Academic literature on the topic 'Rural Victoria Planning Citizen participation'

Community policing has gradually drawn attention in many countries since the 1990s. This new policing strategy can prevent crime, while also increasing citizen participation and justifying democratic policing. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Taiwan police agencies have adopted community policing. The practice includes the planning of police beats, community fora on safety issues, and service-orientated policing. Since one of the core tenets of community policing is citizen participation and engagement, why do some police agencies differ within the same jurisdiction? To answer this question, this paper builds a simple framework showing how a variety of external and internal factors can affect citizen engagement in community policing. The qualitative data was collected in diverse urban and rural police stations. This study provides a better understanding of how to promote citizen engagement in community policing.

In Ecuador, the participatory political design of the political party forming the government from 2007 to 2017, along with the constitution of 2018, created opportunities for citizen participation. Participatory budgeting (PB) is the most commonly used citizen participation mechanism. The direct participation of citizens is reflected in improving the governance by democratizing decision processes. The contribution of PB to the local management and governance of seven rural communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon was analyzed using a case study. Based on (1) the level of compliance with municipal planning through management indicators and, the amounts allocated to PB, (2) along with the level of citizen satisfaction, complementary perspectives (acquired through a survey) on the implementation of PB are provided. These sources of evidence allowed us to critically assess the effects of PB in the improvement of local management and governance. We found low levels of municipal planning compliance, i.e., a 20% (2017) and 43% (2018), high levels of citizen dissatisfaction (around 91%) and also a “disagreement” with the PB implementation process. Finally, it is observed that the implementation of the participatory budget in rural communities presents deficiencies that limit the obtaining of representative benefits and that imply an improvement in the governance and quality of life of the citizenry. This is mainly caused by the low interest of citizens to participate in the phases of execution and monitoring of projects, due to a low culture and participatory education.

The recent research on citizen participation in the provision of public services represented by coproduction has become a hot topic in public management. Coproduction studies propose that citizens can directly or indirectly participate in the process of public services to help improve the quality and legitimacy of public services. Very little, however, has been written in the existing coproduction literature on the outcome of public services provision. Based on the “One-Hundred Villages” Survey in 2020, this article analyzes and evaluates the impact of coproduction on the perceived outcome of public service in rural China. A series of statistical analysis results show that both co-planning and co-delivery have significant and positive impacts on how one views the outcome of rural public service provision. This research provides new evidence in rural China that citizen participation plays a crucial role in the state-led “New Socialist Countryside” campaign.

Abstract In the early 1940s, the agricultural New Deal was broader and more democratic than those aspects of it that survived World War II. Carl C. Taylor, who led the sociological research unit in the USDA’s Bureau of Agricultural Economics, and other rural sociologists shared a two-handed commitment to democracy. They merged social science with local knowledge and integrated federal action with citizen participation. These activist principles were best exemplified in a Third New Deal program called county land-use planning, within which sociologists played two roles. First, they "delineated" the boundaries of rural neighborhoods and communities so that the best representation of citizens on the local planning committees was obtained. With local citizen-researchers, Taylor’s sociologists delineated eleven thousand rural neighborhoods and nearly two thousand communities in thirty-two states. Second, they evaluated the planning program in a few select counties. The richest assessment was Arthur F. Raper’s study of Greene County, Georgia, "Tenants of the Almighty." He found that, despite racism, the program made tremendous physical, economic, and psychological gains among the county’s poor blacks and whites. However, a conservative Congress aborted the federal democratic-planning program in 1942; soon thereafter these anti-New Dealers banished critical social science from the USDA. The likes of which have not been seen since, at least not in the United States.

The main issues that have been addressed in the Costa Rican government’s policy for low-volume rural roads are discussed. As in most developing countries, providing good roads to support the growing demand for agricultural and tourism activities has been a great challenge, especially in times of important budget limitations. The Costa Rican experience is shared in the hope that it can prove useful in other countries, because its impact has not been limited to just providing better roads; it is also helping to motivate widespread citizen participation and to improve technical and organizational capabilities of the local governments. Because the majority of the rural roads are managed by local governments, whose administrative and technical capacity has been limited in the past, the central government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, has developed a comprehensive policy based on simple technology transfer programs and regulations for these organizations, while at the same time inducing a method of investment planning that requires organized citizen participation. The program, called Participative Road Conservation, has become the center of the government’s policy. Some of the highlights of the program are presented. The strategy of the program has been to give straightforward guidelines in organizational issues of road maintenance at the local government level (including the local road committees), basic technical standards to be followed, and planning methodologies. One of the fundamental principles of the program is the sharing of responsibilities for adequate road maintenance, including financial contributions, among the communities, the local government, and the central government. This policy for sustainable rural roads is making a change in the road maintenance culture of the country. It has required educational programs concerning the importance of roads, the correct way to build and maintain them, adequate control of the work, and so forth. Once the community is involved in planning and rehabilitating a road, it is more likely that the road will not be allowed to deteriorate again. Even children are involved in a program of school patrols. The financial reforms that have been made in Costa Rica to attend to the needs of the national and municipal road systems are also addressed.

The expansion of eucalypt plantations constitutes a growing source of landscape transformation in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. In this context, forest planning has failed to design forestry policies that consider the demands of the population as a whole. Among other consequences, in 2018 a group of activists founded a volunteer programme aiming at collective action against the expansion of degraded forests. By 2022, over 100 actions had been performed, mostly involving eradications of eucalypt sprouts, and 1000 activists took part in such programmes. Through participatory action research, this work explores the nature and functioning of this programme and discusses in particular the socialisation of landscape management. The results reveal a slight prevalence of an urban public participating in rural areas, so that activism against eucalyptus expansion conforms a centripetal force in the creation of new networks of actors that transcend the rural–urban dichotomy. It is concluded that the studied case can be taken as a model for public institutions aiming to reinforce citizen participation in forest landscape plans.

