scholarly journals Social Connection and Knowledge Brokerage in a State Government Research Network in Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. pp54-75
Author(s):  
C. Louise Goggin ◽  
Rebecca Cunningham

The social dimensions of knowledge management are often overlooked when attempting to develop innovative approaches to preserve and balance the multiple values of protected natural landscapes. This oversight can hinder the incorporation of knowledge from research and experience, particularly tacit knowledge held by experts and experienced individuals. Building social connection between leaders, researchers and experienced staff within an organisation can address this challenge because it fosters knowledge incorporation and dissemination. However, this can be a slower, more costly and more challenging method of incorporating diverse knowledges. Organisations, particularly government organisations, need to demonstrate the value of building social connection and cohesion. Our work was designed to evaluate social connection and the development of deliberative knowledge networks. We tracked social connection during the formation of a research network within a state government organisation in Australia. The aim of the network was to improve the adoption of research knowledge into management of the alpine region in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Social Network Analysis (SNA) was used to evaluate the effectiveness of forming a research network, given it was a costly, time-consuming and challenging method for the organisation. SNA was used to visualise social connections and measure changes during the planning phase of the research network over 12 months, when scope of the alpine research program was being identified and priorities determined. The analysis revealed individuals in the network grew social connections over time (total ties, average degree and density increased) which is likely to lead to better knowledge sharing. The SNA also identified individuals with knowledge brokerage roles (betweenness scores) and those with the greatest reach and potential influence in the network (key players) who were targeted for future roles in the network. The majority of alpine information was sought from and shared with staff within the network, particularly those in two Groups/ Divisions, which may limit the innovation by the network. The results provided insight to the government research network that is invaluable in its transition from the planning phase to implementation of research priorities and adaptive management. Our approach provides evidence for the value of building social connections and knowledge brokerage to improve environmental outcomes.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Rudy ◽  
Steve Kokelj ◽  
Alice Wilson ◽  
Tim Ensom ◽  
Peter Morse ◽  
...  

<p>The Beaufort Delta region in Northwest Territories, Canada is one of the most rapidly warming areas on Earth. Permafrost thaw and climate change are major stressors on northern infrastructure, particularly in this region which hosts the highest density of Arctic communities and the longest road network constructed on ice-rich permafrost in Canada. The Dempster and Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highways (ITH) comprise a 400-km corridor connecting the region with southern Canada. The corridor delivers a unique opportunity to develop a societally-relevant, northern-driven permafrost research network to encourage collaboration, and support pure and applied studies that engage stakeholders, encourage community participation, and acknowledge northern interests. Successful implementation requires leadership and institutional support from the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and Inuvialuit and Gwich’in Boards and landowners, and coordination between research organizations including NWT Geological Survey, Aurora Research Institute, Geological Survey of Canada, and universities to define key research priorities, human and financial resources to undertake studies, and protocols to manage data collection and reporting.</p><p>In 2017, a state of the art ground temperature monitoring network was established along the Dempster-ITH corridor by the GNWT in collaboration with Federal and Academic partners. This network in combination with the maintenance of the Dempster Highway and recent design and construction of the ITH, has created a national legacy of permafrost geotechnical, terrain and geohazard information in this region. The objectives of this program are to integrate old and new data to synthesize physiographic, hydrological, thermal, and geotechnical conditions along the corridor, and to develop applied permafrost research projects that support planning and maintenance of this critical northern infrastructure. In this presentation, we highlight: 1) a collaborative research framework that builds northern capacity and involves northerners in the generation of knowledge and its application to increase community based permafrost monitoring; 2) summaries of existing infrastructure datasets and their foundation for research; and 3) new projects that address emerging climate-driven infrastructure stressors. As the effects of climate change on permafrost environments, infrastructure and communities continue to increase, the need for northern scientific capacity and applied research to support informed decision-making, climate change adaptation and risk management will become increasingly critical. The development of resilient researcher-stakeholder-community relationships is also necessary for the scientific and research initiatives to reach their potential.</p><p> </p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 118 (10) ◽  
pp. 365-372
Author(s):  
Jayanti.G ◽  
Dr. V.Selvam

