scholarly journals Resisting Resolution: Enterprise Civic Systems Meet Community Organizing

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Le Dantec ◽  
Adriana Alvarado Garcia ◽  
Ciabhan Connelly ◽  
Amanda Meng

Notions of the smart city look to mobilize information technology to increase organizational efficiency, and more recently, to support new forms of community engagement and involvement in addressing municipal issues. As cities turn to civic enterprise technology platforms, we need to better understand how that class of system might be positioned and used to collaborate with informal community-born coalitions. Beginning in 2019, we undertook an embedded collaborative research project in Albany Georgia, a small rural city, to understand three primary research questions: (1) How do community organizing practices take shape around joint initiatives with local government? (2) What data, tools, and process are needed to support those initiatives? (3) How do the affordances of City-run enterprise platforms support such community-born initiatives? To develop insight into these questions, we deployed a mixed-methods study that interwove participant observation, qualitative fieldwork, and participatory workshops. From this, we point to several mismatches that arose between the assumptions of a managed enterprise environment and the complex needs of establishing and supporting a multiparty community coalition.

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azher Hameed Qamar

AbstractThe Punjabi postpartum tradition is called sawa mahina (‘five weeks’). This study investigates infant health care belief practices in rural Punjab and looks at the social significance of infant care beliefs practiced during sawa mahina. During six months of fieldwork, using participant observation and unstructured interviews as primary research methods, the study explored the prevalent postpartum tradition from a childcare perspective. A Punjabi child holds a social value regarding familial, religious, and emotional values. The five-week traditional postpartum period provides an insight into mother-child attachment, related child care belief practices, and the social construction of infancy. A child’s agency is recognised in the embodied mother-child relationship, and a child is seen in a sympathetic connection with the mother. Establishing an early foundation of ascribed identities is another important part of postpartum belief practices.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-52
Author(s):  
SaraJane Renfroe

Immigrants to the United States encounter a multitude of challenges upon arriving. This is further complicated if migrants arrive without legal status and even more so if these migrants are women. My research engages with Kimberlé Crenshaw’s concept of intersectionality to examine interlocking systems of oppression faced by undocumented migrant women living in Central Florida. I worked mainly in Apopka, Florida, with women who migrated from Mexico, Central America, and South America. I found that three broad identity factors shaped their experiences of life in the U.S.: gender, undocumented status, and Latinx identity. The last factor specifically affected women’s lives through not only their own assertions of their identity, but also outsider projections of interviewees’ race, ethnicity, and culture. My research examines how these identity factors affected my interviewees and limited their access to employment, healthcare, and education. Through a collaborative research project involving work with Central Floridian non-pro t and activist organizations, I conducted interviews and participant observation to answer my research questions. Through my research, I found that undocumented Latina migrants in Central Florida face structural vulnerabilities due to gendered and racist immigration policies and social systems, the oppressive effects of which were only partly mitigated by women’s involvement with community organizations. My research exposes fundamental and systemic failures within U.S. immigration policies and demonstrates that U.S. immigration policy must change to address intersectional oppression faced by undocumented Latina migrants.


2019 ◽  
Vol 582 (7) ◽  
pp. 27-37
Author(s):  
Marlena Chlebowicz

The article presents the potential of Lego WeDo robotics classes for developing children’s 21st century competences. There is a postulate to shape children’s competences in times of dynamic changes. The key competences and their classifi cation are described in the introduction. There is also a description of competences in the fi eld of entrepreneurship, personal, social and learning skills competences as well as digital competences relevant in the context of the studied activities. Lego WeDo 1.0 robotics and programming classes are an opportunity to develop partecipant’s 21st century competences – evaluation of the effectiveness of using sets of bricks has become the purpose of the author’s own research. Research questions related to how creative competences, meta-learning competences and team collaboration competences developed. The research was carried out using the method of pedagogical experiment, technique of one group. The author prepared a schedule including creative exercises. Participant observation was carried out, children’s products were collected and J. P. Guilford’s test was used twice. After analyzing the results, it turned out that children achieved skills in building robots, part of the group was able to create their own instruction designs. Pupils collaborated in pairs, were more eager to construct than to program robots. The children expressed their competences of metalearning while making drawings, were able to make associations by comparing themselves to the machine, and also insight into their own minds. Some participants were aware of the complexity of the learning process. During the semester of classes, the skill of creative thinking developed, with the best results were obtained in the development of fl exibility of thinking. Participation of children in robotics and programming classes infl uenced the development of their competences – Lego WeDo bricks were an effective tool for developing the 21st century competences of participants.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony KOLA-OLUSANYA

As soon as decision makers are expected to make differences towards sustainable future, young adults’ ability to make informed and sound decisions is considered essential towards securing our planet. This study provides an insight into young adults’ knowledge of key environment and sustainability issues. To answer the key research questions, data were obtained using a qualitative phenomenographic research approach and collected through 18 face-to-face in-depth interviews with research participants. The findings of this study suggest that young adults lived experiences that play a huge role in their level of awareness of topical environmental and sustainability issues critical to humanity’s future on earth. 


