scholarly journals Mapping and interpretation of field data for evaluation and mitigation of groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh

2006 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-36
Author(s):  
S. Shams ◽  
P. Bhattacharya ◽  
S. Langaas ◽  
G. Jacks ◽  
K. M. Ahmed ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Arsenic Contamination ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Cultural Behavior ◽  
The People ◽  
Exposed Population ◽  
Arsenic In Groundwater

Problems of arsenic contamination have been reported from a large number of aquifers in various parts of the world. Especially in Bangladesh, the presence of arsenic in groundwater has been the major environmental health catastrophe that has affected the source of safe water not only for drinking but also for irrigation purposes. The unavailability and inaccessibility of data and dissemination of proper and rapid information has further reduced the accessibility to safe drinking water for nearly 95% of the population of the country. The development of solutions for the arsenic problem and the allocation of resources for mitigation are information-oriented activities. This paper focuses on the mapping and interpretation of field data (based on a case study area) through the application of GIS for presenting and assessing the scope of the arsenic problem in Bangladesh. The mapping and interpretation is done taking into consideration the geophysical characteristics, socio-economic conditions and socio-cultural behavior of the people living in the study area. The mapping and interpretation technique is aimed at assisting planners and policy makers at the district level to make an assessment about the extent and magnitude of the arsenic problem based on an estimation of the exposed population and the extent and severity of groundwater contamination. In addition, it will enable decision-makers to select possible options and give recommendations based on users' responses. The advantages of this interpretation technique are that the knowledge base is easy to build and any updated information or modifications can be quickly incorporated into the knowledge base.

scholarly journals Rubbish Justice: A political ecology of Tibar's dumpsite-to-landfill upgrade in Timor-Leste

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Joanna Woodham
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Solid Waste Management ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
The People ◽  
Ability To Act ◽  
Timor Leste

<p>In pursuing significant infrastructural upgrades to solid waste management systems, how do decision-makers balance social safeguarding with wider system improvements? What are the implications for justice, if the people most affected by the development have been providing unrecognised labour within the waste management system? Adopting an intentionally political lens, this thesis presents an analysis of power and justice within the case study of Tibar’s dumpsite-to-landfill upgrade, in Timor-Leste.   This research was conducted at a critical time while the upgrade was developing. Through a political ecology framework, supported by environmental justice, it emerges that there is a disconnect between stakeholders’ and decision-makers’ intentions versus their ability to act on these intentions. Several systemic barriers exist in waste-pickers’ justice being met. In some instances, these barriers constitute such injustices. This thesis further evidences the claim that the impacts of the growing global waste problem are not evenly distributed throughout society.  Tibar dumpsite is established as a political space where the intersection of waste and labour is dynamic and changing, brought to light by the proposed dumpsite-to-landfill upgrade.</p>

Measuring resilience: by whom and for whom? A case study of people-centred resilience indicators in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Loïc Le Dé ◽  
Karl Wairama ◽  
Monynna Sath ◽  
Anthony Petera
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Local People ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The People ◽  
Facilitation Skills ◽  
Resilience Indicators ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeResilience has become a priority of most agendas for disaster risk reduction at different scales leading to an increase demand for measurement of resilience. However, resilience is mostly defined, assessed and measured by outsider experts rather than by those primarily concerned – local people. This article presents the development of people-centred indicators of resilience in New Zealand. It details both the process and outcomes of these indicators.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws from participatory methods to develop a six-step tool kit for people-centred indicators of resilience. The people-centred indicators were implemented with four communities in New Zealand in 2019 and 2020.FindingsThe paper highlights that people are capable at defining and assessing their own resilience. The indicators enabled people identify and measure areas of low resilience and foster dialogue between locals and practitioners to strengthen it.Research limitations/implicationsPeople-centred indicators also have limitations and pose challenges. Their development requires strong facilitation skills; it limitedly enables comparison across communities and implies downward accountability.Practical implicationsThe findings should stimulate discussions about who should measure resilience and for whom such measurement is it for. It provides a tool kit that can be used by practitioners and policy makers to measure and strengthen community resilience.Originality/valueMost resilience indicators is outsider-driven and limitedly involves local people. This study uses a radically different approach placing people at the centre of resilience measurement.

