Tangible Actions Research Articles

Embedding consumer and community involvement within an established research centre: moving from general recommendations to an actionable framework

Plain English summaryInvolving consumers and community members in the research process is an important step towards developing and delivering effective, person-centered health care. The National Health and Medical Research Council have provided recommendations for involving consumers and community members in research; however, definitive actions to implement these are not well defined.To address this, an established research centre in Melbourne, Australia, has developed a consumer and community involvement framework to incorporate the national recommendations into their research program. This paper describes the framework the research centre has employed, in the hope that other researchers can adapt this approach and learnings to their own research practices.The framework described in this paper aims to foster partnerships between consumers, community members and researchers, and in doing so, encourages consumers to be actively involved in research to help improve future outcomes for those living with musculoskeletal conditions. Simultaneously, the framework encourages researchers to value the consumer voice in their research to ensure they yield meaningful research outcomes for those living with musculoskeletal conditions.BackgroundThe value of involving consumers and community members in every stage of the research process is gaining recognition as an important consideration in the wider research landscape. The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has provided general recommendations for involving consumers and community members in research, although the translation of these recommendations into tangible actions has not yet been well defined. In light of these recommendations, many research institutions are now seeking to incorporate the voices of consumers and community members in their research practices.MethodsThe consumer and community involvement framework described in this paper incorporates the NHMRC’s recommendations to produce a four-tiered model where consumer participants nominate their level of involvement depending on their research interests and preferred level of commitment. In ascending order, the tiers are: Consumer Subscriber, Document Reviewer, Research Buddy and Consumer Advocate.The success of this framework depends upon the implementation of effective governance and access to appropriate infrastructure. A Consumer and Community Advisory Group and a designated Consumer and Community Liaison Officer will take responsibility for ensuring appropriate interactions between consumers, researchers, and the research center’s executive team. The framework aims to apply suitable support structures in place to manage expectations and minimize barriers to effective involvement, whilst ensuring that consumer contributions are appropriately valued and incorporated in the research.DiscussionInvolving consumers and community members in the research process is an important step towards developing and delivering effective, person-centered health care. While consumer and community involvement offer researchers invaluable perspectives on their research program, it provides an opportunity for consumers and community members to be actively involved in health research and improve the health and wellbeing for those living with health conditions.

Citizens’ participation in financing national projects (an applied study on the enlargement of the Suez Canal of Egypt)