India being a democratic and republic country, has witnessed the biggest indirect tax reform after much exploration, GST bill roll out on 1 April 2017.  The concept of this reform is for a unified country-wide tax reform system.  Enterprises particularly SMEs are caught in a state of instability.  Several taxes such s excise, service tax etc., have been subsumed with a single tax structure. it is the responsibilities of both centre and state government to shoulder the important responsibility to cater the needs of the people and the nation as a whole.  The main basis of income to the government is through levy of taxes.  To meet the so called socio-economic needs and economic growth, taxes are considered as a main source of revenue for the government.  As per Wikipedia “A tax is a mandatory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed upon tax payer by the government in order to fund various public expenditure”   it is said that tax payment is mandatory, failure to pay such taxes will be punishable under the law.   The Indian tax system is classified as direct and indirect tax.   The indirect taxes are levied on purchase, sale, and manufacture of goods and provision of service.  The indirect tax on goods and services increases its price, this can lead to inflationary trend.  Contribution of indirect taxes to total tax revenue is more than 50% in India, therefore, indirect tax is considered as a major source of tax revenue for the government, which in turn is one of source for GDP growth.  Though indirect tax is a major source of revenue, it had lot of hassles.  To overcome the major issues of indirect tax system the government of India subsumed most of the indirect tax which in turn gave birth to the concept called Goods and Service Tax.


1988 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 57-62
Author(s):  
A. N. Aggarwal ◽  
V. K. Karia

Immediately after independence in 1946, the Government of India resorted to rapid industrialization to minimize outside dependence and to improve the standard of living. This, while helping the country to grow, also created problems of environmental management. Rapid deterioration of natural resources forced the Government to enact a number of legislative measures and create regulatory agencies both at central and state government levels. These agencies were given powers to effectively implement various Acts. Severe penalties, including fines and imprisonment, were envisaged for offenders of environmental Acts. Responsibilities were defined, to avoid a scapegoat approach. On the other hand, to reward industries showing a positive approach to environmental protection, a number of fiscal incentives and tax benefits were also offered. Recently, to provide more comprehensive legislation for the protection of all the components of the environment under a single agency, a new bill entitled the ‘Environmental Protection Bill, 1986' has been introduced in Parliament. This regulatory approach has started to show results, and more and more industries have started to provide pollution control facilities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 775-775
Author(s):  
Debra Sheets ◽  
Stuart MacDonald ◽  
Andre Smith

Abstract Choral singing is a novel approach to reduce dementia stigma and social isolation while offering participants a sense of purpose, joy and social connection. The pervasiveness of stigma surrounding dementia remains one of the biggest barriers to living life with dignity following a diagnosis (Alzheimer Society of Canada, 2018). This paper examines how a social inclusion model of dementia care involving an intergenerational choir for people living with dementia, their care partners and high school students can reduce stigma and foster social connections. Multiple methodologies are used to investigate the effects of choir participation on cognition, stress levels, social connections, stigma, and quality of life. Results demonstrate the positive impact of choir participation and indicate that this socially inclusive intervention offers an effective, non-pharmacological alternative for older adults living with dementia in the community. Discussion focuses on the importance of instituting meaningful and engaging dementia-friendly activities at the community level.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 947
Author(s):  
Rishi Kondapaneni ◽  
Ashley N. Malcolm ◽  
Brian M. Vazquez ◽  
Eric Zeng ◽  
Tse-Yu Chen ◽  
...  

Florida lies within a subtropical region where the climate allows diverse mosquito species including invasive species to thrive year-round. As of 2021, there are currently 66 state-approved Florida Mosquito Control Districts, which are major stakeholders for Florida public universities engaged in mosquito research. Florida is one of the few states with extensive organized mosquito control programs. The Florida State Government and Florida Mosquito Control Districts have long histories of collaboration with research institutions. During fall 2020, we carried out a survey to collect baseline data on the current control priorities from Florida Mosquito Control Districts relating to (1) priority control species, (2) common adult and larval control methods, and (3) major research questions to address that will improve their control and surveillance programs. The survey data showed that a total of 17 distinct mosquito species were considered to be priority control targets, with many of these species being understudied. The most common control approaches included truck-mounted ultra-low-volume adulticiding and biopesticide-based larviciding. The districts held interest in diverse research questions, with many prioritizing studies on basic science questions to help develop evidence-based control strategies. Our data highlight the fact that mosquito control approaches and priorities differ greatly between districts and provide an important point of comparison for other regions investing in mosquito control, particularly those with similar ecological settings, and great diversity of potential mosquito vectors, such as in Florida. Our findings highlight a need for greater alignment of research priorities between mosquito control and mosquito research. In particular, we note a need to prioritize filling knowledge gaps relating to understudied mosquito species that have been implicated in arbovirus transmission.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 379-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Jones ◽  
Jaimin Bhatt ◽  
Jonathan Avery ◽  
Andreas Laupacis ◽  
Katherine Cowan ◽  
...  

