Collaborative Research with Farmworkers in Environmental Justice

2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Flocks ◽  
Paul Monaghan
Keyword(s):  
Native Americans ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Health Hazard ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Waste Incinerator ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Environmental Health Problem ◽  
The Continuum

Environmental injustice occurs when a particular population, most often low-income people of color, is exposed disproportionately to an environmental health hazard. On the continuum of an environmentally unjust situation, there are several stages and levels at which inequities occur. A corporation makes a decision to locate a waste incinerator in a neighborhood that, because of historical socioeconomic discrimination, has become a low-income African American community in an industrial zone. Community members are stonewalled and intimidated at a public hearing about a local environmental health problem by industry and government officials who sit far away from the audience and use technical jargon to describe the issue. Native-Americans lose an important diet staple and economic activity when an industry's runoff contaminates the fish in a body of water. These examples illustrate geographical, procedural, and sociocultural inequities contributing to environmental injustices.

scholarly journals Social accountability - Its position and potential in the development of Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ha Ta
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Social Accountability ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Critical Transitions ◽  
Early Adoption

<p>Civil society organizations in Vietnam are experiencing some critical transitions. As the nation is no longer on the list of low income countries, an increasing number of such organizations are changing their missions from alleviating poverty to promoting more democratic governance. ‘Social accountability’, as one of their most common employed approaches, is often the combination of civic engagement, evidence-based monitoring, and advocacy. Carrying with it the expectation of improving accountability in Vietnam, the approach is still a new, foreign-imported concept which will challenge and be challenged by particular contextual factors in the country.  This study examines the practices of social accountability in Vietnam to find out its position and potential in terms of development of the country. Promoting social accountability in Vietnam is often based on the assumption that the approach will improve government’s accountability, strengthening the state – citizen relationship. It is envisaged that the country will be eventually more open as a result. It is as yet an optimistic vision and will take time for practitioners to put in place. This study aims to analyse how early adoption of social accountability is affected by Vietnam’s contextual factors, to what extent it is affecting governance and increasing people’s participation, and what organizations can actually expect of social accountability.  The research aims to fill a gap in the literature regarding social accountability in Vietnam. As a new concept, social accountability is often introduced via materials provided by international organizations like World Bank and UNICEF. Most of the documents present successful cases of applying social accountability in other countries like India and Bangladesh, and countries in Latin America. Thus, a critical analysis of adopting social accountability in the Vietnam context is necessary to provide more insights for both practitioners and scholars on the topic.  Employing interviews as the key method, the study seeks input from key informants who are involved in the adoption of social accountability in Vietnam. From perspectives of government officials, development practitioners, and community members, the reality of practicing social accountability and how it is interacting and negotiating with other factors in society should be more clearly revealed. Practical expectations and recommendations to conceive of and practice social accountability in Vietnam are also suggested.</p>

scholarly journals Social accountability - Its position and potential in the development of Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Ha Ta
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Social Accountability ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
Civil Society Organizations ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Critical Transitions ◽  
Early Adoption

<p>Civil society organizations in Vietnam are experiencing some critical transitions. As the nation is no longer on the list of low income countries, an increasing number of such organizations are changing their missions from alleviating poverty to promoting more democratic governance. ‘Social accountability’, as one of their most common employed approaches, is often the combination of civic engagement, evidence-based monitoring, and advocacy. Carrying with it the expectation of improving accountability in Vietnam, the approach is still a new, foreign-imported concept which will challenge and be challenged by particular contextual factors in the country.  This study examines the practices of social accountability in Vietnam to find out its position and potential in terms of development of the country. Promoting social accountability in Vietnam is often based on the assumption that the approach will improve government’s accountability, strengthening the state – citizen relationship. It is envisaged that the country will be eventually more open as a result. It is as yet an optimistic vision and will take time for practitioners to put in place. This study aims to analyse how early adoption of social accountability is affected by Vietnam’s contextual factors, to what extent it is affecting governance and increasing people’s participation, and what organizations can actually expect of social accountability.  The research aims to fill a gap in the literature regarding social accountability in Vietnam. As a new concept, social accountability is often introduced via materials provided by international organizations like World Bank and UNICEF. Most of the documents present successful cases of applying social accountability in other countries like India and Bangladesh, and countries in Latin America. Thus, a critical analysis of adopting social accountability in the Vietnam context is necessary to provide more insights for both practitioners and scholars on the topic.  Employing interviews as the key method, the study seeks input from key informants who are involved in the adoption of social accountability in Vietnam. From perspectives of government officials, development practitioners, and community members, the reality of practicing social accountability and how it is interacting and negotiating with other factors in society should be more clearly revealed. Practical expectations and recommendations to conceive of and practice social accountability in Vietnam are also suggested.</p>