This article aims to assess the implementation process of consulting citizen participation and conflicts involved in housing delivery against the environment of the South Africanhousing need and housing policy. In this way the study wants to clarify the relationship between housing policy and housing practice. The article is based on the legislations and policies designed to foster and promote public participation in South Africa. These include legislation at both the national and local government levels and a survey of planning departments measuring the types of public participation strategies used by local governments. The article’s findings indicate that South African Municipalities need adopt a broader range of public participation techniques related to: voluntarism and public engagement, neighbourhood and strategic planning, and e-government. In contrast, the article’s findings indicate that South African Municipalities are more likely to crumple if they do not promote public participation through mechanisms such as annual community meetings and referendums on public issues. The conclusion of the article offers recommendations for expanding the scope of public participation and developing strategies that maximize citizen input in community development activities in both the Provincial and local spheres of government. The survey was conducted to identify the scope of public participation techniques used by local governments and the Department of Housing in Tyutyu housing project located in the Buffalo city metropolitan municipality. It is an initiative which was started in the year 2000 with the aim of alleviating housing shortage in the area. Formerly, the area was made up of mud houses that were constructed by the former Ciskei government. Later on, shacks were added in the area. Originally, <br />these structures were meant to form agricultural rural village settlements. One limitation of this methodology is that it does not gauge the effectiveness of the participation techniques used by local governments and the department of housing or the intensity of public engagement. However, the results from this study provide future researchers with a mechanism for focusing future analysis. The findings can assist in identifying new directions for enhancing public participation in South Africa and globally.

Community participation in health service decision making is entrenched in health policy, with a strong directive to develop sustainable, effective, locally responsive services. However, it is recognised that community participation is challenging to achieve. The aim of the present study was to explore how a rural health service in Victoria enacts community participation at the local level. Using case study methodology, the findings indicate that enactment of community participation is desired by the health service, but a lack of understanding of the concept and how to enact associated policy are barriers that are exacerbated by a lack of resources and community capacity. The findings reveal a disconnect between community participation policy and practice. What is known about the topic? The need to involve communities in health service planning, implementation and evaluation is a feature of health policy across major Western countries. However, researchers have identified a dearth of research on how community participation is enacted at the local service level. What does this paper add? The study that is presented herein addresses a gap in knowledge of community participation policy enactment within a rural health service. Insights are provided into the challenges faced by rural health services, with a disconnect between policy ideal and the reality of implementation. What are the implications for practitioners? Health service staff need clear direction from chief executive officers about the purpose of community participation policy and the expectations for individual roles. Community advisory committees need clarity about the community member role and the processes for making decisions. Services and their boards would benefit from targeted government funding to resource community participation activity.

Good health and human wellbeing is one of the sustainable development goals. To achieve this goal, many efforts are required to control infectious diseases including malaria which remains a major public health concern in Rwanda. Surveillance of mosquitoes is critical to control the disease, but surveillance rarely includes the participation of citizens. A citizen science approach (CSA) has been applied for mosquito surveillance in developed countries, but it is unknown whether it is feasible in rural African contexts. In this paper, the technical and social components of such a program are described. Participatory design workshops were conducted in Ruhuha, Rwanda. Community members can decide on the technical tools for collecting and reporting mosquito species, mosquito nuisance, and confirmed malaria cases. Community members set up a social structure to gather observations by nominating representatives to collect the reports and send them to the researchers. These results demonstrate that co-designing a citizen science program (CSP) with citizens allows for decision on what to use in reporting observations. The decisions that the citizens took demonstrated that they have context-specific knowledge and skills, and showed that implementing a CSP in a rural area is feasible.

This thesis examines various approaches to public participation within rural planning. It deals with the roles rural residents, in unincorporated areas of British Columbia, can play in local planning. The thesis argues that effective planning in such areas only occurs if a rural planning approach, which considers distinctive rural characteristics, is applied to the planning process. Such planning generally requires the active involvement of rural people. To accomplish this objective a model is constructed of how rural residents participate in planning. Its theoretical framework is developed from a review of the available literature on rural planning and public participation. The model is then used to examine a specific area--Texada Island--which was selected because of its recent experiences with planning. The model identifies four main approaches to rural planning: planning 'of a rural community; planning 'for' a rural community; planning 'with' a rural community; and planning 'by' a rural community. The thesis argues that all of these approaches can meet the criteria that define rural planning, but they differ significantly on the objectives for the planning process, and the roles the local residents perform. The model also contains four categories of public participation: public information; data collection; citizenship training; and involvement in decision making. This thesis defines public participation as the means whereby the general public interact with decision makers, beyond elections, to ensure public decisions reflect their objectives. Within the context of this definition the four categories are seen as being the main avenues that rural people have for participation in planning. When the types of participation were applied to the various rural planning approaches a number of observations about the involvement of rural people in planning became apparent. These characteristics were reinforced when the Texada Islanders' experiences with planning were examined. The model and the Texada example both demonstrated that even within the constraints inherent in the various types of planning there were opportunities to enhance the level of public involvement. The author takes the position that these possible improvements are significant to the planning process since there is a positive linear correlation between increased public participation and the effectiveness of the planning process. The relationship between public involvement and planning is demonstrated through the analysis of rural planning approaches. Planning 'of' a rural, community may produce some short term results but it is incapable of providing any long term direction because the planning process is too divorced from the aspiration of the local residents who have considerable ability to frustrate external objectives even when they have little ability to take the initiative. Planning 'for' a rural community generally fails because the issues that the planning exercise is attempting to deal with are examined from the perceptions of 'outsiders'. Planning 'with' a rural community is limited because the planning process is dominated by the 'experts' who also see issues through a different set of perceptions. Planning 'by' the rural community approach is the approach that the thesis claims can succeed when the others fail. Its success is related to its correlation to rural values; its emphasis on local resources, which expands the usually limited resources available for any rural planning; and the fact that it deals with planning as part of a larger process of rural development. Rural development avoids the frequent segregation of planning and implementation and permits the planning to become an ongoing process which allows for adjustment and elaboration as required. Advocating a need for planning 'by' rural communities is not done with any naive assumptions about its success being assured. This approach can produce the most enduring results, but it also exacts the highest costs in terms of effort and its existence is dependent on a continuing commitment by the rural residents who are in control of the planning process. But this commitment is a requirement for rural development where change is achieved by the active participation of affected people.
Applied Science, Faculty of
Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of
Graduate

