scholarly journals Value-oriented approach in Kazakhstani regional development projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 352-361
Author(s):  
Shynar Uzakova ◽  
Serik Beimenbetov ◽  
Yerlan Shildibekov

Sustainable regional development projects are a challenge for all countries, regardless of their geographic location, cultural differences, or level of economic development. Kazakhstan is also facing this challenge and tries to counteract this process by actively implementing regional development projects and programs. However, project effectiveness and project value remain bottlenecks as these projects are aimed to improve lives and work in rural areas and eliminate inequality; therefore, managing such projects is a complex issue. This study seeks to obtain data that will help to address these research gaps and to identify value aspects of such projects from the end-users’ perspectives – local communities. This can help to understand how to select projects with high value and enhance their effectiveness.For this purpose, in 2020, a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews of end-users of regional development projects implemented in local communities were conducted. 301 respondents from main mining towns included in the regional development program of the Republic of Kazakhstan have been surveyed and 18 deep interviews have been conducted. The results show that Kazakhstani regional development projects appear to have a low level of value from the perspective of main stakeholders and beneficiaries – local communities. Project value evaluation has also revealed that a concept of value is different for local government authorities, project teams, and local communities. The study expands knowledge on the management of regional development projects, revealing the importance of understanding the value for such projects to achieve success and enhance their effectiveness.

Urban Studies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 56 (15) ◽  
pp. 3162-3177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pinelopi Vergou

Global challenges and recent changes in conflict areas in the Middle East, Asia and Africa are reasons for the contemporary forced migration into European countries, which have become places of destination or transit posts for a great number of refugees. Cities have become the focus of the socio-spatial debate, as the main units for receiving refugees, either in state camps or in social housing in city centres. In this article, the focus is on the social-spatial configuration of refugee accommodation in local communities and the way these formations generate urban and school segregation. We argue that the placement of urban refugees in large, camp-like structures with low housing standards, mainly in areas outside cities or in rural areas, provides ground not only for social exclusion and ‘territorial stigmatisation’ but also for de facto school segregation. Furthermore, the attempts to house refugees in small cities, through United Nations and NGO-supplied houses, may also raise concerns about the way dispersal policies are implemented, with the distribution of refugee children in specific schools as a result of territorial social-spatial segregation. In both cases, the school segregation of refugees is connected not only with the implications of immigration and education policies but also with the social practices of local communities and the social-spatial characteristics that determine school education. The empirical material of this study is based on information on the socio-economic profiles of neighbourhoods at the census tract level and on qualitative research, through in-depth semi-structured interviews in two different cities in Greece.


2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 793-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Maria de Albuquerque Vasconcellos ◽  
Mário Vasconcellos Sobrinho

The paper analyses the roles of intermediary NGOs for linkages between government and rural communities in carrying out socio-environmental development programs as a mean of institutional development for good governance. In particular, the paper focuses on the Proambiente program that was carried out in Pará State, Amazonia, Brazil. This program was the first experience of a socio-environmental development program in Brazilian Amazonia that took into account local communities' demands to link environmental conservation and small-scale family-based rural production. Methodologically, the research was based on qualitative analysis and used semi-structured interviews for data collection. The paper shows that NGOs as intermediaries between government and rural communities is a significant mechanism to promote the strengthening of the power of local communities, to create bridges between federal government and local communities; and to stimulate participatory processes by engaging rural communities' culture and knowledge in socio-environmental development program as Proambiente.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (XX) ◽  
pp. 61-70
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Czerwińska-Koral

Sustainable agricultural development is a concept of rural and agricultural development programming that combines production goals with environmental requirements. The sustainable development of sustainable agriculture is aimed at harmonizing social, economic and environmental goals. The principle of sustainable development is the axiological basis of the European Union’s activity and is nowadays the motive for legal and agricultural regulations. In Polish law, the principle of sustainable development is contained in Art. 5 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of April 2, 1997 and is considered a systemic principle. The definition of sustainable development is included in Art. 3 point 50 of the Environmental Protection Law. In the provisions of the Act of February 20, 2015 on supporting rural areas with the participation of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development under the Rural Development Program for 2014-2020, we do not find a direct reference to the principle of sustainable development. The aim of the article is to highlight the legal basis of the principle of sustainable development and to answer the question whether the Rural Development Program implements the principle of sustainable development?


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 479
Author(s):  
Laetitia X. Zhang ◽  
Fatima Koroma ◽  
Mohammed Lamine Fofana ◽  
Alpha Oumar Barry ◽  
Sadio Diallo ◽  
...  

