Bridging the Digital Divide

2008 ◽  
pp. 1290-1305
Author(s):  
Anna Malina ◽  
Ann Macintosh
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Democratic Participation ◽  
Digital Inclusion ◽  
Digital Communities ◽  
Expected Outcomes ◽  
Planning Policies

Examined in this chapter is action to address the “digital divide,” and possibilities for extending e-democracy to support wider democratic participation using ICT in local communities. We describe current approaches in Scotland for tackling the digital divide, and we discuss the concept of wired communities. We also refer to “Digital Scotland” initiatives, and we outline the aims and expected outcomes from Scotland’s “Digital Communities” projects. Finally, we suggest how action research could extend electronic democratization into the two digital communities being created in Scotland. The research work we suggest would provide a framework in which to better appreciate the significance of technology in supporting e-democracy at local community levels, and in so doing, contribute knowledge to strategy and planning policies and social and digital inclusion agendas in Scotland.

Bridging the Digital Divide

2011 ◽  
pp. 255-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Malina ◽  
Ann Macintosh
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Democratic Participation ◽  
Digital Inclusion ◽  
Digital Communities ◽  
Expected Outcomes ◽  
Planning Policies

Examined in this chapter is action to address the “digital divide,” and possibilities for extending e-democracy to support wider democratic participation using ICT in local communities. We describe current approaches in Scotland for tackling the digital divide, and we discuss the concept of wired communities. We also refer to “Digital Scotland” initiatives, and we outline the aims and expected outcomes from Scotland’s “Digital Communities” projects. Finally, we suggest how action research could extend electronic democratization into the two digital communities being created in Scotland. The research work we suggest would provide a framework in which to better appreciate the significance of technology in supporting e-democracy at local community levels, and in so doing, contribute knowledge to strategy and planning policies and social and digital inclusion agendas in Scotland.

scholarly journals Community design: a collaborative approach for social integration

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salomao David Cumbula ◽  
Amalia Giorgiana Sabiescu ◽  
Lorenzo Cantoni
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Development Project ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Successful Case ◽  
Implementation Approach ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Meanings ◽  
Design Projects

This paper describes a successful case of collaboration among a south-north project team, a Community Multimedia Centre (CMC), and community beneficiaries, for the design and implementation of a small-scale project to improve CMC services for the local community of Quelimane, in Mozambique. The project is part of RE-ACT, a broader scale research and development project which aimed to investigate the social meanings and understandings attributed by different stakeholders to Mozambican CMCs, and use these insights to co-design and implement CMC services with inherent relevance for the local communities. The case reported is considered the most successful of nine action research and co-design projects implemented through RE-ACT. The services designed for the Quelimane CMC can be considered a success not because of perfect alignment with initial goals but rather due to responsiveness and flexibility in the implementation approach: activities and goals were constantly revised by teams to cope with emerging challenges, while at the same time keeping a clear orientation towards set targets. The paper discusses five underlying factors thought to heighten the chances of success of action research and co-design projects involving local communities, ranging from local proactivity and initiative, to commitment to project success, and high perceived self-efficacy of local stakeholders.

A Court in Decline? Examining the Regality Court Records of Melrose, Roxburghshire, 1657–84

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Vivienne Dunstan
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Court Records ◽  
Seminal Work

McIntyre, in his seminal work on Scottish franchise courts, argues that these courts were in decline in this period, and of little relevance to their local population. 1 But was that really the case? This paper explores that question, using a particularly rich set of local court records. By analysing the functions and significance of one particular court it assesses the role of this one court within its local area, and considers whether it really was in decline at this time, or if it continued to perform a vital role in its local community. The period studied is the mid to late seventeenth century, a period of considerable upheaval in Scottish life, that has attracted considerable attention from scholars, though often less on the experiences of local communities and people.

scholarly journals Approaching the Optimal Solution of the Maximal α-quasi-clique Local Community Problem

Electronics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1438
Author(s):  
Patricia Conde-Cespedes
Keyword(s):  
Graph Theory ◽  
Community Detection ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Optimal Value ◽  
Interesting Task ◽  
Local Community Detection ◽  
Networks Analysis ◽  
Node Problem