scholarly journals Applying Roadmapping and Conceptual Modeling to the Energy Transition: A Local Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3683
Author(s):  
Gerrit Muller
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Modeling ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Combined Use ◽  
Local Case ◽  
Transition Policy ◽  
Climate Crisis ◽  
Global Transition

The climate crisis requires a global transition toward sustainable practices. In this transition, policy makers face the challenge to take along a wide variety of stakeholders with own interests, needs, and concerns. This research explores the combined use of conceptual models and roadmapping to facilitate understanding, communication, reasoning, and decision-making between a large heterogeneous set of stakeholders. We apply these methods, in the form of action research, in several smaller research projects at a small town in the Netherlands. We find that the combination of conceptual modeling and roadmapping facilitates discussions between heterogeneous stakeholders on complex transition problems, such as the energy transition, at a local scale. However, we see a significant gap in the way of thinking and communicating between experts and decision-makers, which requires additional means to connect them.

Use of Digital Resources Among Social Scientists

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
S. Thanuskodi
Keyword(s):  
Information Service ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
User Needs ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Digital Resources ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The People ◽  
Service Sectors ◽  
Role Of Information

Information is more important for decision makers, policy makers, planners, technologists, scientists, doctors, lawyers, etc. Information is a livelihood for many people. One can imagine the importance and the role of information from the fact that in America most of the people are working in information service sectors. User needs and the requirements are also changed in the technology-driven society. Information is not only available in one source but scattered in different forms as well. The findings of the study show the respondent satisfaction of various e-resources. About e-books 28.68% of respondents were satisfied followed by 27.50% neutral, 16.03% respondents dissatisfied, 14.70% respondents highly dissatisfied, and only 13.09% respondent highly satisfied. About e-journal, 35.15% were satisfied and 30.73% highly satisfied with only 0.73% highly dissatisfied.

Outcome and Impact Based Evaluation of Research Program Implementation: A Case of Indonesian Public Research Institute

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wati Hermawati ◽  
Saut Siahaan ◽  
Ishelina Rosaira ◽  
Radot Manalu ◽  
Agus Santoso
Keyword(s):  
Program Implementation ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Research Management ◽  
Public Research ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Research Collaborations ◽  
The People ◽  
Research Institute

<p>This paper relates to outcome and impact based evaluation (OIBE) of a research program implementation at an Indonesian public research institute (PRI) ‘A’. The major funding for PRIs in Indonesia comes from government. It is  very essential therefore, for variuos parties including policy makers  to be informed about meaningful and relevant evaluation of the outcome and impact of such PRIto the welfare of the people, to technology development and innovation, and to the policy improvements in significant ways. The mixed-method with good blend of qualitative and quantitative analysis is used in the case study of a competitive research program (CRP) of PRI ‘A’. The case study demonstrates that the outcomes and impacts of CRP are found in the form of economic, social, and environment improvements in the communities; managerial change and innovation of technology and process for SMEs as well as improved existing policies; and increased capabilities of researchers at PRI. Recommendations of this study is that PRI’A’ should improve their research management and policy, strengthen collaboration with firms, including more human resources mobility is required to facilitate research collaborations and co-production process, and to have clear guidelines and targets of outcomes and impacts for their research results.</p>Keywords: outcome, impact, Public Research Institute, evaluation, Indonesia

EVALUATING NANOTECHNOLOGIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (02) ◽  
pp. 1340004 ◽  
Author(s):  
PISEK GERDSRI ◽  
DUNDAR F. KOCAOGLU
Keyword(s):  
Technology Policy ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Expert Opinions ◽  
Agriculture Industry ◽  
Hierarchical Decision ◽  
Hierarchical Decision Model ◽  
Four Levels

This research demonstrates a systematic approach to evaluate nanotechnologies. A case study of applying nanotechnologies to the development of Thailand's agriculture industry is given as an example. A hierarchical decision model is built and qualified expert opinions are used as measurements. There are four levels in the hierarchy: mission, objectives, technological goals and research strategies. Three panels are formed based on their background and expertise in order to minimize and balance any possible biases among the members. The research results provide decision makers with a ranking of technological goals and research strategies in terms of their support for specific goals. The outcome of this research should help technology policy makers to evaluate technologies and research strategies on the basis of their contributions to the national mission.