The number of people engaged in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) has grown rapidly in the past twenty years, but they continue to be an understudied population experiencing high rates of malnutrition, poverty, and food insecurity. This paper explores how characteristics of markets that serve ASM populations facilitate and pose challenges to acquiring a nutritious and sustainable diet. The study sites included eight markets across four mining districts in the Kankan Region in the Republic of Guinea. Market descriptions to capture the structure of village markets, as well as twenty in-depth structured interviews with food vendors at mining site markets were conducted. We identified three forms of market organization based on location and distance from mining sites. Markets located close to mining sites offered fewer fruit and vegetable options, as well as a higher ratio of prepared food options as compared with markets located close to village centers. Vendors were highly responsive to customer needs. Food accessibility and utilization, rather than availability, are critical for food security in non-agricultural rural areas such as mining sites. Future market-based nutrition interventions need to consider the diverse market settings serving ASM communities and leverage the high vendor responsiveness to customer needs.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sotiroula Liasidou ◽  
Christiana Stylianou ◽  
Galina Berjozkina ◽  
Zanete Garanti

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an understanding of residents' perceptions of how tourism activity in a rural area impacts their environment as well as their economic and social lives individually and as a community.Design/methodology/approachAs a primary method of data collection, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 residents in the rural areas of Cyprus.FindingsThe study's findings suggest that tourism activity in the rural areas provides a plethora of opportunities to residents, but comes with challenges and threats. Both social and environmental impacts are mainly for the benefit of the local communities as the engine of development. Emphasis is given to the revival of the local culture with the emergence of small and medium enterprises, along with the motivation of younger populations and women to become active entrepreneurs. However, a more holistic approach should be taken to sustainable tourism development in Cyprus, ensuring that all local communities have an opportunity to develop small-scale niche tourism products that enhance the image of rural destinations and which become a source of pride for the residents.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature by enhancing knowledge of the relationship between tourism and local rural communities. Shedding light on residents' perceptions by evaluating social and environmental impacts can guide government policy making and implementation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (Suppl.1) ◽  
pp. 498-506
Author(s):  
K. Petrov

The report examines the socio-economic condition of the Republic of Bulgaria. Some sectors of the Bulgarian economy have been analysed, taking into account their regional peculiarities and revealed serious structural weaknesses. The problem of the effectiveness of the country's financial management was also highlighted, reflecting the dependence on the country's external financing. Another major drawback in the economic development of the country is the state of the transport infrastructure and the maximum utilization of its potential, which inevitably affects the regional integration and local socio-economic development. The report shows the evolution of understandings for rural regions in Bulgaria. They are unified by the area in which they develop – rural regions. They offer opportunities for rest and recovering in environment which is absolutely opposite to the one in their urban and industrial area. In this scope are examined the economic structure of regional development and rural areas in these territories, territorial differences (variety) in the change of employment and unemployment, the role of the demographic situation as a factor in the sustainable development.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heksi Lestari ◽  
Maarten Arentsen ◽  
Hans Bressers ◽  
Budhi Gunawan ◽  
Johan Iskandar ◽  
...  

This paper analyses the implementation of renewable off-grid technologies in rural areas, especially where an extension to the national electricity grid was not considered economically feasible. Implementation of remote, stand-alone, electricity technologies as alternatives to a grid connection to provide sustainable electricity access have often failed with many planned projects not realised or abandoned. Our initial assumption was that stand-alone electricity project exhibiting higher scores on sustainability indicators would benefit communities more and make their endurance more likely. However, the impact of the stand-alone technology was often overruled or its quality weakened by government preferences wishing to realise a connection to the central electricity grid. Empirically, the study compares three cases of stand-alone micro-hydropower projects and three cases of stand-alone solar photovoltaic projects in Bogor Regency, Indonesia. It is based on qualitative document analysis, complemented by multiple rounds of semi-structured interviews and observations. The paper assesses the extent to which each project met indicators of technical, economic, social, environmental, and institutional sustainability. The paper tries to explain the endurance of the project from these sustainability scores and uses additional explanations from Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework. The findings show that, for the studied local communities, the attractiveness of a grid connection overrules the virtues of a stand-alone electricity project, despite its quality, successful operation and impact. Our research also shows that government policy priorities changed in the rural electrification programme for some communities. In these situations, the off-grid rural electrification programme predominantly provided only temporary access to sustainable electricity for remote local communities that remained waiting and hoping for a grid connection to connect them to fossil fuel-dominated electricity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 193-210
Author(s):  
Konstantin A. Galkin