Complex networks analysis (CNA) has attracted so much attention in the last few years. An interesting task in CNA complex network analysis is community detection. In this paper, we focus on Local Community Detection, which is the problem of detecting the community of a given node of interest in the whole network. Moreover, we study the problem of finding local communities of high density, known as α-quasi-cliques in graph theory (for high values of α in the interval ]0,1[). Unfortunately, the higher α is, the smaller the communities become. This led to the maximal α-quasi-clique community of a given node problem, which is, the problem of finding local communities that are α-quasi-cliques of maximal size. This problem is NP-hard, then, to approach the optimal solution, some heuristics exist. When α is high (>0.5) the diameter of a maximal α-quasi-clique is at most 2. Based on this property, we propose an algorithm to calculate an upper bound to approach the optimal solution. We evaluate our method in real networks and conclude that, in most cases, the bound is very accurate. Furthermore, for a real small network, the optimal value is exactly achieved in more than 80% of cases.

scholarly journals Local Candidates, Place-Based Identities, and Electoral Success

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Schulte-Cloos ◽  
Paul C. Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Unique Feature ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
The Political ◽  
Electoral Success ◽  
Matching Strategy

AbstractWhile a large body of literature empirically documents an electoral advantage for local candidates, the exact mechanisms accounting for this effect remain less clear. We integrate theories on the political geography of candidate-voter relations with socio-psychological accounts of citizens’ local attachment, arguing that citizens vote for candidates from their own local communities as an expression of their place-based identity. To test our argument, we exploit a unique feature of the German mixed-member electoral system. We identify the causal effect of candidates’ localness by relying on within-electoral-district variation coupled with a geo-matching strategy on the level of municipalities ($$\hbox {N}=11175$$ N = 11175 ). The results show that voters exhibit a strong bias in favor of local candidates even when they are not competitive. More than only expecting particularistic benefits from representatives, citizens appear to vote for candidates from their own local community to express their place-based social identity.

scholarly journals Quantitative Ethnomedicinal Status and Phytochemical Analysis of Berberis lyceum Royle

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 130
Author(s):  
Nausheen Nazir ◽  
Abdur Rahman ◽  
Faheem Uddin ◽  
Atif Ali Khan Khalil ◽  
Muhammad Zahoor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Chlorogenic Acid ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Antioxidant Activities ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Antioxidant Potential ◽  
Phytochemical Analysis ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Use Value ◽  
Phytochemical Composition

Berberis lyceum Royle has such pronounced medicinal values that it is used as cure of many diseases and has exhibited great therapeutic effects among the local communities throughout the world. The present research was carried out to evaluate the quantitative ethnobotanical status and phytochemical analysis of B. lyceum. Regular field trips were arranged to the study area (Shangla District) in August 2017 to October 2019 and interviews with 100 residents (age range: 30 to 50 years) were conducted. The approach adopted for ethnobotanical data was semi-scientific as the inhabitants were not aware about the modern names of some diseases and therefore physician prescriptions were also consulted. Ethnobotanical data were examined using relative frequency of citation and % use value. The % use value of B. lyceum indicates that the people of District Shangla mostly used it for curing of different diseases. In spite of tremendous uses the plant still survived in this area mainly due to the non-accessibility for humans of the mountain tops; otherwise, increase in anthropogenic activities even in these hilly areas poses a threat of the eradication of this plant. To correlate the folkloric uses with its phytochemical composition, HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) analysis was performed and a total of six phenolic compounds (quercetin, chlorogenic acid, berberine, rutin, mandellic acid, and hydroxy benzoic acid) were identified in its root. As most of the health complications are correlated to oxidative stress therefore in vitro antioxidant activity were also performed using DPPH (2, 2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2, 2′-azinobis-3-ethyl benzo thiazoline -6- sulfonic acid) assays. The observed antioxidant potential may most probably be due to berberine and chlorogenic acid that were present in highest concentration in the analyzed extract. The effectiveness of the selected plant as remedy for a number of diseases (that were pointed out by the local community) may be due to its phytochemical composition especially berberine and chlorogenic acid as oxidative stress is the root cause of many diseases. The plant extract exhibited high antioxidant potential (DPPH IC50 = 165µg/mL; ABTSIC50 = 110µg/mL) in relation to the detected concentration of berberine and chlorogenic acid. It can be inferred from experimental results that the ethnopharmacological efficacy of this endangered species may be due to its phytochemical composition and antioxidant activities. This case study helps to revive the importance of B. lyceum in local communities and emphasizes the need for its conservation.