Author(s):  
James Marlatt

ABSTRACT Many people may not be aware of the extent of Kurt Kyser's collaboration with mineral exploration companies through applied research and the development of innovative exploration technologies, starting at the University of Saskatchewan and continuing through the Queen's Facility for Isotope Research. Applied collaborative, geoscientific, industry-academia research and development programs can yield technological innovations that can improve the mineral exploration discovery rates of economic mineral deposits. Alliances between exploration geoscientists and geoscientific researchers can benefit both parties, contributing to the pure and applied geoscientific knowledge base and the development of innovations in mineral exploration technology. Through a collaboration that spanned over three decades, we gained insight into the potential for economic uranium deposits around the world in Canada, Australia, USA, Finland, Russia, Gabon, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, and Guyana. Kurt, his research team, postdoctoral fellows, and students developed technological innovations related to holistic basin analysis for economic mineral potential, isotopes in mineral exploration, and biogeochemical exploration, among others. In this paper, the business of mineral exploration is briefly described, and some examples of industry-academic collaboration innovations brought forward through Kurt's research are identified. Kurt was a masterful and capable knowledge broker, which is a key criterion for bringing new technologies to application—a grand, curious, credible, patient, and attentive communicator—whether talking about science, business, or life and with first ministers, senior technocrats, peers, board members, first nation peoples, exploration geologists, investors, students, citizens, or friends.


Author(s):  
David Forsström ◽  
Alexander Rozental ◽  
Emma Wiklund ◽  
Per Carlbring ◽  
Philip Lindner

AbstractResponsible gambling (RG) tools are globally widespread; they aim to prevent or decrease the harm caused by gambling. However, existing research suggests that several included features do not decrease gambling or significantly reduce the subsequent harm. Most of the previous studies have used gambling data to understand the changes in gambling behavior. However, the literature lacks research regarding gamblers’ experience and perception of RG tools, which may provide insight into increasing the usage and effectiveness of RG tools. This mixed-methods study aimed to explore gamblers’ perception of their risk assessment in the RG tool Playscan regarding developing harmful gambling problems. Overall, 757 participants rated the perceived accuracy of their risk assessment and their perception of the overall RG tool that conducted the assessment. Participants were also allowed to leave a comment providing feedback, which was analyzed using thematic analysis. Quantitative data was analyzed using logistic regression and structural equation modeling. Qualitative analyses revealed that most of the participants were pleased with the risk assessment and found it helpful. Moderated mediation analysis showed that participants’ assessment agreement partially mediated the association between expressing a negative view and their general view of Playscan. These results highlight the need to decrease the level of disagreement for promoting a better general view of RG tools to potentially increase their usage and effectiveness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Warren ◽  
Edward Frongillo ◽  
Shana Alford ◽  
Erin McDonald ◽  
Jessica Escobar-Alegria

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study was to understand needs among seniors for food and food assistance and to develop a comprehensive taxonomy for these needs. Methods A total of 147 seniors were purposively sampled from 12 food-assistance programs in 9 states. Of the 12 programs, 10 provided unprepared foods and 2 provided pre-cooked meals. Data were semi-structured qualitative interviews. Coding and analysis of transcripts followed an inductive qualitative analysis approach. A series of thematic summaries were prepared to reflect the content of the interviews for discussion and refinement of the analytic approach. Results An emergent taxonomy comprised 3 categories consisting of abilities and ranges or variants of those abilities. The category of physical ability consists of physical strength, the ability to prepare food, the ability to walk or stand, and health status. These relate to an individual's functional abilities to live and act independently and may be considered pre-conditions for program uptake and benefit distinct from dietary and food security-related needs and limitations. The category of consuming food consists of preferences, accessibility, affordability, and dietary needs. This category highlights the relationship between economic constraints and dietary needs that often necessitates meaningful tradeoffs in consuming the right foods for their health. The category of access and use of transportation consists of own means, friends or family, and public or private services. This category highlights challenges in accessing programs and provides insight into seniors’ experiences of poverty, declining functional abilities, social networks and connectedness, geography, and public services. Conclusions The process used to develop the taxonomy and the taxonomy itself provide an exemplar for implementation research when the nature of need is complex and programs integrated across sectors are required to address the need. The taxonomy provides structure to facilitate the identification of key factors in program engagement—and insight into the economic and social environments in which they occur—that translate into needs relevant to the design, targeting, and uptake of food assistance in a diverse population of seniors. Funding Sources Enterprise Rent-a-Car Foundation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Iliadis ◽  
Imogen Richards ◽  
Mark A Wood

‘Newsmaking criminology’, as described by Barak, is the process by which criminologists contribute to the generation of ‘newsworthy’ media content about crime and justice, often through their engagement with broadcast and other news media. While newsmaking criminological practices have been the subject of detailed practitioner testimonials and theoretical treatise, there has been scarce empirical research on newsmaking criminology, particularly in relation to countries outside of the United States and United Kingdom. To illuminate the state of play of newsmaking criminology in Australia and New Zealand, in this paper we analyse findings from 116 survey responses and nine interviews with criminologists working in universities in these two countries, which provide insight into the extent and nature of their news media engagement, and their related perceptions. Our findings indicate that most criminologists working in Australia or New Zealand have made at least one news media appearance in the past two years, and the majority of respondents view news media engagement as a professional ‘duty’. Participants also identified key political, ethical, and logistical issues relevant to their news media engagement, with several expressing a view that radio and television interviewers can influence criminologists to say things that they deem ‘newsworthy’.


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