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between citizen participation and the level of trust in government’s decisions and policies; as well as examining the impact of disclosure of information on the level of citizens’ engagement with governments’ projects. In addition, testing the real motives behind Egyptian citizens’ participation in financing national projects. The study is applied to the “New Suez Canal,” which was finished in only one year opposing the three years implementation period suggested by some studies.Design/methodology/approachThe researcher depended on secondary and primary data as well in working on this paper. She used secondary data gathered from scholars and from domestic and international institutions. Then, she conducted a field study and collected data through distributing 384 Likert Scale questionnaires containing 34 self-administered among respondents to test the following: 1. Citizens perceptions regarding the level of trust in government’s decisions and policies. 2. The impact of citizens’ trust on their willingness to participate in governments’ projects. 3. Is ‘public service motivation’ (PSM) behind citizens’ willingness of participating in national projects. 4. Is the ‘high expected profit of Suez Canal Investment Certificates’ behind citizens participation in national projects.FindingsH1 and H2 have been accepted as trust, transparency and citizen participation proved to be important pillars of building a participatory government. Moreover, citizens’ participation in national projects encouraged national and international enterprises to invest in the canal provision. H3 and H4 are accepted and the statistical study revealed dual contradicting results regarding the motive of citizens’ financial participation in the New Suez Canal project. The justification for the contradiction is that right after the 2011 up-rise, Egyptian citizens were overwhelmed with patriot emotions and feelings pushing them to participate in national projects. At the same time this patriot drive was moderated by the “performance-based rewards and citizens” self-interests’ pushed by the Egyptian government (offering a high-interest rate for Suez Canal Certificates at that time). Citizens might be motivated to participate in national projects triggered by many factors: public service drive – patriotism or self-interest.Research limitations/implicationsThe study needs further deeper investigation and empirical pieces of evidence to answer the following questions: would different participatory actions result differently in other circumstances? Do individuals’ levels of PSM vary over time? Besides, the researcher needs to find ways to test PSM against various motives such as self-interest, which needs to be confirmed empirically.Practical implicationsThe author came up with important recommendations for central government and decision-makers in Egypt and is based upon the study’s statistical results. The most important recommendations were: central government and decision-makers should frame a policy designed to promote citizens’ participation in decision-making drawing on the guidelines for civil participation in political decision-making. Decision-makers in the central government should work local and regional authorities to update and improve local and regional regulations concerning the participation of citizens in local public life and promote a culture of democratic participation shared by communities and local authorities. Performance-based rewards (high-interest rate) are moderating the citizens’ public service motivation (PSM – patriot sense) and citizens may be motivated by different factors such as public service drive – patriotism or self-interest.Social implicationsThe study is tackling an important issue, which is civil participation in political decision-making. It is also discussing promoting cultural awareness regarding the importance of democratic participation shared by communities and local authorities. The study came up with certain findings proving Egyptian civil society’s willingness in participating with the government in national projects; believing in its socio-economic benefits.Originality/valueFinally, the study is of value, as it could be considered a pilot study representing the outcomes of citizen participation in national projects; in addition, it can be considered as a road map to policymakers. Moreover, the findings provide a set of recommendations and policies for governments and decision-makers to undertake tangible actions to accelerate citizen participation in further projects and decisions and be able to establish a democratic system in developing countries.

Habitat connectivity and island biogeography: A call for community-engaged scholarship to address isolated parks and protected areas

Author(s): Nettles, John M.; Brown, Madeline S.; Drage, Erinn; Islam, Ariful; Whitener, Patricia A. | Abstract: Using the theory of island biogeography as a framework, we seek to determine the potential impact of the lack of connectivity between parks and protected areas on large-scale conservation efforts. We analyze lessons learned from the current Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) initiative and develop recommendations to improve connectivity while incorporating the motivations, needs, and emotions of stakeholder groups.nWe strongly encourage ecologists, geographers, biologists, and other academics and activists to partake wholly and enthusiastically in community-engaged scholarship through outreach, capacity building, and social capital building through the proven frameworks of consensus-based and structured decisionmaking. Further, we argue that large-scale conservation initiatives may greatly benefit from an approach focused on small, more tangible actions when working toward a larger goal. As human populations and urban–wildland interfaces continue to grow rapidly, former models of park and protected area development become increasingly ineffective. We must adopt new strategies, such as those listed here, in order to increase landscape connectivity and provide effective conservation for all species. [This is a paper from “Systemic Threats to Parks a Protected Areas,” the 2020 George Wright Society Student Summit.]

A richness index for baselining climate change adaptations in small island developing states

Small island developing states (SIDS) are a uniquely vulnerable suite of countries. Climate change is already having disproportionate impacts on their biophysical and socio-economic processes. The status of national-level climate change adaptation across multiple SIDS is, however, under-explored in the academic literature. A pivotal study by Lesnikowski et al. (2015) ( https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-013-9491-x ), which assessed adaptation outcomes in 117 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), only included 13 SIDS, a number insufficient to establish a baseline of action in these countries. This paper builds on Lesnikowski et al. (2015) and more recent SIDS-specific work by Robinson (2017) ( https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-015-9693-5 ) by coding 441 national adaptation actions reported in the National Communications of 35 SIDS between 1997 and 2014. It develops a richness index that baselines adaptations in these countries, which are located across three main geographic regions – the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Caribbean, and Pacific. It further identifies more advanced adaptors and less advanced adaptors among the group, and finds that, while progress was made in the observation and assessment of climate variables (29.7% of reported actions) and planning (25.2%), less tangible actions were implemented (19.0%) with even less monitoring and evaluation (8.2%) and stakeholder engagement and knowledge management (17.9%). This paper concludes that greater investments in ongoing capacity-building in SIDS are required for countries to better plan, implement and evaluate adaptation actions, and to better advocate for more optimal levels of international financing for helping to underwrite the cost of adaptation. • Atlantic and Indian Ocean SIDS are strongest in stakeholder engagement and knowledge management. • Caribbean SIDS lead on observation and assessment of climate variables. • Pacific SIDS are strongest in planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. • Cook Islands and Kiribati are among the most advanced adaptors. • Guinea-Bissau and Marshall Islands are among the least advanced adaptors.

