scholarly journals Samfunnsoppdrag under press

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-37
Author(s):  
Sunniva Evjen ◽  
Terje Colbjørnsen ◽  
Idunn Bøyum ◽  
Kim Tallerås ◽  
Heidi Kristin Olsen

As the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world and Norway in 2020, libraries were among the institutions that were impacted. The social mission of libraries to stay open and offer services, cultural experiences and reliable information was put under pressure. In this article we depart from a survey of 843 library workers across public, academic, special, and school libraries in Norway. The survey was conducted in June-August 2020 and contains quantitative and qualitative data on how library workers experienced lockdown and the responses from libraries. The article addresses how the Covid-19 crisis impacted libraries’ social missions and what circumstances contribute to crisis management in Norwegian libraries. We use institutional theories on isomorphism and institutional pressures, as well as general theories on crisis management, to analyse the material. We conclude that the pandemic has shown the potential of digital library services, but also find that closed library premises strongly influenced how libraries were able to fulfil their social missions. Our findings also indicate the need for a sectorial leadership in times of crisis. In our discussion, we describe a situation where structures and plans to manage situations of crises are lacking. For libraries to be part of society’s democratic infrastructure, their roles and social missions need to be considered in crisis management plans.    

Author(s):  
Khaulah Afifah ◽  
Lala M Kolopaking ◽  
Zessy Ardinal Barlan

Head of a village election with e-voting system is a new thing for community The success level of e-voting system can be reached by fulfil several principles in order to the implementation going effective and the result of the election can be accepted by all. The objectives of this research is to analyze the relation between the success level of e-voting system with social capital of the community. This research is carried out with the quantitative approach and supported by qualitative data. This research takes 60 respondents using simple random sampling technique. The results showed that the success level of e-voting has a correlation with the level of social capital of the community. Based on the field study, the social capital of the community is classified as high. The high social capital makes the implementation of e-voting successful and the success level is also high, because in the election ten years ago occurred a conflict. The community considers e-voting easier and more practical, cost effective and time-saving, and the results of e-voting are also reliable. A practical and fast of e-voting system can be a solution especially for “rural-urban” community who are busy or work outside the village.Keywords: E-voting, the success level of the system, social capital Pemilihan kepala desa dengan sistem e-voting merupakan hal yang baru bagi masyarakat. Keberhasilan penerapan sistem e-voting dilihat dari terpenuhinya beberapa prinsip agar penerapannya berlangsung efektif dan hasilnya dapat diterima oleh seluruh masyarakat. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis hubungan tingkat keberhasilan sistem e-voting dalam pemilihan kepala desa dengan tingkat modal sosial masyarakat. Bentuk penelitian ini adalah penelitian kuantitatif yang didukung oleh analisis data kualitatif. Penelitian ini mengambil enam puluh responden dengan teknik simple random sampling. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tingkat keberhasilan e-voting memiliki hubungan dengan tingkat modal sosial masyarakat. Berdasarkan kajian di lapang, modal sosial masyarakat tergolong tinggi. Tingginya modal sosial tersebut membuat pelaksanaan e-voting berhasil dan tingkat keberhasilannya juga tergolong tinggi karena pada pemilihan sepuluh tahun silam sempat terjadi konflik. Masyarakat menganggap sistem evoting lebih mudah dan praktis, hemat dalam segi biaya dan waktu, serta hasil dari pemilihan juga dapat dipertanggungjawabkan. Sistem e-voting yang praktis dan cepat dapat menjadi solusi khususnya bagi masyarakat daerah “desa-kota” yang memiliki kesibukan atau pekerjaan di luar desa.Kata Kunci: E-voting, keberhasilan sistem, modal sosial. 


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-69
Author(s):  
Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides

In this article, I explore how the social contract of schooling and the three functions of schooling (Noguera 2003)—to sort, to socialize, and to control— impact and constrain the freedom and agency of a group of young Black and Latinx men in one suburban school district that was experiencing sociodemographic shifts in the Northeastern United States. I use qualitative data to frame how the young men experience schooling, and I show how the local community context facilitates the institutionalization of discriminatory sorting processes and racially prejudiced norms. I also show how the young men are excessively controlled and monitored via zero tolerance disciplinary practices, which effectively constrains their humanity and capacity to freely exist in their school and which inadvertently strengthens the connective tissue between schools and prisons.