scholarly journals MetaConnect, a new platform for population viability modelling to assist decision makers in conservation and urban planning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Moulherat ◽  
Elvire Bestion ◽  
Michel Baguette ◽  
Matthieu Moulherat ◽  
Stephen C.F. Palmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Connectivity ◽  
Population Viability Analysis ◽  
Main Tool ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Population Viability ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Viability Analysis ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn a context of global change, scientists and policy-makers require tools to address the issue of biodiversity loss. Population viability analysis (PVA) has been the main tool to deal with this problem. However, the tools developed during the 90s poorly integrate recent scientific advances in landscape genetics and dispersal. We developed a flexible and modular modelling platform for PVA that addresses many of the limitations of existing software. MetaConnect is an individual-based, process-based and PVA-oriented modelling platform which could be used as a research or a decision-making tool. Here, we present the core base modelling of MetaConnect. We demonstrate its potential use through a case study illustrating the platform’s capability for performing integrated PVA including extinction probability estimation, genetic differentiation and landscape connectivity analysis. We used MetaConnect to assess the impact of infrastructure works on the natterjack toad metapopulation functioning.

Reconciling participation and power in international development: a case study

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Newman
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
International Development ◽  
International Federation ◽  
Theory Of Change ◽  
Class Analysis ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The People ◽  
The Uk

This chapter draws on the experience of ActionAid, one of the largest INGOs originally headquartered in the UK, and now an international federation of national NGOs. The organisation transformed its form and structure in order to be more deeply rooted in national civil society and more able to involve the voices and perspectives of those living in poverty in debates that affected them. In doing this it recruited different staff and through doing this fundamentally altered the class make-up of the organisation, inadvertently recruiting staff from the elite class in various countries and thereby extending the distance between policy-makers and community organisers. The chapter argues that a lack of attention to class analysis undermined ActionAid’s theory of change and in fact moved the organisation further from the people it was hoping to represent and move closer to.

scholarly journals Rubbish Justice: A political ecology of Tibar's dumpsite-to-landfill upgrade in Timor-Leste

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Joanna Woodham
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Political Ecology ◽  
Solid Waste Management ◽  
Critical Time ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
The People ◽  
Ability To Act ◽  
Timor Leste

<p>In pursuing significant infrastructural upgrades to solid waste management systems, how do decision-makers balance social safeguarding with wider system improvements? What are the implications for justice, if the people most affected by the development have been providing unrecognised labour within the waste management system? Adopting an intentionally political lens, this thesis presents an analysis of power and justice within the case study of Tibar’s dumpsite-to-landfill upgrade, in Timor-Leste.   This research was conducted at a critical time while the upgrade was developing. Through a political ecology framework, supported by environmental justice, it emerges that there is a disconnect between stakeholders’ and decision-makers’ intentions versus their ability to act on these intentions. Several systemic barriers exist in waste-pickers’ justice being met. In some instances, these barriers constitute such injustices. This thesis further evidences the claim that the impacts of the growing global waste problem are not evenly distributed throughout society.  Tibar dumpsite is established as a political space where the intersection of waste and labour is dynamic and changing, brought to light by the proposed dumpsite-to-landfill upgrade.</p>

Managing expectations with emotional accountability: making City Hospitals accountable during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 889-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Istemi Demirag ◽  
Cemil Eren Fırtın ◽  
Ebru Tekin Bilbil
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Value For Money ◽  
Political Decision ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Infrastructure Investments ◽  
Audit Reports

PurposeThis paper explores the role of the COVID-19 pandemic in the financial and parliamentary accountability mechanisms of public-private partnership (PPP) “City Hospitals” in Turkey. Diverse and changing accountability mechanisms are explored regarding budgetary, affordability and emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThis is a case study of City Hospitals in Turkey. Empirical data are collected and analyzed qualitatively from publicly available government and related sources, Turkish National Audit reports (Sayistay), strategic healthcare investment plans, relevant laws, decrees and NGO reports and news articles.FindingsExisting accountability mechanisms for arranging and/or delivering value-for-money (VfM) in Turkish PPP hospitals are weak. This provided policy makers with more flexibility to manage expectations of its citizens in dealing with COVID-19 pandemic. Political decision makers, through PPPs, created political capital for themselves by engaging in emotional accountability at the expense of better financial and parliamentary accountability.Originality/valueThis article contributes to the literature by articulating how roles of accountability change in crisis and introduces the concept of emotional accountability during a period of heavy infrastructure investments in City Hospitals in Turkey.

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