The Civic Discourse of the Neighborhood Associations of Madrid: From Community Improvement to “Citizen Movement”

2011 ◽  
pp. 235-271
Author(s):  
Pamela Beth Radcliff
2021 ◽  
pp. 153568412199347
Author(s):  
José W. Meléndez ◽  
Maria Martinez-Cosio

Participatory planning has faced challenges engaging predominantly Spanish-speaking immigrants beyond the bottom rungs of Arnstein’s ladder of citizen participation. Participating at any level of the ladder requires individual civic skills, or capacities, that are integral to participatory processes. However, the specific skills necessary for collective action are less certain, due in part to a lack of clear definitions and a lack of clarity about how these capacities work in practice. Drawing on two years of data from a participatory budgeting process in an immigrant community in Chicago, Illinois, the authors identify key civic capacities that Spanish-speaking immigrants activated while engaging in civic discourse, and they explore the role these capacities played in moving ideas toward collective decision making. The authors present an organizational schema that aligns the study’s findings of 17 unique civic capacities with capacities identified in the literature as helping participants engage more meaningfully in decision-making processes.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Danley

The study of relationships within networks has traditionally focused on concepts such as cooperation, collaboration and other forms of partnership (Brown & Keast 2003). The assumption has been that actors in a network have shared vision and are working together. This study tests that idea by using mixed methods and ethnography to examine 15 neighborhood associations in post-Katrina New Orleans, and 71 of their relationships within policy networks. Contrary to our typical understanding of networks, neighborhood associations engage not just in partnership, but also in power struggles. When excluded from policy networks, neighborhood associations use creative coercion to ensure their voice is heard. Facing a power deficit, these associations look for informal levers to assert themselves into policy negotiation. The result is creative and coercive measures, such as co-opting elections, bribery, blackmail and what one neighborhood activist calls ‘guerrilla warfare.’ These conflicts force a reconsideration of networks. Networks are not solely homes of collaborative action; they are also the location of sharp power struggles over priorities. 


2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Jaime Correa Ramírez

La referencia constante al civismo es uno de los rasgos más distintivos de la historia urbana de Pereira. Al igual que en muchas ciudades colombianas, la ideología del civismo asume la necesidad de establecer una especie de simbiosis entre la ciudad, sus espacios públicos y sus ciudadanos, tanto en lo material como en lo espiritual. En el caso de Pereira se busca identificar los aspectos más relevantes del discurso cívico que desarrollaron entidades como la Sociedad de Mejoras y el Club Rotario a través de diferentes medios escritos, poniendo especial énfasis en los valores morales que debían exhibir los ciudadanos cívicos o los "ciudadanos de bien" de la ciudad, en el proceso de transformación y modernización vivido a lo largo del siglo XX.Palabras clave: discurso, civismo, prensa, clubes y sociedades, historia local, siglo XX.The discourse of civism in Pereira, or The “sacredness” of public matters during the 20th century AbstractThe constant reference to civism is one of the most distinct characteristics of the urban history of Pereira. Similar to many Colombian cities, the ideology of civism assumes that there is a need to establish a kind of symbiosis between the city, its public spaces, and its citizens, in material as well as spiritual matters. In the case of Pereira, the author seeks to identify the most relevant aspects of the civic discourse which developed entities like the Improvement Society and the Rotary Club, through different written means, putting special emphasis on the moral values which the civic citizens (or ciudadanos de bien) must have exhibited in the process of transformation and modernization experienced throughout the 20th century. Keywords: discourse, civism, press, clubs and societies, local history, twentieth century.


2008 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 15-21
Author(s):  
Rajendra P. Thanju

Hydropower is one of the cleanest, renewable and environmentally benign sources of energy. Nepal is blessed with immense source of water resources and huge hydropower potential. The Kali Gandaki ‘A’ (KGA) Hydroelectric Project is the largest hydropower project constructed so far in Nepal. The project is a daily pondage type scheme with an installed capacity of 144 MW. The KGA is one of the first largest hydropower projects that has been well studied environmentally and socially in the pre-project, construction and operation stages. A full team of multi-disciplinary professionals was involved during the construction phase to monitor environmental impacts and compliance with contract clauses, and to implement the mitigation measures. Implementation of KGA in what was once considered as a remote area, has resulted in multifold beneficial impacts to the local community. Improvement of public infrastructure, enhanced educational facilities and employment of local populations, including affected families during project construction and operation phase, have enhanced the quality of rural lives. The KGA operation has contributed significantly to Nepal’s power system and has boosted the economic development of the country. Key words: Hydropower; environmental monitoring; impacts; mitigation; resettlement; Nepal Hydro Nepal: Journal of Water, Energy and Environment Vol. I No. 1, 2007 pp. 15-21


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