development of the tourism sector in the region of Kabupaten Lebak. As English communication skills of the participants improved, GYF members can provide better services to foreign tourists, elevate tourists' experiences in the region, and support the development of tourism potential. Furthermore, the successful implementation of this program emphasizes the importance of collaboration between the university and stakeholders in supporting community development and the tourism sector in Kabupaten Lebak.

Manajemen Pemanfaatan Dana Desa Dalam Pembangunan Infastruktur Di Desa Puse Kecamatan Dampal Selatan Kabupaten Toli-Toli

Management of Village Fund Utilization in Infrastructure Development carried out by the Village Government to support community development and empowerment. Qualitative research method with a descriptive approach by examining four aspects, namely planning, organizing, mobilizing and supervising. Data collection techniques include observation, interviews, documentation and triangulation. The determination of informants was carried out "Purposively", namely deliberately selecting 5 people to become informants. The data analysis stages are: Data Collection, Data Condensation, Data Presentation, Conclusion Drawing. The results of this research show that the Management of Utilizing Village Funds in Infrastructure Development in Puse Village, South Dampal District, Toli-Toli Regency begins with the planning process, namely the Village Development Planning Conference (musrenbang). then in the organizing stage at this stage the organizing in terms of division of work is carried out by the village head. Implementation Process where the implementation of activities and supervision processes is carried out by supervisors from the sub-district village and district supervisors.

Ecotourism, Environmental Impacts and Sustainability in the Himalayan Settlements: Study of Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park, Nepal

Nepal has advocated for ecotourism as a strategy to support community development vis-a-vis environmental protection in the Protected Area settlements. In this context, considering the case of settlements along the Everest trail in the Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park, this paper aims to critically examine the environmental impacts of ecotourism, local community’s perceptions towards ecotourism development and its contribution towards achieving sustainability in the region. It has adopted case study as a research strategy and used qualitative approach for detailed investigation. It adopted multiple sources of data collection such as key informants interview, household’s survey, participant observation and archival research. This study concludes that current approach of tourism development and planning does not satisfy the objectives of ecotourism development. It has neither equitably benefitted local residents nor significantly reduced the use of forest resources, environmental degradation, and deterioration of cultural and built heritage. It will further continue inducing impacts on local environment, culture, and communities heading tourism and the destination towards unsustainability. A sustainable approach to ecotourism is needed that integrates local knowledge, skills and cultural values that support conservation agendas, and encourage inclusive participation of communities, stakeholders and promote sustainability.

The Role of Local Government in Community Development in Pakistan

Local governments play pivotal role in fostering and facilitating community development, a vital aspect of societal progress. This research aims to explore and analyze the multifaceted role of local governments in community development initiatives. Through an extensive literature review and case studies, this study investigates the key responsibilities, challenges, and best practices employed by local governments to ameliorate conditions of their communities. The research delves into the various aspects of community development, including social, economic, and environmental dimensions. It examines how local governments engage with stakeholders—residents, community organizations, and businesses—to identify needs, set priorities, and implement strategies tailored to the unique characteristics of their regions. Furthermore, the study investigates the policy frameworks, funding mechanisms, and resources that local governments utilize to support community development projects. The research relies upon qualitative methods and data collection mainly from official documents and research. Findings from this research helps not only understanding challenges and means employed to address them by local governments in community development.

Role of board indexes on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and shareholders’ wealth

Corporate governance plays a vital role in supporting the moral obligation of social responsibility and wealth maximization to facilitate stakeholders. The core purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of corporate governance indexes on social responsibility and Shareholders' wealth maximization in the US firms. The current study employs a sample of 286 non-financial S&P 1500 listed firms from the year 2010–2020. The panel data for S&P 1500 index firms were collected from the Eikone data stream professional service terminal. Panel regression models with fixed and random effects were employed to investigate the proposed hypotheses. In addition, the problem of endogeneity was addressed by the dynamic GMM model. This study constructed an index score for the very first time to address CSR and shareholders' wealth. The results of the study revealed that board composition and board diversity support community development (CSR), but negatively impact global sustainability development (CSR index). However, the audit committee was found to have no impact on both CSR funds and Index. Moreover, the audit committee index (AC) and board diversity index (BC) were also found to significantly contribute to shareholders' wealth maximization, but the audit committee index does not support community development. Shareholder wealth was found to have a very weak relationship with the audit committee index. Our findings have significant implications especially for developed countries. The policymakers and legislators are suggested to employ diverse boards of directors with a balanced composition to enhance human welfare and community development. In addition, regulatory bodies should appoint skilled audit committee members and directors with diverse cultural backgrounds, qualifications and experience to protect common shareholders' interest.