It is critically important to define disease-specific research priorities to better allocate limited resources. There is growing recognition of the value of involving patients and caregivers, as well as expert clinicians in this process. To our knowledge, this has not been done this way for kidney cancer. Using the transparent and inclusive process established by the James Lind Alliance, the Kidney Cancer Research Network of Canada (KCRNC) sponsored a collaborative consensus-based priority-setting partnership (PSP) to identify research priorities in the management of kidney cancer. The final result was identification of 10 research priorities for kidney cancer, which are discussed in the context of current initiatives and gaps in knowledge. This process provided a systematic and effective way to collaboratively establish research priorities with patients, caregivers, and clinicians, and provides a valuable resource for researchers and funding agencies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4836
Author(s):  
Wonder Mafuta ◽  
Jethro Zuwarimwe ◽  
Marizvikuru Mwale

The paper investigated the social and financial resources’ interface in WASH programmes for vulnerable communities. Nineteen villages were randomly selected from the Jariban district in Somalia using the random number generator based on the village list. Data was collected in a sequential methodology that started with transect walks to observe and record the WASH infrastructure. Thirty-eight focus group discussions and desktop reviews triangulated transact walk recordings. The findings indicate minimum to zero investments towards WASH infrastructure in Jariban from the state government, with more dependency on the donor community. The study revealed that resources for the construction of latrines and water sources come from the following sources, NGOs (54.3%), diaspora community (34.5%) and community contributions (11.2%). The findings revealed a backlog in the WASH infrastructure, resulting in low access to water supply and sanitation services. The results demonstrate limited resource allocation by both the government and community, affecting the WASH infrastructure’s sustainability and further development. Due to the backlog in investments, particularly on improved latrines, it is concluded that their usage is low and a hindrance to having access to sanitation, hygiene and water as per the SDG goals, of leaving no one behind. While investment towards WASH in Jariban demonstrates multiple potential sources, there is a need to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation and explore governments’ role and capacity to secure WASH infrastructure investments. It is also recommended to explore how to tax the remittances to fund WASH infrastructure development and the private sector’s role in WASH infrastructure investment.


Risk Analysis ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caron Chess ◽  
Kandice L. Salomone ◽  
Billie Jo Hance

2021 ◽  
pp. archdischild-2021-322636
Author(s):  
Katrina Cathie ◽  
Alastair G Sutcliffe ◽  
Srini Bandi ◽  
David Coghlan ◽  
Stephen W Turner ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe General and Adolescent Paediatric Research Network in the UK and Ireland (GAPRUKI) was established in 2016. The aims of GAPRUKI are to unite general paediatricians around the UK and Ireland, to develop research ideas and protocols, and facilitate delivery of multicentre research.ObjectivesTo undertake a research prioritisation exercise among UK and Ireland general paediatricians.MethodsThis was a four-phase study using a modified Delphi survey. The first phase asked for suggested research priorities. The second phase developed ideas and ranked them in priority. In the third phase, priorities were refined; and the final stage used the Hanlon Prioritisation Process to agree on the highest priorities.ResultsIn phase one, there were 250 questions submitted by 61 GAPRUKI members (66% of the whole membership). For phase two, 92 priorities were scored by 62 members and the mean Likert scale (1–7) scores ranged from 3.13 to 5.77. In a face-to-face meeting (phases three and four), 17 research questions were identified and ultimately 14 priorities were identified and ranked. The four priorities with the highest ranking focused on these three respiratory conditions: asthma, bronchiolitis and acute wheeze. Other priorities were in the diagnosis or management of constipation, urinary tract infection, fever, gastro-oesophageal reflux and also new models of care for scheduled general paediatric clinics.ConclusionResearch priorities for child health in the UK and Ireland have been identified using a robust methodology. The next steps are for studies to be designed and funded to address these priorities.


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