scholarly journals Doing Civil Society-Driven Social Accountability in a Disaster Context: Evidence from Post-Earthquake Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 395-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nimesh Dhungana
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Social Accountability ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
Ethnographic Case Study ◽  
Help Desk ◽  
State Response ◽  
The Right ◽  
Post Disaster

While accountability has gained significant traction within the contemporary discourse on disaster governance, what it means and takes to be ‘doing accountability’ in promoting democratic governance of disasters remain scantly understood.<em> </em>Using the concept of social accountability and drawing on an ethnographic case study of a civil society-led accountability campaign in post-earthquake Nepal (the Mobile Citizen Help Desk, or MCHD), this article shows how MCHD sought to amplify local voices regarding failures in aid delivery and expanded opportunities for dialogue between disaster-affected communities and local powerholders. It highlights the potential of such initiative in safeguarding and promoting the rights of disaster-affected communities, while also helping overcome the post-disaster environment of mistrust, unfounded allegations and power inequalities. The article also draws attention to the challenges facing such an initiative. It shows that the effectiveness of such efforts in translating citizens’ voices into state response was undermined by: (i) its incorporation into a donor-driven humanitarian accountability initiative, in which generating and reporting feedback to donors proved more pressing than amplifying citizen voice; and (ii) unclear structures of governance at the local level of service delivery, which impeded the civil society actors’ aim to engage with ‘the right authority.’ The article draws attention to the political potential of social accountability in a post-disaster context, while also raising caution that such activism is unlikely to succeed in holding powerholders to account in the absence of supportive national bureaucratic and international aid structures.

Indian in Education: One Community's Experience

1977 ◽  
Vol 159 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-42
Author(s):  
Kenneth Peterson
Keyword(s):  
American Indians ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Indian Education ◽  
Federal Spending ◽  
Indian Children ◽  
Assistance Programs ◽  
Congressional Committees ◽  
The Right ◽  
Federal Assistance

American Indians have historically been denied the opportunity to participate in policy-making in schools. Now because of belated recognition of tribe's rights to self-determination and because of an awareness of past failures, Indian people can have a voice in their children's education. The original aim of institutionalized Indian education was to separate Indian children from their tribal past and encourage them to adopt the ways of white people. This was often done by sending children hundreds of miles away from their home and reservations to boarding schools. Termed assimilation, this policy has been judged a failure by educators, congressional committees, and Indians themselves. Today federal assistance programs require involvement by Indian parents and students both in reservation and urban schools. By exploiting these programs, Indian parents can change the type of education provided their children. A case study demonstrating possibilities of participation is the focus of this article. Unfortunately special federal spending programs can and do end. Hence, Indian parents, while participating at the local level, must advocate the development of new permanent law guaranteeing their children the right to a bi-cultural education.

Build back better concepts for resilient recovery: a case study of India’s 2018 flood recovery

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shankar Neeraj ◽  
Sandeeka Mannakkara ◽  
Suzanne Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Local Level ◽  
State Level ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Community Recovery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effective Implementation ◽  
The Government ◽  
Post Disaster

Purpose This paper aims to understand the recovery process after the 2018 floods in Kerala, India, and it determines whether the recovery efforts were aligned with Build Back Better (BBB) concepts. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted to collect the data from the officials of Government and NGOs involved in Kerala recovery. The participants were interviewed on the challenges faced during the recovery process and the actions taken by them to overcome it. Findings The study identified that the Kerala Government was proactive at making the community resilient from future disasters by – encouraging owner-driven reconstruction among flood-affected households; supporting locals to rejuvenate their business; and by creating a local-level recovery authority. Further, this paper identifies the areas that Kerala was lacking in terms of BBB and where resilience-based plans and actions are needed for the future. Research limitations/implications The participants were employees of Government and NGOs at a state level as they were the primary decision-makers to implement any recovery actions. Researchers believe that the authorities at district and village level could have had a different perspective towards implementing the recovery actions. Practical implications The best practices presented in this paper for effective BBB will assist the government to build/improve resilience in the community. Originality/value The implementation of BBB concepts in the areas of disaster risk reduction, community recovery and effective implementation was never studied extensively. The research provides valuable information on what extent Kerala’s post-disaster recovery and reconstruction activities were in-line with BBB practices.