Advocacy and Action to End the Opioid Epidemic by the AMA Opioid Task Force.

Members of the AMA Opioid Task Force include the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, 25 specialty and state medical societies, and the American Dental Association. In 2015, the task force issued 6 recommendations focused on specific actions to help reverse the nation's opioid epidemic. Clinicians have demonstrated progress in each of these areas, and, while much work remains, making good policy will be key to motivating continued progress. Recommendations adopted in 2019 focus on tangible actions policymakers can take to help end the epidemic. This article offers an overview of task force recommendations.

COVID-19, BAME and surgical training: a status quo?

To achieve equity in healthcare, we must move away from platitudes and deliver tangible actions.

Using science management partnerships to develop landscape level indicators and assessments to measure vulnerability of Piñon-Juniper woodlands

The process of identifying tangible actions to conserve important resources in the face of climate change is challenged because of uncertainties regarding future conditions. There is also a lack of existing methods for evaluating the effectiveness of proposed management actions for mitigating negative impacts. For piñon-juniper (PJ) ecosystems within the Southwest U.S., efforts are further hampered by a lack of information on the direction and drivers of changing population trends. PJ ecosystems, while ecologically important, have been the focus of eradication efforts due to perceptions that they are encroaching into important grasslands. However, recent impacts of drought, insect outbreaks, and fire increasingly threaten these ecosystems. It is unclear at this time where and to what extent PJ ecosystems are vulnerable to climate change and other disturbances, challenging management. To develop a method for determining the current and future status of PJ ecosystems, we engaged with local land managers to identify key indicators and drivers of PJ population change and developed a vulnerability assessment approach based on these indicators. Our goal was to use this process to create data products that would assist resource managers dealing with rapidly changing landscapes. Borrowing from other successful assessments strategies, we used Adaptation Forums to facilitate stakeholder input to vet potentially relevant indicators of PJ status and response to climate change and other stressors. Through multiple iterations, we finalized a list of indicators that could be used to quantify vulnerability of PJ ecosystems. We then developed a vulnerability assessment framework that can systematically quantify risks to PJ based on these indicators and applied this framework to two landscapes in the southwestern U.S. This process allows us to support decision making processes by generating information on future PJ status even when data are incomplete.

Evolution of Political Simulacra in Digital Society (on the Examples of “fake news” and “post-truth”)