PAR Method

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Billies
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Critical Consciousness ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Context Analysis ◽  
Gender Nonconforming ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender

The work of the Welfare Warriors Research Collaborative (WWRC), a participatory action research (PAR) project that looks at how low income lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming (LG-BTGNC) people survive and resist violence and discrimination in New York City, raises the question of what it means to make conscientization, or critical consciousness, a core feature of PAR. Guishard's (2009) reconceptualization of conscientization as “moments of consciousness” provides a new way of looking at what seemed to be missing from WWRC's process and analysis. According to Guishard, rather than a singular awakening, critical consciousness emerges continually through interactions with others and the social context. Analysis of the WWRC's process demonstrates that PAR researchers doing “PAR deep” (Fine, 2008)—research in which community members share in all aspects of design, method, analysis and product development—should have an agenda for developing critical consciousness, just as they would have agendas for participation, for action, and for research.

The Three-Legged Stool of Voter Engagement

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-56
Author(s):  
Adelaide K. Sandler ◽  
Mary E. Hylton ◽  
Jason Ostrander ◽  
Tanya R. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Political Power ◽  
Voter Registration ◽  
Elected Officials ◽  
Allocation Of Resources ◽  
Community Members ◽  
The Past ◽  
Voting Decisions

Disparities in voter turnout have increased significantly over the past four decades. Members of historically oppressed groups, those who are low-income, and or who have lower levels of education vote at significantly lower rates than white, wealthy and or more educated community members. These disparities correlate directly to political power and the eventual allocation of resources by elected officials. Therefore, eliminating these disparities through targeted voter engagement with client groups is particularly important for the profession of social work. This article describes the conceptualization of voter engagement as a three-legged stool, consisting of voter registration, regular voting, and basing voting decisions on self-interest.Without attention to all three legs, the potential for generating political power collapses, resulting in minimal influence on elected officials.

scholarly journals Racial, Gender, and Age Dynamics in Michigan’s Urban and Rural Farmers Markets: Reducing Food Insecurity, and the Impacts of a Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 000276422110133
Author(s):  
Dorceta E. Taylor ◽  
Alliyah Lusuegro ◽  
Victoria Loong ◽  
Alexis Cambridge ◽  
Claire Nichols ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Food Assistance ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Assistance Programs ◽  
Nutrition Assistance ◽  
Nutrition Assistance Programs ◽  
Number Of Customers

In recent decades, the number of farmer’s markets has increased dramatically across the country. Though farmers markets have been described as White spaces, they can play important roles in reducing food insecurity. This is particularly true in Michigan where farmer’s markets were crucial collaborators in pioneering programs such as Double-Up Food Bucks that help low-income residents and people of color gain access to fresh, healthy, locally grown food. This article examines the questions: (1) What are the demographic characteristics of the farmers market managers, vendors, and customers and how do these influence market activities? (2) To what extent do farmers markets participate in programs aimed at reducing food insecurity? (3) To what extent do farmers markets serve low-income residents and people of color? and (4) How has the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) affected the operations of farmers markets. This article discusses the findings of a 2020 study that examined the extent to which Michigan’s farmer’s markets served low-income customers and people of color and participated in food assistance programs. The study examined 79 farmers markets and found that 87.3% of the farmer’s market managers are White. On average, roughly 79% of the vendors of the markets are White and almost 18% are people of color. Most of the vendors in the markets participate in nutrition assistance programs. Market managers estimate that about 76% of their customers are White and about 23% are people of color. Farmers markets operated by people of color attract higher numbers of customers and vendors of color than those operated White market managers. Almost half of the farmer’s markets started operations later than usual in 2020 because of the pandemic. More than a third of the markets reported that their funding declined during the pandemic. Moreover, the number of vendors declined at two thirds of the markets and the number of customers dipped at more than 40% of the markets. On the other hand, the number of people requesting food assistance during the pandemic increased in more than half of the markets.