scholarly journals Clientelism, Partyarchy and Democratic Backsliding: A Case Study of Local Government Elections in Bangladesh

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-91
Author(s):  
Abu Elias Sarker ◽  
Faraha Nawaz
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
The Political ◽  
Institutional Environments ◽  
Effective Role ◽  
Grassroots Level

In a developing country like Bangladesh, the devolved local government system is widely recognized as one of the key institutional forms for the citizen-centric public service delivery system and ensuring democratic governance at the grassroots level. However, the democratic nature of local governments and their effective role in rendering services are contingent upon the political and institutional environments of the country. Competitive electoral process is key to local democratic governance. The purpose of this article is to analyze the implications of contemporary political order and institutional environments for the proper functioning of the Union Parishad (council), the lowest tier of the local government system in Bangladesh. More specifically, this study will reflect on how political clientelism, partyarchy and institutional environments have stymied competitive electoral politics at the local level which may result in democratic backsliding.

Using Vehicles to Challenge Antisleeping Ordinances

2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Wakin
Keyword(s):  
Homeless People ◽  
Ethnographic Case Study ◽  
Public Attention ◽  
Santa Barbara ◽  
Social Legitimacy ◽  
Coastal Cities ◽  
The Right ◽  
Municipal Court ◽  
And Behavior

Homeless people who sleep on city streets are subject to regulation practices that target their appearance, status, and behavior. Vehicle living affords a private sleeping area, yet occupants are still frequently cited for sleeping in public. The right to sleep has recently become controversial, as cities that do not provide adequate shelter cannot legally outlaw public sleeping. This article uses interviews, surveys, and municipal court trial data to present an ethnographic case study of the vehicle community in Santa Barbara, CA. Like many California coastal cities, the visible presence of homeless people is troubling to citizens, city officials, and tourists who seek unfettered access to beaches and shopping areas. Homeless people who sleep in these areas see their vehicles as essential for personal survival, as a way of escaping negative public attention, and as a way of arguing for social legitimacy.

Achieving Effective Pandemic Response in Taiwan through State-Civil Society Cooperation

Asian Survey ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 1136-1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Pandemic Preparedness ◽  
Pandemic Response

In this paper, I draw on pandemic preparedness and response efforts in Taiwan as a case study to argue that the Li Zhang, a straddler institution at the local level, plays a key role in facilitating state-civil society trust and cooperation in pandemic response.

scholarly journals The Role of Public Innovation Labs in Collaborative Governance—The Case of the Gipuzkoa Lab in the Basque Country, Spain

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 6103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfonso Unceta ◽  
Xabier Barandiaran ◽  
Natalia Restrepo
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Collaborative Governance ◽  
Public Sector Innovation

Public sector innovation labs have gained increasing importance as one of the material expressions of public sector innovation and collaborative governance to address complex societal problems. In the current international context, there are various experiences, interpretations, and applications of this concept with similarities and differences but all of them are based fundamentally on the establishment of new forms of participation and collaboration between governments and civil society. This paper aims to examine, through a case study, how policy innovation labs could play a prominent role in promoting decision-making at the local level in order to create a more sustainable public sector. To do this, this article focuses on an analysis of the “Gipuzkoa Lab”, a public innovation lab developed in the Gipuzkoa region located in the Basque Country, Spain, in order to confront future socio-economic challenges via an open participatory approach. An analysis of a pilot project to address worker participation, developed within this participatory process, indicates that these collaborative spaces have important implications for the formulation of public policies and can change public actions, yielding benefits and engaging citizens, workers, private companies and academics. This paper provides a contemporary approach to understanding good practice in collaborative governance and a novel process for facilitating the balance between the state and civil society, and between public functions and the private sphere, for decision-making. In particular, this case study may be of interest to international practitioners and researchers to introduce the increasingly popular concept of public sector innovation labs into debates of citizen participation and decision-making.

scholarly journals Politicized Civil Society in Bangladesh: Case Study Analyses

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farhat Tasnim
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Typical Scenario