Introduction.The paper deals with the evolution of “fake-news” and “post-truth” in the digital society, which can be qualified as simulations of virtual space. The authors formulate a hypothesis that disclosure of the features of social evolution of “fake news” and “post truth” as political simulaсra is possible on the basis of a multi-paradigm approach that combines the explanatory potential of sociology of communication, political sociology, systemic, interactive approach, concepts of cultivation and agenda.Methodology and sources.The methodological basis is a multi-paradigm approach to the study of “fake news” and “post truth” as “simulacras” of virtual space, distributed mainly "on the World Wide Web" in the form of deliberately false or distorting messages, memes, posts, repost, tweets, retweets, trolling, etc., allowing to unite heuristic possibilities of system-sociological and interactive approaches, theory of communicative action, concepts of cultivation and agenda.Results and discussion.The authors argue that “fake news” as an information unit of mainly political and communicative space is a natural product of digitalization development, which arises from the “post truth”. Today the artificial construction of political news has a practical impact on the behavior of businessmen, public figures, political leaders, etc., as well as to influence the real socio-economic processes and political and legal sphere on a global scale. The problem of belief in "fake news" is considered, the study of which, based on multi-paradigm methodology, allows to reveal it properly and find possible solutions.Conclusion.Consideration of the evolution of “fake news” and “post truth” in digital society shows that they act as certain political simulacras of virtual space with using the manipulative technologies. “Fake-news” and “posttruth” pose a threat to society as a whole, create “obstacles” for their study and complicate communicative interaction, replacing real socio-political communications and tangible political actions with their imitation in virtual space or, for example, as a politically convenient truth, form a certain synthetic simulacrum in political-communicative practice, which combines PR-shows and media manipulations.

Integrating sustainable value thinking into technology forecasting: A configurable toolset for early stage technology assessment

There is an urgent need for technology development to make a sustainable or restorative contribution to the environment, with its inherent links to society and societal welfare. Forward-looking activities, such as firm level technology forecasting and technology intelligence, are increasingly important in providing positive impact that is complementary to policy level interventions. However, selecting and implementing appropriate approaches to conduct these activities and quantifying their value contribution is still difficult. This article seeks to demonstrate how technology opportunities may be explored more effectively by combining existing methods for assessing new technology and identifying sustainable value, in an approach for industry that is both configurable and practical while delivering tangible benefits. It details the two-year university-industry collaboration and testing of a configurable toolset, based on four templates used in a workshop setting. Results indicate that the toolset has successfully probed technological, environmental and social capabilities, promoted the selection and implementation of an appropriate approach and led to the quantification of value through the inclusive, transparent and documented assessment of technology opportunities and the tangible actions identified. In summary, the toolset supports company employees in realising a measure of prospective sensemaking, which is a key deliverable from forward-looking activities.

Can genetic testing help in the management of dyslipidaemias?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential role of genetic testing, particularly next-generation DNA sequencing, in diagnosing and managing dyslipidaemias, particularly monogenic dyslipidaemias. Targeted DNA sequencing of the genes causing monogenic dyslipidaemias is becoming more accessible. Some societies' position statements advise selective utilization of DNA testing in combination with clinical and biochemical assessment. However, high-quality peer-reviewed evidence showing that a DNA-based diagnosis impacts upon long-term patient outcomes is currently lacking. Nonetheless, we show anecdotal examples of tangible clinical actions following from a genetic diagnosis. In any event, care must be taken when interpreting genetic reports. We strongly feel that expertise in both genetics and dyslipidaemias is required to adequately interpret and report results to patients, as well as to make informed treatment decisions that can have a potential lifelong impact. There are some examples of monogenic dyslipidaemias for which having a molecular diagnosis might beneficially affect patient outcomes, for example certain cases of suspected familial hypercholesterolemia, familial chylomicronemia syndrome, sitosterolemia or lysosomal acid lipase deficiency. In general, we recommend limiting genetic testing to selected cases of monogenic dyslipidaemias. Finally, we advise that there is currently no proven clinical benefit in testing for polygenic dyslipidaemias.

Actions to Promote and Achieve Climate‐Ready Fisheries: Summary of Current Practice

AbstractClimate change impacts to ocean ecosystems are altering the distribution and abundance of fish populations and impacting the people whose health, well‐being, and livelihoods depend on them. Thousands of published papers make it very clear that fish are on the move, alterations in productivity are occurring, and natural and human ecosystems are responding to climate variability and change. Across the globe, numerous high‐level strategies have been developed to provide guidance for managing fisheries in the face of climate change, but specific examples of implementation and actionable decision making in real‐world situations to address climate change impacts are generally lacking. Here we present a review of tangible actions that have been undertaken to reduce, mitigate, and confront climate change impacts to fisheries at a range of levels from individual choice to federal governance. Actions fall into seven general categories covering conservation of natural marine resources, emerging fisheries, reference points, future planning, integrated monitoring and management, and increasing adaptive capacity across all levels. We found that diverse fishery actors around the globe, including managers, scientists, and industry, are taking actions to address climate impacts, but given the scale of the problem there are relatively few intentional, well‐documented examples of tactical responses.

