scholarly journals An agency mapping of marginalized communities and aid providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 323
Author(s):  
Melati Nungsari ◽  
Chuah Hui Yin ◽  
Nicole Fong ◽  
Veena Pillai

Background: Given the urgent need for help amongst vulnerable populations throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, civil society organizations (CSOs) and members have stepped up to provide support for impacted communities. The process of responding to these urgent needs reflects the agency and resilience of civil society members in accessing or providing resources. There is still a lack of understanding of how is human agency exercised in the context of power imbalances. Such an understanding is important not only for creating an effective and inclusive aid delivery mechanisms but also improving preparedness for future public health and economic crises. Methods: This study utilizes Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory to comprehensively map the agency landscape of aid providers and marginalized populations during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. Assuming that these populations’ main goals are access to aid while providers’ main goals are to provide aid, this study categorizes the different modes of agency involved and highlights environmental facilitators and constraints for each of these groups in achieving their goals. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with 34 participants. Using a hermeneutic content analysis based on a sample of 824 textual excerpts from the interviews, we explore the relationship between each component of the agency landscape to understand the relationships between them. Results: We find that marginalized populations are often unable to achieve their goals despite clear intentions to survive. Additionally, we find that proxy agency is problematic for marginalized populations and characterize why this is the case. Conclusions: Finally, we present policy recommendations which prioritise marginalized populations and their needs, while removing barriers to accessing aid.

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hillel Schmid

Abstract The paper analyzes the relations between the government and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel. The paper presents the inconsistent policy of the government, which has been influenced by various interest groups and the very limited financial support allocated to CSOs during the health, economic and social crisis. The paper describes the government’s alienated attitude toward the CSOs as well as the reasons for that behavior. Special attention is devoted to the government’s misunderstanding of the mission and roles of CSOs in modern society, especially at times of crisis and national disasters. The paper also analyzes the organizational and strategic behavior of CSOs toward the government, which has also contributed to the alienated attitude of the government toward them. I argue that relations between CSOs and the government should be based on more trust, mutuality, and understanding on the part of both actors in order to change power-dependence relations, and that there is a need to establish more cross-sectoral partnerships for the benefit of citizens.


SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824402110615
Author(s):  
Cecilia Santilli ◽  
Roberto Scaramuzzino

The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between individual leaders’ career trajectories and organizational structure and identity in Italian civil society organizations (CSOs) active at national level. The analysis in this qualitative study draws on two sets of data, semi-structured interviews with leaders on their career trajectories and their understanding of what it takes to become a leader of a CSO and short biographies of leaders’ career trajectories. Three main representational logics are idenitified: within: multi-level, within: member-organization, and outside: supporting organization. The two first logics are based on a trajectory within the organizations either departing from the local and regional levels of the same organizations or within one or more member organizations. The third logic is based on a trajectory outside the organization that is marked by the ideological affiliation of the president through leading positions in other organizations within the same movement or field.


2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Allen ◽  
Craig M. Ross

This pilot study examined the relationship between proximity of fitness facilities and equipment and actual perceived usage by undergraduate students at a Division I university, while acknowledging the role that Social Cognitive Theory plays in fitness. As a pilot study, the primary purpose was to gauge whether the study design and instruments used were appropriate for the overall purpose. Intensity of exercise, frequency of exercise, length of physical activity sessions, as well as a variety of other constructs were analyzed through correlational analysis to determine significance. The Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire and the Perceived Environments Related to Physical Activity Questionnaire were modified for data collection. Findings of the pilot study revealed no significance in the proximity of fitness facilities and the amount of physical activity participation. However, the frequency of physical activity was significantly related to the availability of fitness equipment in an individual's home. Data collected from this study will be used to conduct further research on wider populations to investigate the proximity of fitness facilities and it's correlation with physical activity.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabahattin Tekingündüz ◽  
Mualla Yılmaz ◽  
Hilal Altundal