Although civil society in Bangladesh is recognized for its vibrant performance in social development, it is often criticized for its inability to ensure good governance and democracy. The aim of this paper is to point out the reasons for this failure of civil society. Through performing case studies upon five civil society organizations representing different sector and level of the civil society, the paper concludes that civil society organizations in Bangladesh are often politicized and co-opted by different political parties. In a typical scenario, civil society can provide a counterbalance or even monitor the state both at the national and local level. However, in Bangladesh, often the civil society organizations have compromised their autonomy and politicized themselves to certain political parties or political block. In such a vulnerable position, civil society can hardly play its expected role to ensure good governance and strengthen democracy.

scholarly journals Understanding Education Decentralization and 'Sustained' Elite Capture – Explicating Cases From Two Public Schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-45
Author(s):  
Sanjay Hamal
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Ethnographic Case Study ◽  
Elite Capture ◽  
Organization Management ◽  
Local Elites ◽  
Local Resources ◽  
Educational Decentralization ◽  
Selection Of

The paper aims at uncovering the practices of educational decentralization in Nepal that started after the restoration of democracy in 1990. Though decentralization in education in Nepal began with the aim of greater community participation and autonomy to the needs and priorities perceived by the local level functionaries in school, it has been subject to elite capture in its governance. Because of control in planning, organization, management, financial liability and different activities for the education system, the paper argues that practices of educational decentralization have been shaped by the local elites who capture the local resources and power to operate the school with their network and 'one-upmanship'. While arguing so, the paper is based on the ethnographic case study of two public schools located in the Mid-Western region of Nepal. Applying the Gramscian concept of hegemony, the paper narrates the process of a 'sustained' selection of the School Management Committee Chairpersons and shows how they negotiate and balance their power to sustain their capture.  The paper concludes that the informal mechanisms of individual attributes such as trust and capital are playing an important role in their sustained elitism.

scholarly journals Gain Weight, Have Fun, Discover the Motherland: The German–Polish Children's Summer Camp Exchange and Interwar Era Revisionism

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Peter Polak-Springer
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Cultural Diplomacy ◽  
Summer Camp ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The Other ◽  
International Level ◽  
Summer Vacation ◽  
The Right

This article examines a previously un-researched aspect of nationalist politics, borderland contestation, national indifference and the politicisation of youth and cultural diplomacy in interwar Central Europe: the German–Polish ‘summer vacation exchange for children’ (Ferienkinderaustausch). The Versailles territorial settlement, which left nationalists in both countries in discontent about territories and minority groups remaining in the hands of the neighbour, formed the basis for this venture in cultural diplomacy. Each party gave the other the right to rally ‘its youth’ living on the other side of the border to travel to its ‘motherland’ for summer camp. Focusing on the case study of the heatedly contested industrial borderland of Upper Silesia, this article examines the German–Polish children's exchange on two levels. On the local level it examines how youth were rallied and transported to their ‘motherland’ for the summer and what treatment and experience they received. On the international level it explores the paradox of German–Polish cooperation and the conflict that was an inherent aspect of this venture.

scholarly journals Role of Civil Society in Sustainable Urban Renewal (Machizukuri) after the Kobe Earthquake

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandrina V. Mavrodieva ◽  
Ratu Intan F. Daramita ◽  
Arki Y. Arsono ◽  
Luo Yawen ◽  
Rajib Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Urban Renewal ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Kobe Earthquake ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Planning And Construction ◽  
Post Disaster

‘Machizukuri’ is translated by most commentators as ‘place or city making’ and mainly refers to the direct participation of citizens into urban planning and construction. The present paper discusses the concept and evolution of machizukuri from a social movement to ‘soft-infrastructure’ at city level, focused on serving community needs in post-disaster settings. The 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in Kobe is chosen as the main case study, in order to review the role and process of machizukuri in disaster management in the context of urban renewal. This is followed by a discussion on the possibility of replicating this model in other contexts and the challenges which machizukuri and similar bottom-up groups are faced with in ensuring their sustainability. The paper argues that the culture and personal engagement of the citizens, and the commitment of national and local governments to cooperate with civil society groups, are essential in this process. Finally, the study suggests that the utilization of this concept has proved that there are undeniable benefits in engaging civil society in decision-making processes and initiatives, with the ultimate aim to create communities capable of overcoming the catastrophic consequences of disasters.

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