Soil Biodiversity Integrates Solutions for a Sustainable Future

Soils are home to more than 25% of the earth’s total biodiversity and supports life on land and water, nutrient cycling and retention, food production, pollution remediation, and climate regulation. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that multiple sustainability goals can be simultaneously addressed when soil biota are put at the center of land management assessments; this is because the activity and interactions of soil organisms are intimately tied to multiple processes that ecosystems and society rely on. With soil biodiversity at the center of multiple globally relevant sustainability programs, we will be able to more efficiently and holistically achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Here we review scenarios where soil biota can clearly support global sustainability targets, global changes and pressures that threaten soil biodiversity, and actions to conserve soil biodiversity and advance sustainability goals. This synthesis shows how the latest empirical evidence from soil biological research can shape tangible actions around the world for a sustainable future.

Applying the Knowledge Product Evaluation (KnoPE) Framework to two urban resilience cases in the United States

Urban decision-makers are increasingly focused on enhancing community resilience in anticipation of more frequent and intense impacts from climate variability and change. These impacts will manifest in complex and nuanced ways, particularly when coupled with additional social, economic, and environmental shifts that vary across contexts. Given these challenges, urban decision-makers are seeking new knowledge, and new ways of using existing knowledge, to support decision-making processes. In response, a broad range of knowledge products (i.e. decision-support tools, climate services) have been developed for urban areas. Yet, to date, little research has directly evaluated these products. The Knowledge Product Evaluation (KnoPE) framework addresses this gap by providing both conceptual clarity surrounding knowledge products and a structured, generalizable methodology to guide research and support improved knowledge product creation and uptake. The KnoPE Framework combines data and information on knowledge products, their use in decision-making over time, and evidence of tangible actions taken. The KnoPE Framework was developed with two urban resilience knowledge products – the Urban-Climate Adaptation Tool and the Maine Flood Resilience Checklist. Initial testing indicates that the KnoPE Framework can assess the transferability, scalability, and use of knowledge products in urban resilience decision-making. Any evaluation using the KnoPE Framework requires a thorough understanding of the contextual details of each case and understanding what factors may influence knowledge product development and subsequent decision-making processes and outcomes. Yet, as an analytical entry point for the evaluation of knowledge products, the KnoPE Framework can offer insights regarding the extent to which knowledge products influence urban resilience decision-making processes.

Sustainability change agents: leveraging political skill and reputation

PurposeSustainability initiatives are important considerations for twenty-first century institutions. Employees, customers and other stakeholders expect responsible business practices that focus on people, profit and planet in unison. Sustainability efforts require a strong advocate who can champion relevant business practices and embed new practices within the culture and across the entire organization. The purpose of this paper is to explain the tangible actions described as necessary by change agents in order to move sustainability initiatives forward in their organizations. This research employs the narrative provided by these agents in interviews – to inform the activities outlined in an established model of political skill and reputation building. This analysis enables the model to illustrate the sequential patterns and process of events, i.e. antecedents and consequences that are simply assumed in the existing variance models.Design/methodology/approachThis research is based on in-depth qualitative interviews with the sustainability managers from a variety of organization and industry contexts (e.g. building products, hospitals, banking, energy, environmental and manufacturing).FindingsThe exploration of sustainability initiatives reveals the importance of the change agent’s reputation for building trust in their organizations. Reputation is fostered through political skill and persuasion, while leveraging social capital.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is rich in the depth of individual-level phenomena, thereby highlighting the skills necessary to enact change within a variety of industries. However, given the limited sample size, macro-level issues cannot be addressed.Practical implicationsPolitical skill is a teachable skill that is enhanced through mentoring and coaching. Sustainability initiatives and their organizations can benefit from leveraging persons with strong reputations to facilitate change. When lacking, persons with content knowledge can be groomed to grow their reputation, network, persuasion and political skills.Social implicationsSustainability is vital to the future of our earth and humanity. Business and society would benefit from the growth of this phenomenon.Originality/valueThe authors aim to help change agents achieve their objectives through consideration of not just the goals, but the process as well.

