scholarly journals Groundwater governance in the Anthropocene: a close look at Costa Rica

Water Policy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 475-489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Cuadrado-Quesada ◽  
Cameron Holley ◽  
Joyeeta Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Inclusive Development ◽  
Water Law ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Groundwater Governance ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Abstract The Anthropocene is an era in which humans have become the primary driver of planetary systems, not least the global hydrological cycle. This is posing significant challenges for managing the globe's water resources, and is catalyzing a shift in the focus of water law, governance and policy research. One important feature of this shift is a burgeoning focus on groundwater resources and their exploitation, particularly in developing countries. As surface water succumbs to climate pressures, groundwater use has increased rapidly as a source of food production and economic development. A fundamental question for modern water law and governance research is: what are the key challenges and opportunities for effective design and implementation of groundwater law to achieve sustainable and inclusive development. This article provides insights into this question through an empirical examination of Costa Rica. Drawing on an empirical analysis of 40 semi-structured interviews with public and private stakeholders in Costa Rica, the findings identify the following challenges and opportunities for groundwater governance: (i) recognition of water as a public good and clear ownership; (ii) insufficient definition of groundwater and embedding within the concepts of sustainable and inclusive development and participation; (iii) inadequate organization and toolbox, including implementation.

scholarly journals Participation in groundwater governance – outlining a path to inclusive development

Water Policy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1050-1064
Author(s):  
Gabriela Cuadrado-Quesada ◽  
Joyeeta Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Inclusive Development ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Groundwater Governance ◽  
Participation In Decision Making ◽  
Legal Frameworks ◽  
The Right

Abstract Although there is considerable research on participation, there is little that combines the relationship between access to information, participation and access to justice and how these can be combined to enhance groundwater governance. Hence, this article addresses the question: How can legal frameworks that recognize the right to participation alleviate local groundwater governance problems in different contexts? In order to address this question, this article reviews the literature on participation, law, policy and inclusive development and analyses selected legal frameworks that recognize participation, access to information and access to justice to determine how these frameworks have been implemented in groundwater governance. The selected contexts include Australia and Costa Rica. The findings show that (i) access to information, participation in decision-making and access to justice are mostly employed in a reactive manner to solve groundwater governance problems; (ii) access to information on groundwater ignores particular features of groundwater resources, such as ‘invisibility’, ‘irreversibility’ especially in relation to fossil resources, the local nature, and limited consensus on the data; (iii) meaningful participation is unlikely until information, learning, knowledge, and awareness about groundwater resources is popularized and (iv) factors enhancing access to information and participation in decision-making in groundwater governance include the existence of a water crisis, leadership, government funding dedicated to organize participatory processes; and small-scale and homogenous communities.

Achieving Financial Inclusion for Persons With Disabilities: Exploring Preparedness and Accessibility of Financial Services for Persons With Disabilities in Malawi

2021 ◽  
pp. 104420732110275
Author(s):  
Alex Nester Jiya ◽  
Maxwell Peprah Opoku ◽  
William Nketsia ◽  
Joslin Alexei Dogbe ◽  
Josephine Nkrumah Adusei
Keyword(s):  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Commercial Banks ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Inclusive Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Persons With Disabilities

Deplorable living conditions among persons with disabilities and the need to improve their living conditions cannot be overemphasized. This has triggered international discussion on the need for deliberate social policies to bridge the poverty gap between persons with and without disabilities. In Malawi, expansion of financial services has been identified as an essential tool to accelerate economic and inclusive development. However, empirical studies are yet to explore the preparedness of financial institutions to extend their services to persons with disabilities. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers from commercial banks in Malawi to understand their perspectives on extending financial services to persons with disabilities. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and a descriptive thematic analysis was performed. Although participants reiterated the need to provide persons with disabilities with financial services to improve their well-being, few initiatives have been undertaken to improve their participation. Particularly, participants stated that barriers, such as a lack of financial literacy and adaptive technologies, communication barriers, and high rates of unemployment, explained the reluctance of commercial banks to extend financial services to persons with disabilities. The limitations, recommendations for future research, and implications of the study for policymaking have been highlighted.