Since the mid 1970s there has been an increasing effort to adopt community participation as a necessary instrument for people driven development. NGOs and governments have come to use this participatory approach not only to empower local people, but also to give them a platform to plan and implement their own development projects. However in Zimbabwe, the government has failed to fund most projects and it has created a gap for NGOs to provide most, if not all services in rural communities. NGOs have been seen as better institutions to facilitate development projects and to engage local people to actively participate in development issues. Community participation is a central component in development projects as the projects respond to the people’s needs and that local people are in full control and ownership of these projects. This study is an assessment of community participation in NGO development projects in Zimbabwe. The study investigates the extent of community participation in development projects and it is guided by the Participatory Development (PD) theory. Research findings reveal that community participation is minimal in development projects of Bulilima and Mangwe districts in Zimbabwe. Local people are just passive participants of the development projects who are told what to do. The local people’s contributions and influences are sidelined in the planning and decision-making processes; instead these are made by the rural elite who plan and make decisions on behalf of the local people. It is the view of this study that the purpose of community participation is to create opportunities for local people to participate in planning, decision making, implementation, allocation and distribution of resources. The development projects should be responsive to the people’s needs. Similarly, participatory development just like community participation is a process whereby communities are given the opportunity to determine their future in terms of their needs and resources. In this regard, it is relevant that rural communities actively participate in planning, decision making, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects. By so doing, the projects become not only successful but also sustainable.