Linking large extractive industries to sustainable development of rural communities at mining sites in Africa: Challenges and pathways

Even though large-scale extractive industries contribute significantly to revenues in mineral-rich African countries, little is known about their effectiveness, and better approaches could align their contribution to the sustainable development of local communities and the environment around their mining sites. This study critically reviews the literature on large-scale extractive investments in Africa published between 2000 and 2022 to understand their current contribution, challenges, and approaches used to support community development and then proposes new pathways for better engagement. Findings show that the offer of large extractive industries to communities is still low, and some are declining over time as technology advances. In many mineral-rich African countries, the government's plans to develop local value and diversify economic sources around mining sites have been ignored or excluded livelihoods for many years and must change. Collaboration, policy coherence, sustainable investment, and diversification of rural economic sources are proposed as pathways that provide the necessary bridge to link extractive industry actors to the sustainable development of surrounding rural communities. For this to happen, the efforts of the African countries and related stakeholders are needed to help local communities to achieve some basic SDGs such as increasing affordable energy (SDG 7), micro-industries, and innovation (SDG 9), diverse employment (SDG 8), improving knowledge to bring local solutions, and creating self-sustaining mining systems (SDG 4). The mining companies must also maintain health and safety of community during and after mining by protecting their land (SDG 15), water quality (SDG 6), life below the earth's surface (SDG 14), climate change (SDG 13), and peace and justice (SDG 16).

Empowerment Tourism Village Natural Resources in Improving the Economy of the Community of Pagar Alam City, South Sumatera Province

Natural resources are something that can be used for various interests and needs of human life in order to live a more prosperous life around our natural environment. Utilization of a resource is determined based on the use of these resources for humans themselves. Therefore, the more useful a natural resource is, the more valuable it will be. Utilizing existing natural resources is a form of empowerment based on local potentials that strongly supports community development. Good natural resources management can improve the welfare of local communities. The implementation of community service activities (PKM) was carried out by using the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) method and the approach method with related parties, especially the Pagar Alam City Tourism Office. In addition, the collection of data on the potentials and natural resources in Pagar Alam is also carried out through a database search at the Tourism Office. From the results of the data collection obtained, it can be concluded that the empowerment of natural resources in Pagar Alam City can help the community's economic growth. Based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics of Pagar Alam City, Pagar Alam City's economic growth in 2021 grew by 4.39%. The highest growth was achieved by the accommodation and food and drink provision sectors at 8.83%. This is an indication of the empowerment of existing natural resources. Pagar Alam with its potentials can be further developed into an international standard tourist village by implementing the empowerments given.

Wildfire Response and Recovery: The Importance of Coordinated Care and Social Support

Summary A decade ago, the Oregon legislature created coordinated care organizations (CCOs) through a Medicaid 1115 Demonstration waiver as a way of integrating physical, behavioral, and oral health in a single funding stream. The intent of the legislation was to facilitate the development of regional organizations that would coordinate comprehensive care for their Medicaid populations. AllCare Health, through AllCare CCO, serves approximately 61,000 members in the Southern Oregon region by partnering with providers and community organizations and stakeholders. As a participant in this community network beginning in the mid-1990s, prior to CCO legislation — and having developed the infrastructure to support community development and the trust to reinforce relationship management — AllCare Health was able to help facilitate the local response to the destructive wildfires affecting Southern Oregon in the fall of 2020. Using geographic information systems technology, AllCare Health identified members at risk in the fire zones and coordinated evacuation, health care services, and social needs in the immediate crisis. AllCare Health’s experience with integrating social determinants of health (SDOH) and preexisting relationships developed over many years allowed the organization to be a catalyst in the community response to the wildfires, which, given the changing climate, have become more frequent. Further, the CCO model supports care delivery that recognizes SDOH and supports the Triple Aim of improved patient experience of care, improved health of populations, and reduced per capita cost of care.