Tackling alcoholism and domestic violence in fisheries—A new opportunity to improve well‐being for the most vulnerable people in global fisheries

AbstractThe UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) principle of “leaving no one behind” focuses global attention on the poorest and most vulnerable people. As different sectors grapple to engage meaningfully with this principle, we posit that greater consideration of social problems in fishing‐dependent communities, such as alcoholism and domestic violence, presents an opportunity for fishery governors to contribute to the SDGs mandate. We further argue that governing marine resources in ignorance of these problems can risk harming some of the most vulnerable people in fisheries. Using subjective well‐being data from women living in two small‐scale fishing communities in India and Sri Lanka, we demonstrate the prevalence and impact of alcoholism and domestic violence in fishing households. We further highlight how policies which restrict access to marine resources can undermine important coping strategies, in particular, the ability of women to act as independent income earners, exacerbating harm to already vulnerable women. A scoping review of the literature reveals that alcoholism and domestic violence are reported in certain fisheries around the world, and we theorize how this may relate to the nature of fishing life and growing stresses regarding the future of fishing. Tackling the burdens of alcoholism and domestic violence in fisheries, where it is an issue, is an opportunity to improve well‐being for men, women and their families. The paper concludes with tangible actions which marine resource governors could adopt to contribute to the “leave no one behind” ethos.

Climate Change Adaptation Strategies and Approaches for Outdoor Recreation

Climate change will alter opportunities and demand for outdoor recreation through altered winter weather conditions and season length, climate-driven changes in user preferences, and damage to recreational infrastructure, among other factors. To ensure that outdoor recreation remains sustainable in the face of these challenges, natural resource managers may need to adapt their recreation management. One of the major challenges of adapting recreation to climate change is translating broad concepts into specific, tangible actions. Using a combination of in-depth interviews of recreational managers and a review of peer-reviewed literature and government reports, we developed a synthesis of impacts, strategies, and approaches, and a tiered structure that organizes this information. Six broad climate adaptation strategies and 25 more specific approaches were identified and organized into a “recreation menu”. The recreation menu was tested with two national forests in the US in multi-day workshops designed to integrate these concepts into real-world projects that were at the beginning stages of the planning process. We found that the recreation menu was broad yet specific enough to be applied to recreation-focused projects with different objectives and climate change impacts. These strategies and approaches serve as stepping stones to enable natural resource and recreation managers to translate broad concepts into targeted and prescriptive actions for implementing adaptation.

The Identification, Recovery, and Reintegration of Victims of Child Trafficking within ASEAN: An Exploratory Study of Knowledge Gaps and Emerging Challenges

ABSTRACT Child trafficking is a critical public health and human rights issue within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Efforts to ensure the timely identification, successful recovery, and safe and sustainable reintegration of children within the ASEAN have been codified in a number of legal obligations at both the international and regional levels, as well as within non-binding guidelines. However, little research has focused on the extent to which these commitments have translated into the effective identification, recovery, and reintegration for child victims. The present exploratory study included semi-structured key informant interviews (N = 248) with representatives of the United Nations (UN), governmental agencies, and international and domestic non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in three ASEAN nations with a history of child trafficking: Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic [Lao PDR], and Thailand. The interview data were analyzed and synthesized in order to identify current trends, knowledge gaps, and emerging challenges pertaining to the identification, successful recovery, and safe and sustainable reintegration of victims of child trafficking. Findings indicate that despite some noteworthy successes, the commitments that have been made in mandates and guidelines seldom translate into tangible actions. The majority of victims are not being formally identified, survivors rarely receive the psychosocial services that are outlined in international and regional guidelines, and safe and sustainable reintegration efforts often insufficiently address issues related to social inclusion, economic empowerment, and access to viable job opportunities to enable victims to reestablish their lives and prevent re-trafficking.