Thesis (MPA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the past, development projects were not successful, because development was guided by top-down strategy that excluded the main beneficiaries from the process of development. The creative initiative, local knowledge, and inputs of communities were not considered as a development resource. Hence, development programmes were not participatory, and could not solve social problems, rather they contributed to poverty and dependency. This condition gave rise to new thinking that unless communities participate in development efforts, no social transformation can be achieved. Moreover, the scarcity of resources in developing countries called for the mobilization of all stakeholders' resources in the cause of development action. As a result, community participation emerged as a new paradigm of development. Development has become a humanizing process; projects are people-driven; and communities are the subjects of development projects. Nevertheless, in order for community participation to meet the challenges of development, this has to be a multidimensional approach that integrates the building blocks of development. Against this background, in the context of water supply, the experience of developing countries indicates that the effectiveness of water supply projects is improved when communities participate in all phases of water supply projects. Moreover, community owned and managed water supply projects are better constructed, cost effective, and successful than government subsidized projects. Nevertheless, the role of government in enabling and supporting is essential. The study is an evaluation research, which aims to assess whether community participation is in place, and whether the delivery of water supply is enhanced as a result of community participation. The study area is in Galanefhi, a sub-region in Eritrea. At eleven villages in the sub-region, water supply projects that were constructed in the past twelve years are assessed to evaluate if community participation is in place and its effect on the water supply system. During the course of this study, interviews were conducted with 221 respondents of both sexes from the age of 28 years using open and closed-ended questionnaires. In addition, discussions were conducted with community representatives and government officials on issues of community participation and safe water delivery. Findings of the study indicate that the level of community participation differs within the villages and from one phase of the project to another. There is more community participation in implementation and less in planning. Decision-making is dominated by the water committees and local officials. The major missing ingredient is the level of capacity building. Communities' capacity to manage and operate the water supply system is limited. The institutional and administrative frameworks of the villages regarding water supply is weak. The regional and sub-region authorities' capacity that implements and oversees water supply projects is not strong. Communication between the grassroots and central authorities is not good. This is aggravated by natural conditions like climate and environment, and by the lack of skilled human resources, financial drawbacks, and lack of coordination. Nevertheless, overall assessment shows that water supply projects that enjoy more community participation are more successful and sustainable and more capable of meeting communities' expectations. Therefore, sustainable clean and adequate water delivery can be achieved through community participation in collaboration with all stakeholders. The recommendations which are provided give some insights on how to implement community participation as a strategy on the ground.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die verlede was ontwikkelingsprojekte dikwels onsuksesvolomdat ontwikkeling oorheers is deur die bo-na-onder ("top-down") strategie wat die hoof voordeeltrekkers uitgesluit het uit die proses van ontwikkeling. Die skeppende inisiatief, plaaslike kennis en die insette van die gemeenskappe is nie as 'n hulpbron beskou nie. Dus was die ontwikkelingsprogramme nie deelhebbend van aard nie en kon hulle nie sosiale probleme oplos nie. Dit het eerder bygedra tot armoede en afhanklikheid. Hierdie toestand het gelei tot 'n nuwe denkrigting, naamlik dat, tensy gemeenskappe deelneem aan ontwikkelingspogings, geen sosiale transformasie sal plaasvind nie. Weens die skaarsheid van hulpbronne in ontwikkelende lande is die mobilisasaie van al die deelhebbers se hulpbronne nodig vir ontwikkelingsaksie. Gevolglik het gemeenskapsdeelname te vore getree as die nuwe paradigma van ontwikkeling. Ontwikkeling is meer op die mens gerig; projekte word deur die mens gedryf; en gemeenskappe IS die onderwerp van die ontwikkelingsprojekte. Nietemin, as gemeenskapsdeelname die uitdagings van ontwikkeling te bowe wil kom, moet daar 'n multidimensionele benadering wees wat die boustene van ontwikkeling integreer. Teen hierdie agtergrond, en in die konteks van watervoorsiening, het die ondervindings in ontwikkelende lande aangedui dat die effektiwiteit van watervoorsieningsprojekte verbeter as die gemeenskap deelneem aan al die fases van die projek. Ook is watervoorsieningsprojekte wat deur die gemeenskap besit en bestuur word, beter gebou, meer koste-effektief, en meer suksesvol as projekte wat deur die regering subsideer is. Nietemin is die rol van die regering onontbeerlik waar dit die projekte moontlik maak en ondersteun. Hierdie studie is evaluasie-navorsing wat ten doel het om vas te stel tot watter mate gemeenskapdeelname bestaan en of die voorsiening van water verbeter het as gevolg van die deelname. Die studiegebied is in Galanefhi, 'n substeek van Eritrea. Daar is by elf dorpies in hierdie streek tydens die laaste twaalf jaar watervoorsieningspunte opgerig. Hierdie projekte is evalueer om vas te stel hoeveel gemeenskapdeelname daar was en die effek daarvan op die watervoorsiening. Tydens die studie is onderhoude gevoer met 221 respondente, mans en vrouens, bo 28. Daar is gebruik gemaak van vraelyste. Ook is daar besprekings gevoer met verteenwoordigers van gemeenskappe en regeringsamptenare oor kwessies soos gemeenskapsdeelname en die voorsiening van veilige drinkwater. Daar is gevind dat die vlak van deelname verskil van dorpie tot dorpie en van een fase van die projek tot die volgende. Daar is meer gemeenskapsdeelname in implementasie en minder in beplanning. Besluitneming word oorheers deur waterkomitees en plaaslike amptenare. Daar is me 'n hoë vlak van vermoë-bou me. Die vermoë van die gemeenskap om die watervoorsieningsisteem te bestuur is beperk en die administratiewe raamwerk van die dorpies betreffende watervoorsiening is swak. Die vermoë van die owerhede op streek- en substreekvlak, asook die kommunikasie tussen die sentrale owerhede en die gewone inwoners is nie na wense nie. Hierdie toestande word vererger deur die klimaat en die omgewingsfaktore, die gebrek aan geskoolde werkers, finansiële probleme en die gebrek aan koërdinasie, Nietemin is daar in die algemeen vasgestel dat die watervoorsieningsprojekte waar daar meer gemeenskapsdeelname was, meer suksesvol is, en beter aan die gemeenskap se verwagtinge voldoen. Die waterpunte word ook langer in 'n goeie werkende toestand gehou. Dus kan die voorsiening van genoeg skoon water bereik word deur die deelname van die gemeenskap en die samewerking van al diegene wat belang het by die projek. Aan die einde van die studie word daar aanbeveel hoe om gemeenskapsdeelname op grondvlak te implementeer.

Elders who are living independently in the community (independent elders refers to all seniors who are living in the community as opposed to in an institution) often require support services, housing and transportation services. Unfortunately, research on North American elders repeatedly points to deficiencies in the health and human services that are available in small towns when compared to those available in urban centres. A lack of specialized medical and social services, few housing options and no public transportation services are characteristic of most small towns. For this thesis, seniors, municipal officials and formal care-givers in sixteen small towns in British Columbia were surveyed in order to determine the needs of small town elders in this province and the effectiveness of the present system in addressing these needs. The results of the seniors' survey indicated that significant proportions of the elderly living in small B.C. towns require assistance in maintaining their homes and with transportation. While the elders who reported difficulties coping with housework tended to be receiving assistance, not all those who had difficulty with yardwork, repairs and transportation were being helped. The interdependence between the support service, housing and transportation related needs of the elderly was apparent from the survey results. An inventory of the community-based services available in the sixteen B.C towns revealed that size of town is related to the number of services. In general, the larger the town, the greater the array of services for the elderly. However, size of town was not the only determining factor. Towns in which the local community had become involved in the issue of community-based services for the elderly typically had services that were not available in towns of comparable size. Under the Canadian Constitution, the provincial government is primarily responsible for the provision of health and social services. However, there are constraints or obstacles inherent to small towns which prevent services from being provided by the province. These include the fact that in a small town there is generally a shortage of personnel and organizational resources which enable a community to secure needed services from senior levels of government. As well, the distances among people and between people and services in rural environments, as compared to in urban environments, require special consideration. The results of this examination of the small town elderly in B.C. and the community-based services available to them suggest that there is a need for improvement to the present system. Enhancing the involvement of the local community in the provision of community-based services for the elderly is suggested as a possible strategy. As well, services which are at an appropriate scale and accessible to the rural elderly need to be developed.
Applied Science, Faculty of
Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of
Graduate

Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Due to inadequate financial resources and lack of managerial skills, in this case study the local level of governance does not have appropriate mechanisms to manage their resources adequately. It is observed that the Nigerian government cannot provide all basic amenities for the people at the grass-root level of development. Following the above scenario, rural communities do not have access to basic amenities such as electricity and pipe borne water. In Nigeria, little research has been done with regard to sustainable development in rural electrification. This study is based on the impact of community and individual participation in a rural electrification project, and shows how sustainable development plays a leading role. The study is based on a rural electrification project initiated and facilitated in 1996, and was completed in 2000 by the Ipari-Efugo Otukpa community members in Benue State in the North Central part of Nigeria. In spite of prevailing poverty in rural areas, Ipari-Efugo community members were able to be responsible for their own development without government intervention. The research includes literature studies of rural electrification projects and demonstrates how participation and sustainable development can lead to a successful community project. Irrespective of obstacles such as poverty and lack of economic empowerment, Ipari- Efugo community members are resilient and were able to provide electricity. Access to electricity can serve as a prerequisite for economic development and growth. The benefits accruable from the use of electricity outweigh the costs of providing the amenity to the community. Participation through sustainable development remains the core instrument responsible for the completion of the electricity project in Ipari-Efugo. This study encourages rural communities to take responsibility for their own development.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: As gevolg van onvoldoende finansiële middele en 'n gebrek aan bestuursvaardighede, in die gevallestudie beskik die plaaslike regering nie oor die toepaslike meganismes om hulle hulpbronne na behore te bestuur nie. Boonop blyk dit dat nasionale regerings nie alle basiese geriewe aan diegene op voetsoolvlak kan voorsien nie. Die genoemde scenario impliseer dus dat landelike gemeenskappe nie toegang het tot basiese geriewe soos elektrisiteit en kraanwater nie. In Nigerië word weinig navorsing gedoen op die gebied van volhoubare ontwikkeling in landelike elektrisiteitsvoorsiening. Hierdie studie is gebaseer op die impak van gemeenskaps- en individuele deelname aan 'n landelike elektrisiteitsvoorsieningsprojek, en toon hoe volhoubare ontwikkeling 'n toonaangewende rol hierin speel. Die studie spruit uit 'n landelike elektrifiseringsprojek wat in 2000 deur die gemeenskap van Ipari-Efugo Otukpa in die staat Benue in die noordelik-sentrale deel van Nigerië aangevoer en gefasiliteer is. Ondanks die heersende armoede in landelike gebiede, het lede van die Ipari-Efugo gemeenskap sonder die tussenkoms van die regering verantwoordelikheid vir hulle eie ontwikkeling aanvaar. Die navorsing sluit literatuurstudies van landelike elektrisiteitsvoorsieningsprojekte in, en demonstreer hoe deelname en volhoubare ontwikkeling tot 'n suksesvolle gemeenskapsprojek kan aanleiding gee. Ongeag struikelblokke soos armoede en 'n gebrek aan ekonomiese bemagtiging, was die lede van die Ipari-Efugo gemeenskap vasberade en kon hulle uiteindelik elektrisiteit aan die gemeenskap verskaf. Toegang tot elektrisiteit kan as 'n voorvereiste vir ekonomiese ontwikkeling en groei dien. Die voordele verbonde aan elektrisiteitsverbruik oortref uiteindelik by verre die koste verbonde aan die voorsiening van hierdie gerief aan die gemeenskap. Deelname by wyse van volhoubare ontwikkeling bly die sleutelinstrument vir die voltooiing van die elektrisiteitsprojek in Ipari-Efugo. Hierdie studie moedig landelike gemeenskappe aan om verantwoordelikheid vir hulle eie ontwikkeling te aanvaar.