Post-Preparedness Medical Disaster Response in Costa Rica

1994 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Bissell ◽  
Ernesto Pretto ◽  
Derek C. Angus ◽  
Bern Shen ◽  
Victor Ruíz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Rural Area ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Urban Populations ◽  
Radio Communications ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Epidemiologic Data

AbstractIntroduction:The 1991 earthquake in the Limón area of Costa Rica presented the opportunity to examine the effectiveness of a decade of disaster preparedness.Hypothesis:Costa Rica's concentrated work in disaster preparedness would result in significantly better management of the disaster response than was evident in earlier disasters in Guatemala and Nicaragua, where disaster preparedness largely was absent.Methods:Structured interviews with disaster responders in and outside of government, and with victims and victims' neighbors. Clinical and epidemiologic data were collected through provider agencies and the coroner's office.Results:Medical aspects of the disaster response were effective and well-managed through a network of clinic-based radio communications. Nonmedical aspects showed confusion resulting from: 1) poor government understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the central disaster coordinating agency; and 2) poor extension of disaster preparedness activities to the rural area that was affected by the earthquake.Conclusion:To be effective, disaster preparedness activities need to include all levels of government and rural, as well as urban, populations.

scholarly journals Cities and Water Security in the Anthropocene: Research Challenges and Opportunities for International Relations

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 521-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joana Castro Pereira ◽  
Miguel Rodrigues Freitas
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Environmental Politics ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Human Security ◽  
Water Security ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Research Challenges ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Abstract Cities have become important actors in international relations, and integral to security and environmental politics. We are living in an increasingly urban world, dominated by human settlements and activities. The central role now played by humans in shaping the planet has led us into an uncertain, unstable, and dangerous geological epoch – the Anthropocene – that poses great and additional challenges to security. Local and global spheres are connected as never before, generating ‘glocal’ issues in which water plays a central role. Water is the element that interconnects the complex web of food, energy, climate, economic growth, and human security. In a rapidly urbanising world, cities influence the hydrological cycle in major but uncertain ways, affecting water resources beyond their boundaries. There is no doubt that these issues are highly relevant to the discipline of International Relations (IR). However, IR scholars have been slow to engage with them, and most academic studies of cities and water security still emanate from the natural sciences. This article examines the ways in which cities in the Anthropocene challenge water security, and why IR needs to reinvent itself if it wants to sustain its contribution to global security.

scholarly journals An Exploration of How Women Experience the Process of Intimate Partner Violence in Relationships Characterised by Bi-Directional Aggression.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Annette Levine
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Preventive Action ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Widespread Access ◽  
The Relationship

<p>This qualitative study explored how women in New Zealand experienced the process of intimate partner violence in relationships with men, which were characterised by bi-directional aggression. Using thematic analysis, semi-structured interviews with 11 women who experienced bi-directionally aggressive relationships were analysed and four themes were identified that encompassed 1) the foundations of bi-directional aggression; 2) the nature of bi-directional aggression within the relationship; 3) how the women were stuck in the relationship, and; 4) moving forward. The findings indicate how the vulnerabilities to bi-directional aggression can develop from early life and perpetuate and exacerbate over time in the context of the relationship dynamic. This highlights the need to implement preventive action to support adaptive self-regulation development in young people and families, provide education about bi-directional aggression and widespread access to support and treatment resources for all genders. Further implications and future directions for policy, research and practice regarding bi-directional aggression are discussed.</p>

scholarly journals A Review of Case Studies on Climate Change Impact on Hydrologic Cycle: An Indian Perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 249-266
Author(s):  
P K Bhunya ◽  
Sanjay Kumar ◽  
Sunil Gurrapu ◽  
M K Bhuyan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Groundwater Level Fluctuations ◽  
Change Impact ◽  
Heavy Rainfall Events ◽  
Flood Characteristics

In recent times, several studies focused on the global warming that may affect the hydrological cycle due to intensification of temporal and spatial variations in precipitation. Such climatic change is likely to impact significantly upon freshwater resources availability. In India, demand for water has already increased manifold over the years due to urbanization, agriculture expansion, increasing population, rapid industrialization and economic development. Numerous scientific studies also report increases in the intensity, duration, and spatial extents of floods, higher atmospheric temperatures, warmer sea, changes in precipitation patterns, and changing groundwater levels. This work briefly discusses about the present scenario regarding impact of climate change on water resources in India. Due to the insufficient resolution of climate models and their generally crude representation of sub-grid scale and convective processes, little confidence can be placed in any definite predictions of such effects, although a tendency for more heavy rainfall events seems likely, and a modest increase in frequency in floods. Thus to analyses this effect, this work considers real problems about the changing flood characteristics pattern in two river regions, and the effect of spatial and temporal pattern in rainfall. In addition to these, the work also examines the trend of groundwater level fluctuations in few blocks of Ganga–Yamuna and Sutlej-Yamuna Link interfluves region. As a whole, it examines the potential for sustainable development of surface water and groundwater resources within the constraints imposed by climate change.

scholarly journals From Women in Development to Gender and Development? A case study of a women's organisation: (AMA) Asociacion de Mujeres de Acosta, San Ignacio de Acosta, Costa Rica

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Matilda Hegarty
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
International Development ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Development Policy ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
National Development ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Gender And Development ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Women In Development