scholarly journals The Interlocking Processes Constraining the Struggle for Sanctuary in the Trump Era: The Case of La Puente, CA

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 155
Author(s):  
Gilda L. Ochoa
Keyword(s):  
Status Quo ◽  
City Council ◽  
Gender And Sexuality ◽  
People Of Color ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Cautionary Tale ◽  
Community Members ◽  
White Supremacist ◽  
The Status ◽  
The City

By 10 January 2017, activists in the predominately Latina/o working class city of La Puente, California had lobbied the council to declare the city a sanctuary supporting immigrants, people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. The same community members urged the school district to declare itself a sanctuary. While community members rejoiced in pushing elected officials to pass these inclusive resolutions, there were multiple roadblocks reducing the potential for more substantive change. Drawing on city council and school board meetings, resolutions and my own involvement in this sanctuary struggle, I focus on a continuum of three overlapping and interlocking manifestations of white supremacist heteronormative patriarchy: neoliberal diversity discourses, institutionalized policies, and a re-emergence of high-profiled white supremacist activities. Together, these dynamics minimized, contained and absorbed community activism and possibilities of change. They reinforced the status quo by maintaining limits on who belongs and sustaining intersecting hierarchies of race, immigration status, gender, and sexuality. This extended case adds to the scant scholarship on the current sanctuary struggles, including among immigration scholars. It also illustrates how the state co-opts and marginalizes movement language, ideas, and people, providing a cautionary tale about the forces that restrict more transformative change.

scholarly journals Something Old, Something New: The Modernization of the Older Americans Act

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 714-714
Author(s):  
Lauren Bangerter ◽  
Beth Prusaczyk ◽  
Brian Kaskie
Keyword(s):  
Native Americans ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Federal Law ◽  
Older Americans ◽  
Older Americans Act ◽  
Title Iv ◽  
Title Iii ◽  
Employment Programs ◽  
Aging Adults

Abstract The Older Americans Act (OAA) is the foremost federal law focused on the wellbeing of aging adults in the US. Since its conception 1965, the OAA has sought to optimize the lives of aging Americans, with emphasis on low-income adults, through programs that promote nutrition, transportation, support caregivers, offer employment, and combat elder abuse. This symposium will explore the modernization of the 2020 OAA, which was last reauthorized in 2016. Presentations 1 and 2 will focus on important updates to the definitions used throughout OAA (Title I). Presentation 3 will cover several noteworthy changes to improving grants for states and community programs on aging’s (Title II). Presentation 4 will provide additional context to amendments made to modernize activities for health, independence, and longevity (Title III) prioritize senior Community Service Employment Programs (Title IV) and enhance grants for Native Americans (Title V). Presentation 5 explores the modernizing allotments for vulnerable elder rights protection activities and other programs (Title IV) included changes in funding and home and community-based best practices and elder justice activities. Collectively, these presentations will provide an overview of the key changes in the reauthorization of the OAA. This work will allow GSA attendees to understand the specific efforts to modernization this critical legislation to better serve the aging US population.

scholarly journals Birth companionship in a government health system: a pilot study in Kigoma, Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Chaote ◽  
Nguke Mwakatundu ◽  
Sunday Dominico ◽  
Alex Mputa ◽  
Agnes Mbanza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Respectful Maternity Care ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Government Health ◽  
Project Data ◽  
Birth Companion