Thesis (MPA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was embarked upon to evaluate the contribution which World Vision as agent and catalyst of development has made towards addressing social issues in Lesotho. Specifically, the study evaluates Taung Area Development Programme which is one of the World Vision community development programmes established to improve social conditions in the rural communities particularly, in Tsoloane, Ha-Mopoane and Qhalasi. The study seeks to investigate three important areas; 1. Participation: to assess whether the communities have been involved in the planning of the projects, identified their own priorities for the projects or used their lands and other resources to exercise control over their economic, social and cultural development. 2. Empowerment: to assess how the projects have strengthened the capacity of local communities. This includes the transfer of skills through training for the purpose of equipping people to engage in their own development. 3. Sustainability: to assess the long-term viability of the projects. Data was gathered through the use of qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques. To conduct both methods a snowball technique was applied. The data gathered was tabulated in graphs and pie charts. The results were then discussed and analysed in terms of the aims of this research. Regarding participation, the findings of the study revealed that to a large extent people were able to participate in the planning of the projects. People were able to identify their objectives and make a decision to embark on Income Generating Activities (IGA) such as raising poultry and pigs, sewing, and making baskets, candles and soap. The IGA enabled project members to feed and earn income for their families. The study further revealed that while certain people were able to participate in the planning of their projects, in development activities such as the building of feeder roads, people’s participation was minimal. This blueprint and top down planning approach allowed for little public participation. The study also found that World Vision’s religious involvement was appreciated for the moral support it provided. Another important issue the study brought to light was that people had an opportunity to use their indigenous knowledge in their projects. Regarding empowerment, almost all the respondents believed that World Vision played an important role by training people to handle various activities within projects. Apart from the training given, people also acquired different skills and knowledge. Most of the respondents acquired technical and economic knowledge, while others became skilful in farming and health matters as well as in handcraft. Empowerment in the Taung Area Development Programme has also manifested itself through the improved living conditions of the local people. The study found that infrastructure such as schools and roads have been established. As regards primary health care, respondents indicated that they had access to clean water due to the presence of a community tap. HIV/AIDS awareness, disease prevention campaigns and the building of toilets have contributed to improved living conditions in the Taung Area Development Programme. Though HIV/AIDS awareness and disease prevention campaigns were essential for primary health care, few people were knowledgeable about deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS. As a result there was still a need for World Vision to underpin the spread of HIV/AIDS awareness within the communities. Sustainability has been attributed to the long-term survival of the development projects and their future operation. The findings of this study confirmed that people in the Taung Area Development Programme were optimistic that the skills and knowledge they have acquired, and the projects themselves will generate resources and continue to operate after World Vision’s departure, especially with regard to IGA projects. The study results confirmed that people who mainly engaged in development activities such as at Qhalasi showed that they could only utilise their skills and knowledge to a small degree. The main conclusion reached by the study is that the Taung Area Development Programme as one of World Vision’s programmes has to a large extent transformed the lives of the local people. As a result of World Vision involvement in the Taung Area Development Programme, people-centred development is manifestly seen to promote the participation and empowerment of the people as well as the sustainability of the development projects.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie was om die bydrae wat World Vision as agent en katalisator van ontwikkeling gemaak het om sosiale kwessies in Lesotho aan te spreek te bepaal. Die studie, meer spesifiek evalueer die Taung Area Develoment Programme, wat een van World Vision se gemeenskapontwikkelingprogramme is wat gevestig is om maatskaplike toestande in landelike gebiede te bevorder veral in Tsoloane, Ha-Mopoane en Qhalasi. Die studie poog om drie belangrike areas te ondersoek; 1. Deelname: om te bepaal of gemeenskappe betrek was by die beplanning van die projekte, deur die identifikasie van hulle eie prioriteite vir die projekte, of die gebruik van hul grond en ander hulpmiddels om beheer oor hul eie ekonomiese, sosiale en kulturele ontwikkeling uit te oefen. 2. Bemagtiging: om vas te stel in watter mate die programme die kapasiteit van plaaslike gemeenskappe versterk het. Dit sluit in die oordrag van vaardighede deur opleiding, om mense toe te rus om in hulle eie ontwikkeling betrokke te raak. 3. Volhoubaarheid: om die langtermyn lewensvatbaarheid van die projekte te bepaal. Data is versamel deur die gebruik van kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe data-insamelingstegnieke. Om albei tegnieke uit te voer was die sneeubal steekproeftegniek toegepas. Die data wat versamel was, is in grafieke aangebied. Die resultate was daarna geanaliseer en bespreek in terme van hierdie studie se doelstellings. Met betrekking tot deelname, het die bevindings van die studie bewys dat die betrokke mense in ’n groot mate bevoeg was om deel te neem aan die beplanning van die projekte. Mense was bevoeg om doelwitte te identifiseer en besluite te neem om inkomste-genererende aktiwiteite (IGA) aan te pak. Die aktiwiteite het pluimvee en varkboerdery, naaldwerk, en die maak van mandjies, kerse en seep ingesluit. Die IGA het dit vir projeklede moontlik gemaak om kos en ’n inkomste vir hulle families te verdien. Die studie het verder vasgestel dat, afgesien van die feit dat sommige mense bevoeg was om aan die beplanning van hul projekte deel te neem, die deelname in ontwikkelingsprojekte soos die bou van toeganspaaie, minimaal was. Die tipiese “van bo na onder’’ voorskriftelike benadering tot beplanning het min geleentheid vir publieke deelname toegelaat. Die studie het ook bevesting dat die godsdienstige betrokkenheid van World Vision, weens die morele ondersteuning wat dit bied, hoog gewaardeer was. Nog ’n belangrike aspek wat die studie aan die lig gebring het, was dat die mense die kans gebied was om hul inheemse kennis in hul projeke aan te wend. Met betrekking tot bemagtiging, het feitlik al die respondente geglo dat World Vision ’n belangrike rol gespeel het om mense op te lei om veskeie aktiwiteite binne hul projekte uit te voer. Benewens die opleiding wat ontvang was, het die mense ook verskeie vaardighede en kennis opgedoen. Die meerderheid van die respondente het tegniese en ekonomiese kennis opgedoen, terwyl andere in landbou en gesondheidsaangeleenthede en ook handwerk vaardig geword het. Bemagtiging in die Taung Area Development Programme is ook deur die verbetering in die lewensomstandinghede van die plaaslike bevolking geopenbaar. Die studie het ook gevind dat die infrastruktuur met die bou van skole en paaie verbeter was. Met betrekking tot primêre gesondheid, het die respondente bevesting dat hulle toegang tot skoon water gekry het deur middel van ’n gemeenskaplike kraan. Veldtogte soos MIV/VIGS bewusmaking, voorkoming van siektes en die bou van toilette het tot verbeterde lewensomstandinghede in die Taung Area Development Programme bygedra. Afgesien van veldtogte soos MIV/VIGS en siektevoorkoming wat vir primêre gesondheidsorg belangrik is, beskik min mense kennis van dodelike siektes soos MIV/VIGS. Dit blyk dus dat World Vision meer klem sal moet lê op die verspreiding van kennis van MIV/VIGS binne die gemeenskappe. Die langtermyn oorlewing van die ontwikkelingsprojekte sal aan volhoubaarheid gekoppel moet word. Die bevindings van hierdie studie bevestig dat mense in die Taung Area Development Programme optimisties was dat die vaardighede en kennis wat hulle verkry het, en die projekte, selfhulpmiddels sal genereer wat nog in werking sal wees lank na die vertrek van World Vision, veral met betrekking tot die IGA projekte. Hierdie studie bevestig dat persone wat hoofsaaklik betrokke was by ontwikkelingsprojekte soos by Qhalasi, net tot ’n geringe mate hulle vaardighede en kennis kon gebruik. Die belangriskte slotsom wat hierdie studie bereik het was dat die Taung Area Development Programme, as een van die World Vision programme, in ’n groot mate die lewens van die plaaslike mense getransformeer het. As gevolg van World Vision se betrokkenheid in die Taung Area Development Programme, word mensgesentreerde ontwikkeling nou gesien as bevordelik vir die betrokkenheid en bemagtiging van die bevolking sowel as die volhoubaarheid van die ontwikkelingsprojekte.