The article discusses the issue of social exclusion of elderly people in rural areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. The author relies on the concept that defines social exclusion as a mechanism for separating a certain group of people from an integral community. Using the example of several respondents, the article examines the effects that social exclusion of elderly people creates in rural areas, as well as possible ways of their adaptation that can minimise it. The empirical basis of the work is collected by the author 20 semi-structured interviews with elderly people living in rural areas in the Republic of Karelia and 20 diaries of their observations. When analysing interviews and diaries, a thematic method was used. The main result of the study is the identification of various fears and characteristics of the perception of social exclusion as a condition associated with changes in the habitual everyday life, as well as the lifestyle of respondents due to isolation. The main conclusion highlights the various fears presented in the perceptions of social exclusion by elderly people associated with changes in the usual everyday life due to isolation. The study also identifies the most effective ways for adaptation of elderly people to minimise their social exclusion: expanding communication with neighbours, translating communication into digital format. The data obtained by the author also allow us to draw a conclusion about changes in the sociological consideration of ageing. It becomes not a state of inclusiveness and activity, integration of elderly people into society, as modern concepts and approaches denote it (for example, the concept of active longevity), but a state that is primarily determined by physical weakness. The need for isolation, as well as limitation of activity, is becoming a forced measure that negatively affects older people and the characteristics of their perception of their age and the situation of a pandemic. This work contributes to the latest research into the understanding of ageing in the context of forced social exclusion in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.


Author(s):  
Maulita Daniar Anom ◽  
◽  
Novita Tresiana ◽  
Intan Fitri Meutia ◽  
◽  
...  

Education is a mandatory thing that must be obtained for every child. However, not all children are able to get education due to several factors, one of which is the economic condition of the family which causes them to drop out of school. Guidance for neglected drop-out teenagers is an action that is taken to overcome one of the social problems, which is neglected teenagers who have dropped out of school with the purpose of directing their personality, abilities and skills through non-formal education. This research was conducted at UPTD PSBR Raden Intan Lampung. The purpose of this research is to describe and analyze how the models and coaching programs are carried out to overcome neglected dropout teenagers.The method used in this research is descriptive with a qualitative approach with the use of data collection techniques, such as: structured interviews, documentation and observation. The data analysis technique used in this study was data reduction, data presentation and drawing conclusions, and for data validity techniques are the extension of observations and triangulation. Based on the research results, it shows that the model that is used as a reference in the implementation of coaching activities for neglected dropouts teenagers is the Youth Development Program (YDP) Model which has 3 approaches, that are: Institutional Based, Family Based and Community. The conclusion of this research is based on the analysis, namely the Youth Development Program (YDP) Model which is the reference applied through 4 programs by the UPTD PSBR Raden Intan Lampung, that are Social Rehabilitation Program, Social Security Program, Social Empowerment Program and the last Social Protection Program with the hope that this effort can solve the problem of neglected dropouts teenagers, especially in Lampung Province.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabeta Seeiso ◽  
Mamutle M. Todd-Maja

Antenatal care (ANC) literacy is particularly important for pregnant women who need to make appropriate decisions for care during their pregnancy and childbirth. The link between inadequate health literacy on the educational components of ANC and maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is undisputable. Yet, little is known about the ANC literacy of pregnant women in SSA, with most studies inadequately assessing the four critical components of ANC literacy recommended by the World Health Organization, namely danger signs in pregnancy; true signs of labour; nutrition; and preparedness for childbirth. Lesotho, a country with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in SSA, is also underexplored in this research area. This cross-sectional study explored the levels of ANC literacy and the associated factors in 451 purposively sampled women in two districts in Lesotho using a structured questionnaire, making recourse to statistical principles. Overall, 16.4 per cent of the participants had grossly inadequate ANC literacy, while 79.8 per cent had marginal levels of such knowledge. The geographic location and level of education were the most significant predictors of ANC literacy, with the latter variable further subjected to post hoc margins test with the Bonferroni correction. The participants had the lowest scores on knowledge of danger signs in pregnancy and true signs of labour. Adequate ANC literacy is critical to reducing maternal mortality in Lesotho. Improving access to ANC education, particularly in rural areas, is recommended. This study also provides important recommendations critical to informing the national midwifery curriculum.


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