Routine identification of patients with disabilities in primary care: A mixed-methods study

BackgroundPeople with disabilities experience barriers to receiving healthcare and often have worse health outcomes, but data on disability is rarely routinely collected in a standardized way. ObjectiveThis study examined how patients responded to being asked about disabilities as part of a routine, self-administered sociodemographic survey. MethodsWe conducted a mixed-methods study in a multi-site primary care organization. We compared the characteristics of people who responded to a question about disabilities to those who did not respond using logistic regression. We also compared survey responses to data available in medical charts. In-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of patients following survey completion. ResultsOver 28 months, 15,221 patients were offered the survey and 14,247 (93.6%) responded to at least one question. Of these, 11,275 (79.1%) patients answered the question about disabilities. Older patients, patients who rented their home, and non-White patients were less likely to respond to the question. When comparing survey responses to data from medical charts we identified discrepancies. Patients interviewed reported they had difficulty judging what constituted a disability. Stigma related to mental illness and substance use led them to avoid disclosing those conditions. ConclusionsDirectly asking patients whether they have a disability may be challenging given confusion about what constitutes a disability and stigma associated with certain disabilities. Future research should examine whether asking about barriers faced in accessing health services could adequately identify patients with disabilities and also be used to identify tangible actions an organization could take to lower barriers to care.

ACTUALIZATION OF JAVANESE ECOCULTURE AND ISLAMIC ECOTHEOLOGY TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

In line with development dynamics, environmental degradation continues and threatens development sustainability. The concept of sustainable development with economic, social, and environmental pillars requires actualization across aspects. Amongst the important aspects are culture and religion which is fundamentally inherent in every human being to drive behavior. The values of longstanding Javanese culture emphasize environmental conservation teachings, including Hamemayu Hayuning Bawono, Hamengku Buwono philosophy, Satriya attitude, and the forecasts saying kali ilang kedunge, pasar ilang kumandange, wong wadon ilang wirange, and wong lanang ilang kawibawane. Ecoculture actualization requires several strategies. First, the government policy should further consider environmental dynamics. Second, earth-related and environmental education should be intensified formally, informally, and non-formally. Third, the society should be informed and invited to actualize local wisdoms. Islamic values ​​should be further optimized as a fundamental strategy in environmental conservation. Islam views nature as Allah’s blessing, and the logical consequence is being grateful by continuously preserving it. Several important measures can promote ecological piety. First, Islamic education curriculum in boarding schools, madrasahs, Islamic forums, and formal schools should reinforce environmental theology and its applications. Second, religious organizations should facilitate intensive communication among stakeholders. Third, commitment is proven through tangible actions.

Interminority Contact and Solidarity under Conflict: Evidence from the Hungarian and Roma Minorities in Romania

This study investigated the relationship between interminority contact and solidarity underconflict. The analysis of representative samples of Hungarian (N = 604) and Roma (N = 602) ethnics from Romania revealed restricted positivity among the high-status minority (i.e., positive associations of interminority contact with outgroup attitudes and support for nonspecific pro-outgroup policies, but negative associations with support for tangible actions helping the outgroup) and toxic positivity among the low-status minority (i.e., improved attitudes toward the Hungarians but decreased support for specific pro-ingroup policies). Moreover, for both minority groups, contact with the majority was associated with diminished support for specific pro-ingroup and pro-outgroup policies.