This study focused on community participation in relation to policy formulation in Lesotho. It paid particular attention to whether the Lesotho community participated in the formulation of the Lesotho Land Bill 2009. Literature related to the concept of participatory development, community participation and policy formulation was reviewed. From the literature, it was clear that the attainment of effective community participation in policy formulation is not something that can take place overnight and this makes community participation a crucial aspect of any development project. The study used the qualitative approach to provide more information and detailed examination of community participation in the formulation of the Lesotho Land Bill 2009. This approach adopted the case study design. The data was collected using focus groups, interview schedule and document analysis. The study found that the government did not consult widely on the Bill before it was enacted into an Act of parliament. Therefore, it recommends that the government of Lesotho should involve all relevant stakeholders to participate in policy formulation. This will help to establish a link between the government and civil society stakeholders at local levels, for participatory policy-making to be effective.

Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Sector Policing is understood to be a relatively new community-based policing approach that finds its initial mandate in the National Instruction 3 of 2009, of the South African Police Service (SAPS). This said National Instruction states that community participation and partnership policing can be promoted through Sector Policing. The mandate for the implementation of the principle of Sector Policing also flows from section 205 (3) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. The significant part of this study is that it provoked an interest in Sector Policing, both within the SAPS and the community; and it attracted a large number of participants. The IAP2 Public Participation Model regarding community participation as discussed by Theron, Ceaser and Davids (2007:8), adapted from the International Association for Public Participation (2007) can play an important role in the implementation of Sector Policing. Sector Policing has been found to fail where there is no community participation or multi-organisational partnerships. The study focused on the Limpopo Province in order to encourage the effective implementation of Sector Policing in rural areas. The study targeted twelve (12) stations out of ninety five (95) police stations found in all the five (5) districts of the Limpopo Province in order to cover a wider policing spectrum, and ensure a representative sample. The study has found that Sector Policing could be better implemented if the project management approach can be adopted in order to carry out work in terms of timeframes, and ensure monitoring as demonstrated in Chapter 5 (Figure 5.2). The study recommended the introduction of implementation teams to oversee the implementation of Sector Policing at provincial, cluster and station levels. A quarterly multi-organisational forum has been proposed to ensure sustainable community participation. Community participation in policing is entrenched in sections 18 to 23 of the South African Police Service Act, 1995 (Act 68 of 1995), the White Paper on Safety and Security (1998) and the National Crime Prevention Strategy (1996). The most recent community participation model, especially category C (levels 7-9), which is positioned to empower the community as “the influencer, director, controller and owner” of both decision-making processes is also recommended as a vehicle for effective community participation in Sector Policing (Gwala Participation Model). Monitoring, evaluation and feedback have been identified as effective tools to ensure the effective implementation of Sector Policing, which is currently lacking.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sektorpolisiëring blyk ‘n relatief nuwe gemeenskapsgebaseerde polisiebenadering te wees wat sy aanvanklike mandaat in Nasionale Instruksie 3 van 2009 van die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens (SAPD) vind. Die vermelde nasionale instruksie stel dit duidelik dat gemeenskapsdeelname en vennootskapspolisiëring deur Sektorpolisiëring bevorder kan word. Die mandaat vir die implementering van die beginsel van Sektorpolisiëring spruit ook uit onderafdeling 205 (3) van die Grondwet van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika (1996). Die beduidende deel van hierdie studie is dat dit belangstelling in Sektorpolisiëring ontlok het, beide binne die SAPD en die gemeenskap, en dit het ook ‘n groot aantal deelnemers gelok. Die IAP2 openbare deelnamemodel met betrekking tot gemeenskapsdeelname, soos bespreek deur Theron, Ceaser en Davids (2007:8), wat van die Internasionale Vereniging rakende Openbare Deelname (2006) aangepas is, kan ‘n belangrike rol vertolk in die implementering van Sektorpolisiëring. Daar is bevind dat Sektorpolisiëring ‘n mislukking blyk te wees wanneer gemeenskapsdeelname of multi-organisatoriese vennootskappe afwesig is. Die studie is gerig op die Limpopo Provinsie ten einde die doeltreffende implementering van Sektorpolisiëring in plattelandse gebiede aan te moedig. Die studie het gesentreer op twaalf (12) polisiestasies uit die vyf en negentig (95) wat in die vyf (5) distrikte van die Limpopo Provinsie bestaan ten einde ‘n breër polisiëringspektrum te dek en om ‘n verteenwoordigende monster te verseker. Die studie het bevind dat Sektorpolisiëring beter geïmplementeer sou kon word indien die projekbestuurbenadering toegepas word, so dat werk in terme van tydsraamwerke uitgevoer kan word, en monitering te kan verseker soos in Hoofstuk 5 (Figuur 5.2) gedemonstreer is. Die studie het die aanbeveling gedoen dat implementeringspanne ingestel word om toesig te hou oor die implementering van Sektorpolisiëring op provinsiale, groep- en stasievlak. ‘n Kwartaallikse multi-organisatoriese forum is voorgestel om volhoubare gemeenskapsdeelname te verseker. Gemeenskapsdeelname in polisiëring is verskans in onderafdelings 18 tot 23 van die Suid Afrikaanse Polisiedienswet, 1995 (Wet 68 van 1995), die Witskrif oor Veiligheid en Sekuriteit (1998) en die Nasionale Misdaadvoorkomingstrategie (1996). Die mees onlangse gemeenskapsdeelnamemodel, veral kategorie C (vlakke 7-9 ) wat geposisioneer is om die gemeenskap te bemagtig as “die beinvloeder, direkteur, beheerder en eienaar” van besluitnemingsprosesse, word ook as ‘n middel vir doeltreffende deelname aan Sektorpolisiering aanbeveel (Gwala deelnamemodel). Monitering, evaluering en terugvoer is geidentifiseer as doeltreffende wyses om die effektiewe implementering van Sektorpolisiering te verseker, en dat dit juis die` is wat op die’ oomblik ontbreek.