<p>This dissertation documents research conducted with the 'Asociacion de Mujeres de Acosta'  (AMA), in a mountainous rural region of Costa Rica, in Central America. AMA was originally set up to counter some negative effects of Costa Rican society, such as 'machismo'  and the rural depopulation of women to the capital San Jose. The association implemented a Women In Development (WID) approach, which enabled women to gather and generate an income. The aim of my research is to examine the evolution of AMA since its inception, and to assess its current status in light of international shifts in development policy from WID to Gender And Development (GAD). It provides a rare opportunity to assess an organisation's evolution and its impact on women over a 30-year period. It also enables me to build on Kindon and Odell's earlier research with the organisation in 1990. The research uses qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observation, a focus group, a questionnaire and field notes, from five months of fieldwork in the community with members of AMA. The key findings show that AMA membership has decreased since its inception in 1980. Compared with results from previous research with AMA in 1990, my findings reveal that AMA has been slow to embrace international policy agendas and continues to adopt a WID approach. AMA does not yet reflect international and national development trends associated with gender and development, particularly in light of some similar organisations in Central and South America. While benefits have accrued to some of AMA members, they do not yet earn a decent wage to satisfy their needs. There are major intergenerational and interscalar issues, which are similar to those identified in 1990. These concerns are associated with power imbalances inside and outside of the association, traditional attitudes towards women due to the culture of 'machismo', and lack of appropriate information and funding sources. These issues appear to be stifling change and raise serious questions about the future sustainability of the association, as well as the relevance of international development policy changes for rural women in associations like AMA. Women of AMA are now looking for new projects and beginning to think about including men in the association. These slow changes, if enacted, may enable the organisation to survive another 30 years.</p>

scholarly journals Sea turtles support sustainable livelihoods at Ostional, Costa Rica

Oryx ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mallika Sardeshpande ◽  
Douglas MacMillan
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Sustainable Livelihoods ◽  
Household Survey ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Olive Ridley ◽  
Nesting Site

AbstractOstional in Costa Rica is the second largest nesting site of the olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea, which is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. In Ostional the local community helps maintain the nesting site and collects olive ridley eggs for consumption and trade within Costa Rica. Since its inception in 1987 the egg harvesting project has integrated sea turtle conservation with community development. We assessed the current status of this project in terms of community awareness, dependency, involvement and perceptions, using a household survey and semi-structured interviews with key informants. We also compared some of our findings with those of previous studies at the site, finding that the project has fewer dependents, primary livelihood activities have shifted towards tourism and hospitality, and respondents are more aware about environmental conservation and stewardship. We map outcomes of the project with the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, and suggest that further capacity building for research and tourism could contribute towards sustaining the turtle population, local livelihoods, and the community-based conservation institution.

Enhancing internal communication to build social capital amongst hospitality employees – the role of social media

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 2675-2695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ceridwyn King ◽  
Hyemi Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Current Practices

Purpose Adopting a social capital theoretical (SCT) lens, this study aims to propose a conceptual framework of effective internal communication (IC) for the hospitality industry. The study explores how to enhance current practices and the suitability of social media as an augmentation to traditional IC channels. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research methodology, consisting of 20 semi-structured interviews with hospitality employees, was adopted. Following a “reduction” and “interpretation” process, 16 themes related to effective IC were identified which informed a conceptual framework. Findings Characteristics of effective IC were identified in addition to IC benefits at both employee and organizational levels. Considering the limitations of current practices, the applicability of social media was explored. Requirements of effective IC suggest that new channels (e.g. social media) should be adopted to build social capital. Research limitations/implications The study informs SCT from a meso-level (process) perspective. The articulation of an IC framework informs how social capital can be built through effective IC, providing a foundation for further empirical examination as to the impact of various channels on the IC process. Adoption of a case study design suggests that results and implications can only be generalized to similar environments. Practical implications The study details the characteristics of effective IC and its subsequent benefits, highlighting how social media can augment current IC practices in a hospitality organization. Originality/value Being a 24/7 labor-intensive operation makes employee communication to ensure service excellence challenging in the hospitality industry. Through the application of SCT and the exploration of social media in a workplace setting to enhance IC, significant theoretical and practical insights are realized.

A Study of Relationships in Online Virtual Environments

2013 ◽  
pp. 187-205
Author(s):  
Donna Z. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Online Games ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Behavior Understanding ◽  
Ethnographic Approach ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Potential Impact

In an age when estimates of nearly a billion people around the globe are spending time in online games, researchers, organizations, governments, educational institutions, and businesses cannot ignore the potential impact of this behavior. Understanding online cultures, especially those where individuals can create and customize an avatar as their virtual counterpart and carry on the equivalent of a virtual life, requires an ethnographic approach. This study utilizes a mixed-method ethnography over a two-year period including semi-structured interviews to get to know the “residents” of this virtual world. This chapter outlines the challenges and opportunities inherent in the technology when conducting interviews with avatars and offers insights on what can be learned from them.

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