Relay Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 17-26
Author(s):  
Tetsushi Ohara

Approaches to understanding learner autonomy in language learning often contain dichotomous views: those that emphasize individual attributes and those that emphasize social influence. In order to articulate our understanding of learner autonomy, it is necessary to find approaches, which view a dialectic unity between the individualistic views and the social views. Sociocultural theory based on the concept of mediation is an approach, which has potential to offer a unique way to analyze learner autonomy. While using sociocultural theory as the main theoretical framework, this article attempts to understand how students take charge of their learning in the language classroom. Qualitative data indicate that interpersonal relationships between students work as mediational means for students to engage in their learning in the classroom. From this finding, it is argued that by understanding mediational means that students employ and are appropriate in the classroom, we are better able to track the students’ ability to take charge of their own learning.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Nyundo ◽  
Maxine Whittaker ◽  
Lynne Eagle ◽  
David R. Low

Abstract Background The significant contribution of community-based distribution (CBD) of family planning services and contraceptives to the uptake of contraceptives in hard-to-reach communities has resulted in the scaling-up of this approach in many Sub-Saharan countries. However, contextual factors need to be taken into consideration. For example, social network influence (e.g. spouse/partner, in-laws, and parents) on fertility decisions in many African and Asian societies is inevitable because of the social organisational structures. Hence the need to adapt CBD strategies to the social network context of a given society. Methods Data collection involved structured interviews from August 2018 to March 2019. Randomly selected respondents (n = 149) were recruited from four purposively selected health facilities in Lusaka district, Zambia. Respondents were screened for age (> 15 yrs.) and marital status. A mix of categorical and qualitative data was generated. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS®24) was used to carry out descriptive analysis and tests of association (Fisher’s exact) while Nvivo®12 was used to analyse the qualitative data using a deductive thematic approach. Results The results indicate that pre-marriage counselling (pre-MC) influences key elements of the husband-wife relationship (p > 0.005), namely; sexual relationship, inter-personal communication, assignation of roles and responsibilities, leadership and authority. These elements of the husband-wife relationship also affect how spouses/partners interact when making fertility decisions. More importantly, the majority (86%) of the respondents indicated having a continuing relationship with their marriage counsellors because of the need to consult them on marital issues. Conclusion Marriage counsellors, though hardly reported in fertility studies, are important ‘constituents’ of the social network in the Zambian society. This is because marriage counsellors are trusted sources of information about marital issues and often consulted about family planning but perceived not to have the correct information about modern contraceptives. In this context, pre-MC offers a readily available, sustainable and culturally appropriate platform for disseminating accurate information about modern contraceptives provided in a private and personal manner. Therefore, the CBD strategy in Zambia can harness marriage counsellors by recruiting and training them as community agents.


1995 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 34-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bharat Bhargava ◽  
Melliyal Annamalai ◽  
Evaggelia Pitoura

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Azham Md. Ali

This work investigates the role and contribution of external auditing as practised in Malaysian society during the forty year period from independence in 1957 to just before the onset of Asian Financial Crisis in 1997.  It applies the political economic theory introduced by Tinker (1980) and refined by Cooper & Sherer (1984), which emphasises the social relations aspects of professional activity rather than economic forces alone. In a case study format where qualitative data were gathered mainly from primary and secondary source materials, the study has found that the function of auditing in Malaysian society in most cases is devoid of any essence of mission; instead it is created, shaped and changed by the pressures which give rise to its development over time. The largely insignificant role that it serves is intertwined with the contexts in which it operates. 


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 47-56
Author(s):  
Gianfranco A. Vento ◽  
Helen Chiappini ◽  
Giuseppe Lia

Development banks play an active role in smoothing growth of world’s disadvantaged areas. The social mission of development banks requires that they pay attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and to the social outcome of financing activities. However, like any other financial institution, they must consider the business sustainability and the financial stability over time. Thus, a comprehensive loan appraisal process should include financial and social aspects. Literature does not properly investigate development banks loan appraisal process, thus the aim of this paper is to contribute to this stream of literature, analysing how development banks can include the evaluation of social and environmental variables within their loan appraisal process. For the purpose of the research, we employed a case study of the Rwanda Development Bank (BRD). The BRD loan appraisal process combines the evaluation of typical aspects of corporate social responsibility – like the firms or projects compliance to health and safety regulations or the implementation of the code of ethics including diversity policies – with the evaluation of social and environmental impact, as well with financial aspects. The BRD social impact assessment is also valuable because it follows the criteria of proportionality of loans evaluation, balancing completeness of information with the cost of the assessment.


Author(s):  
Luisa Marquardt

“Biblioteche nelle Scuole” (in brief, “Biblioscuole”, i.e. Libraries at Schools), a three year school library pilot project, has been carrying out since 2004 in Italy to improve school librarians competencies and school library services in order to provide an easy access to information for teachers, pupils and their families, and to promote social inclusion. The Project and some reflections - based on learners’ interaction - about the first part of the education and training course, are presented here.


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