School-centered community development: Lessons from Baltimore’s 21st century school buildings program

ABSTRACT This article uses the case of Baltimore’s 21st Century School Buildings Program (21CSBP) to investigate the potential of leveraging a school facilities investment for community development. We find that school facilities investments have the potential to catalyze community development along four domains: social, institutional, economic, and physical. However, existing market conditions and community trust and social cohesion can facilitate or constrain whether and how schools catalyze community development. Leveraging school building investments for community development hinges on a clear vision and staff capacity for implementation. Finally, definitional, geographic, and jurisdictional divides between school districts and city agencies can complicate the potential for cross-sector connections at the neighborhood level. Our findings underscore the possibilities of school facilities investments and community schools for supporting community development and affirm the deep-seeded challenges that stakeholders face to work as collective stewards of a shared social agenda for school and neighborhood change.

Resourceful Behavior in Informal Entrepreneurship Contexts

Resourcefulness is central to entrepreneurship and captures both the simultaneous pursuit of opportunities and mobilization of resources regardless of the entrepreneur’s control. In this research, we explore how entrepreneurs in the post-USSR country - Kazakhstan navigate the complexity of starting and developing businesses without regard to resources they currently control. By engaging with 84 entrepreneurs in creative industries and analyzing in detail how founders of eight ventures develop their businesses in Kazakhstan, we explore how informality influences resourcefulness in emerging countries. Our analysis reveals three types of resourceful behavior leading to variance in resource mobilization purposes: community-, self-and impact-centered resourcefulness where entrepreneurs are motivated by different pursuits: developing their ventures to support community development, for their own good or for creating impact globally. We enrich the literature by developing further understanding of variations of entrepreneurial resourcefulness in the context of informality.

Motivations of potential anchor businesses to support community development and community health.

Some for-profit businesses act like non-profit anchor institutions in contributing to community development, particularly health-related initiatives. Their motives are not well understood. We aimed to 1) identify and describe potential anchor businesses, 2) determine their motivations to contribute to community development, and 3) highlight motivations behind health-related initiatives. We identified a national sample of potential anchor businesses, grouped by those that contributed to 1) both health-related and non-health initiatives, 2) non-health initiatives only, and 3) those without substantial contributions. We conducted an environmental scan, semi-structured qualitative interviews and directed content analysis through rapid review methodology. We identified 4,512 potential anchor businesses nationally. Among the 108 of these included in the environmental scan, 48% substantially contributed to community development (12% in health). Interviewees' company philosophies ranged from the idea that economic well-being of the company and community were intertwined, to the idea that commercial success of the company would benefit the community. Motivations for contributions included improving the hiring pool, improved recruitment and retention, and goodwill. Other common sentiments included strategies to focus on core business strengths to address community needs and a desire that companies should not compete in their giving activities. Further, some participants believed health care companies should be investing in health-related initiatives. The generosity of potential anchor businesses' local contributions may be determined by company philosophy about its relationship with the community. Stakeholders interested in spurring contributions to local communities might consider messaging to leverage businesses' core strengths and encourage cooperation.

Assessing the Socio-Economic Impacts of Rural Infrastructure Projects on Community Development

Public construction infrastructure projects have been recognized as one of the fundamental tools in enhancing community socio-economic conditions for community development. The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the impacts of socio-economic factors on community development of rural regions. Through a questionnaire survey administrated in Pakistan, public construction practitioners’ views were sought and evaluated. Empirical support for the argument originated from the data collected from 213 respondents in Pakistan’s public construction industry. The questionnaire’s data were evaluated employing the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The study’s findings showed that economic and social factors influence the community development of rural regions. The result obtained from PLS-SEM proposed a more viable method to realize community development and objectives. The study’s results have offered precious lessons for local authorities, policymakers, and project stakeholders to strengthen the drive for achieving community development goals. Strategies supporting community development in rural regions are indispensable for local community development. This study provides empirical confirmation for the understanding and combining the community development concept; it illuminates absent knowledge about community development, especially in rural regions. This is one of the few studies investigating the influencing dimensions of community development in rural regions. To the authors’ best knowledge, this is the first research article providing empirical evidence of the influencing dimensions of community development in rural regions in a developing country.