Purpose Immigration is considered a stressful process that causes many problems such as social isolation, prejudice, unemployment, minority status and intergenerational tensions. This study aims to determine the opinions of the leaders of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Germany about the experiences of individuals who immigrated from Turkey to Germany. Design/methodology/approach In this study, a qualitative method was used. This study was conducted between April and May 2014 with leaders of CSOs who were living in Germany. Informed consent forms were signed by all the participants. Purposeful sampling was used to select the leaders of CSOs to be included in the sample. In-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview format. The data reached saturation for the 30 leaders of CSOs. The data were collected through in-depth interviews and evaluated through thematic analysis. Findings Four main themes were identified: “Difficulties experienced”, “Recommendations to cope with/solve the difficulties experienced,” “Medical tourism” and “Use of health services.” Research limitations/implications This study has some limitations that should be taken into consideration during the interpretation of the results. A majority of the leaders of CSOs had bachelor’s degrees, and were middle-aged and older, which might affect the variety required in qualitative studies. Thus, it remains unclear whether the results could be generalized to all Turkish immigrants in Germany. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first qualitative study conducted with different Turkish CSO leaders living in Germany. This study outlines perspectives of CSO leaders’ migration-related challenges that Turkish immigrants struggle with to integrate into German societies. As a consequence, Turkish immigrants’ socio-cultural values, beliefs, difficulties they experienced, and legal rights should be taken into consideration in health care and tourism interactions. Possible found experiences could help to provide evidence on how to improve migrants’ situations.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Saif Alnaqbi

<p class="a"><span lang="EN-US">The goal of this study is to examine the internal and external effect of students’ attitude towards the intention to enter the vocational education in the UAE through examining the different factors of attitude such as social, individual, demographic and organization. Because of the inconsistent results, for further investigation, a new research has established through introducing new and different variables that may better explain the nature of that relationships and issues. In the literature, many theories have suggested that link between variables such as Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Questionnaires were distributed to 700 students. 549 questionnaires were returned and using in the analysis using SPSS software version 18.0 through descriptive an inferential statistics. In addition, Independent T-test and Scheffe' test were used to test and hypothesized the hypotheses. So, the results of this study showed that there are significant differences in the parents’ responses between Social factors of vocational education according to their gender and the region either urban or rural. In another hands, the result of the students was found to have significant differences of the attitudes and importance in rural and urban regions. In addition to that, all parents either in government or private sectors agreed the importance and vocational education future for their children. Moreover, the culture in both sectors is differently seen by society in terms of the vocational education. This study also supported the premises of the TRA, TPB, and SCT theories by reaffirming the importance of the study’s variables for supporting the intention of the students towards the vocational education.</span></p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 368-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Rousseau ◽  
Jennifer Stevens Aubrey ◽  
Steven Eggermont

The present three-wave panel study of 496 preadolescent boys ( Mage = 11.36, SD = 1.07) examined the impact of sports magazine consumption on mesomorphic body standards and self-sexualizing behaviors (e.g., drinking shakes in order to gain muscle mass, choosing clothing to show off muscles). Grounded in social cognitive theory, we also examined the moderating role of reward sensitivity. Results revealed that boys who consumed more sports magazines at wave 1 (W1) were more likely to report personal mesomorphic standards and perceived mesomorphic standards for men and boys in general at wave 2 (W2). Additionally, W2 personal mesomorphic standards mediated the relationship between sports magazine consumption at W1 and self-sexualizing behaviors at wave 3. Reward sensitivity moderated the relationship between personal mesomorphic standards and self-sexualizing behaviors.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah D. Asebedo ◽  
Martin C. Seay

This study investigates the relationship between financial self-efficacy (FSE) and saving behavior within a sample of 847 U.S. pre-retirees aged 50 to 70 from the Health and Retirement Study. In accordance with the social cognitive theory of self-regulation, results revealed that FSE is positively related to saving behavior after controlling for sociodemographic attributes, financial characteristics, and saving motives. Understanding how FSE contributes to saving behavior is critical as older workers attempt to bridge the retirement saving gap. Financial counselors and planners can help this population save by cultivating and supporting clients’ FSE throughout the financial planning and counseling process.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-152
Author(s):  
Soma Hewa

Civil society organizations are playing a vital role in capacity building at the grassroots level around the world. Rockefeller philanthropy pioneered this civic responsibility, both at home and abroad, in controlling epidemic disease and developing public health. Since its inception in 1913, the Rockefeller Foundation had been involved in a wide range of public health programs in Sri Lanka (previously known as Ceylon), which was regarded as the key to the Foundation’s activities in Asia. Rockefeller philanthropy arrived in Sri Lanka during the European colonial rule in the early twentieth century and received a hostile reception from the colonial administration. The Foundation’s officials acted cautiously and listened to local citizens in developing public health strategies. Such efforts succeeded not only in combating disease and promoting health, but also achieving sustained community support. This paper is a critical inquiry of the program and its role in the development of a modern public health network in Sri Lanka.


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