Abstract Background Having a companion of choice throughout childbirth is an important component of good quality and respectful maternity care for women and has become standard in many countries. However, there are only a few examples of birth companionship being implemented in government health systems in low-income countries. To learn if birth companionship was feasible, acceptable and led to improved quality of care in these settings, we implemented a pilot project using 9 intervention and 6 comparison sites (all government health facilities) in a rural region of Tanzania. Methods The pilot was developed and implemented in Kigoma, Tanzania between July 2016 and December 2018. Women delivering at intervention sites were given the choice of having a birth companion with them during childbirth. We evaluated the pilot with: (a) project data; (b) focus group discussions; (c) structured and semi-structured interviews; and (d) service statistics. Results More than 80% of women delivering at intervention sites had a birth companion who provided support during childbirth, including comforting women and staying by their side. Most women interviewed at intervention sites were very satisfied with having a companion during childbirth (96–99%). Most women at the intervention sites also reported that the presence of a companion improved their labor, delivery and postpartum experience (82–97%). Health providers also found companions very helpful because they assisted with their workload, alerted the provider about changes in the woman’s status, and provided emotional support to the woman. When comparing intervention and comparison sites, providers at intervention sites were significantly more likely to: respond to women who called for help (p = 0.003), interact in a friendly way (p < 0.001), greet women respectfully (p < 0.001), and try to make them more comfortable (p = 0.003). Higher proportions of women who gave birth at intervention sites reported being “very satisfied” with the care they received (p < 0.001), and that the staff were “very kind” (p < 0.001) and “very encouraging” (p < 0.001). Conclusion Birth companionship was feasible and well accepted by health providers, government officials and most importantly, women who delivered at intervention facilities. The introduction of birth companionship improved women’s experience of birth and the maternity ward environment overall.

scholarly journals The Development of a WTC Environmental Health Center Pan-Cancer Database

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1646
Author(s):  
Yongzhao Shao ◽  
Nedim Durmus ◽  
Yian Zhang ◽  
Sultan Pehlivan ◽  
Maria-Elena Fernandez-Beros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Health ◽  
Health Center ◽  
World Trade Center ◽  
Cancer Registries ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Pathology Reports ◽  
Clinical Records ◽  
Pan Cancer

(1) Background: Recent studies have reported elevated risks of multiple cancers in the World Trade Center (WTC) affected community members (also called WTC “Survivors”). The large variety of WTC-cancers created a need to develop a comprehensive cancer database. This paper describes the development of a pan-cancer database at the WTC Environmental Health Center (EHC) Data Center. (2) Methods: A new REDCap-based pan-cancer database was created using the pathology reports and available biomarker data of confirmed cancer cases after review by a cancer epidemiologist, a pathologist, physicians and biostatisticians. (3) Results: The WTC EHC pan-cancer database contains cancer characteristics and emerging biomarker information for cancers of individuals enrolled in the WTC EHC and diagnosed after 11 September 2001 and up to 31 December 2019 obtained from WTC EHC clinical records, pathological reports and state cancer registries. As of 31 December 2019, the database included 3440 cancer cases with cancer characteristics and biomarker information. (4) Conclusions: This evolving database represents an important resource for the scientific community facilitating future research about the etiology, heterogeneity, characteristics and outcomes of cancers and comorbid mental health conditions, cancer economics and gene–environment interaction in the unique population of WTC survivors.

scholarly journals Towards the Construction of Productive Interactions for Social Impact

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 485
Author(s):  
Blanca L. Díaz Mariño ◽  
Frida Carmina Caballero-Rico ◽  
Ramón Ventura Roque Hernández ◽  
José Alberto Ramírez de León ◽  
Daniel Alejandro González-Bandala
Keyword(s):  
Social Impact ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Project Duration ◽  
The Social ◽  
The One ◽  
Different Levels

Understanding the value of research for society has become a priority, and several methodologies have been developed to assess the social impact of research. This study aimed to determine how productive interactions are developed during the execution of research projects. A retrospective study was conducted on 33 projects from 1999 to 2020. Semi-structured interviews with the technical managers were conducted to analyze how different actors of the project—researchers, government officials, and civil society and private sector stakeholders—were involved, illustrating how productive interactions occur in specific biodiversity contexts. The results revealed different levels and intensities of productive interactions; on the one hand, three projects involved all actors; eight involved researchers outside the institution; and 25 involved community members. The number of participants ranged from 2 to 37. All research evaluated had a disciplinary orientation. The type and time of interactions with other interested parties depended on the amount of funding, project type, project duration, and, significantly, on the profile of the technical manager. The importance of assessing and valuing productive interactions was identified as a fundamental element in promoting the social impact of research, as well as integrating inter- or multidisciplinary projects that impact the conservation of socio-ecological systems.

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