Therapeutic communities and the local community: isolation or integration?

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 150-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
David William Best ◽  
Gerard Byrne ◽  
David Pullen ◽  
Jacqui Kelly ◽  
Karen Elliot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Development ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Salvation Army ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the feasibility of utilising an Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) model in the context of an Alcohol and Other Drug Therapeutic Community, and to use this as a way of assessing how TCs can contribute to the local communities in which they are sited. Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative action research project, based on an evolving model in which key stakeholders from participating sites were instrumental in shaping processes and activities, that is a partnership between a research centre, Turning Point in Melbourne, Australia and two Recovery Services operated by the Salvation Army Australia Eastern Territory (TSA). One of these is the Dooralong Transformation Centre on the Central Coast of New South Wales and the other, Fairhaven, is in the Gold Coast hinterland of Queensland, Australia. The project was designed to create “rehabilitation without walls” by building bridges between the treatment centres and the communities they are based in, and improving participation in local community life. This was done through a series of structured workshops that mapped community asset networks and planned further community engagement activities. Findings – Both of the TCs already had strong connections in their local areas including but not restricted to involvement with the mutual aid fellowships. Staff, residents and ex-residents still in contact with the service were strongly committed to community engagement and were able to identify a wide range of connections in the community and to build these around existing Salvation Army connections and networks. Research limitations/implications – This is a pilot study with limited research findings and no assessment of the generalisability of this method to other settings or TCs. Practical implications – Both TCs are able to act as “community resources” through which residents and ex-residents are able to give back to their local communities and develop the social and community capital that can prepare them for reintegration and can positively contribute to the experience of living in the local community. Social implications – This paper has significant ramifications for how TCs engage with their local communities both as a mechanism for supporting resident re-entry and also to challenge stigma and discrimination. Originality/value – The paper and project extend the idea of ABCD to a Reciprocal Community Development model in which TCs can act as active participants in their lived communities and by doing so can create a “therapeutic landscape for recovery”.

scholarly journals Community expectations and motivations in entomological research activities for the development of innovative malaria vector control tools: Target Malaria as a case study in Bana, Western Burkina Faso

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nourou Barry ◽  
Patrice Toé ◽  
Lea Pare/Toe ◽  
Javier Lezaun ◽  
Mouhamed Drabo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Motivational Factors ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Mosquito Collection ◽  
Entomological Research ◽  
The Village ◽  
Western Burkina Faso

Abstract BackgroundMany field entomology research projects involve local communities in mosquito-collection activities. Since 2012, Target Malaria, a not-for-profit research consortium, has been working with community members in various studies of mosquito collection, release and recapture in the village of Bana, in Western Burkina Faso. Target Malaria’s long-term goal is to develop innovative solutions to combat malaria in Africa with the help of mosquito modification technologies. Since the start of the project, members of local communities have shown interest in playing an active role in the implementation of the project’s research activities, but their actual motivations for such an interest remain under-investigated. This study therefore aimed to examine the factors that motivate the local community to contribute to the implementation of Target Malaria’s activities in the village of Bana. MethodsA qualitative approach was used to examine the factors motivating the local community to assist in the implementation of Target Malaria’s entomological research activities in Bana. 85 individual in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted, followed by interviews with three focus groups, one with youths who had participated in mosquito collections and two with men and women from the village. All data collected were fully transcribed, processed, and submitted for thematic content analysis. ResultsData showed that the willingness of local community members to participate in the entomological research activities of Target Malaria was informed by a wide range of motivational factors. Although the actors interviewed expressed their motivations under different semantic registers, the data showed a degree of consistency between different motivations advanced. These similarities enabled us to classify all of the motivational factors under 5 distinct categories: (a) assist in field research, (b) contribute to a better future, (c) acquire knowledge, (d) earn financial compensation, and (e) gain social prestige.ConclusionThese varying motivations reflected fundamentally different personal and collective perceptions about the participation process. In addition, this study shows that the interest of research on participation is a useful part of understanding public perceptions.

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