The study examines the influences of the Qianmen urban renewal project on its original residents, which is one of a few demonstration projects under the new policy orientation of urban renewal practices in Beijing, China, entering the new century. It employs "residential satisfaction" as an evaluative indicator to understand the residents' experiences before and after urban renewal. Seventy-two residents were interviewed. Among them, 25 remained in Qianmen; 20 relocated to Hongshan, a neighborhood in the central city area; 21 moved to Longyue, a neighborhood in one of the suburban areas; and 6 residents relocated to other locations. The study found that the participants' level of residential satisfaction was skewed toward dissatisfaction before the urban renewal, whereas participants showed a much higher satisfaction level after the urban renewal, which means that overall the Qianmen urban renewal project had positive impacts on the residents' residential environment. However, among the three neighborhoods, there are no statistically significant differences. The policy arrangements of the Qianmen urban renewal project contribute to the results. Under the new policy orientation, the policy arrangements of the Qianmen urban renewal project featured a government-led approach with a large amount of public investment, which formed a good basis to provide better compensation to the residents, in particular to provide extra aid to low income residents. Therefore, the residents got their housing conditions improved to a large extent contributing to their higher level of residential satisfaction after the project was implemented. Because of the extra aid, the low income residents were even more satisfied than the middle-high income residents. On the other hand, the policy arrangements took into account the opinions of the original residents, in other words, most residents made their own decision about where to live after the urban renewal. In this circumstance, they actually saw the urban renewal as an opportunity to improve their residential environment, in spite of the fact that the urban renewal project was initiated by the municipal government. Therefore residents stayed or relocated voluntarily, which significantly predicts the resulting higher level of residential satisfaction. The findings in the Qianmen case remind us that we do need a more open, balanced perspective for analysis of urban renewal processes and outcomes, rather than a predominantly negative displacement view embedded in a gentrification discourse; and that policy arrangements toward more redistribution and social equity are more likely to achieve positive outcomes for disadvantaged people. However, the improvements in unit size and housing quality are the main achievements of the urban renewal. Many residents still face the shortage of community facilities in the short run, and in the long run they might continue to suffer from poorer accessibility to public facilities and other resources. Furthermore, the urban renewal inevitably caused social disturbances for many residents, in particular for disadvantaged people (low income residents, and the elderly, etc), although the negative impacts of relocation on social networks were mitigated by the benefits of escaping the social conflicts and annoyance in the original neighborhood, and were compensated by the improved housing conditions. Generally, the key argument of this study is that policy makers need to pay more attention to the disadvantaged class; in other words, the government needs to assume its role more actively in redistribution and social equity.

The chapter is finalized to scrutinize the capacity of netizens' e-participation and/or online activism to effectively influence territorial governance, by analyzing the role and the relevance of the Web in shaping new and variegated forms of “social movements” both in urban and in rural/marginal contexts trough a comparative analysis of four case studies in Italy. The main aim is to critically rethink - conceptually and politically - the intersection among sustainability, smart technologies, local communities, and the “right to the territory”, to provide new theoretical insights about bottom-up and “participative” concepts of smartness.

Governments distribute resources according to their strategic planning to develop studies in a variety of competence areas. Therefore, due to the COVID-19 pan-demic, the need to establish citizen participation processes through training has increased, however it cannot be carried out in a complete face-to-face way due to the pandemic. In this context, the use of innovative technological tools is necessary to establish teaching-learning processes. The Honorable Provincial Government of Tungurahua through its Citizen Training Center has implemented an educational platform to provide training services in order to encourage Tungurahua citizen participation, located in the central region of Ecuador that has nine prov-inces and has a population of 590,600 people. By introducing innovative training processes using technology, this study attempts to solve the need for virtual training and also seeks citizen participation to strengthen and maintain training ser-vices during the pandemic. 422 people participated in this study, of which 67.54% belonged to the female gender and 32.46% to the male gender, from this total 70.14% had university education. In order to collect information about people’s training needs, an online 15 questions survey was conducted. These results made it possible to establish that 90% of the participants have an interest in digital literacy processes as well as in a variety of interesting topics that would allow them to increase their knowledge. Finally, a proposal was designed to implement the virtual environment using Moodle. The online environment was designed be-tween the months of March and September 2020 and allowed the development of ten virtual training processes with the participation of 1,817 people, of which 47% were women and 53% men. In addition, it was found that 74% of the participants were residents and 26% were rural residents. In addition, their age ranged between 18 and 29 years, which represents 76% of the total participants.