scholarly journals Mind the Gap: Towards a Typology of Climate Service Usability Gaps

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Raaphorst ◽  
Gerben Koers ◽  
Gerald Jan Ellen ◽  
Amy Oen ◽  
Bjørn Kalsnes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Climate Adaptation ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
The North ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Climate Service ◽  
North And South

Literature on climate services presents a large diversity of different services and uses. Many climate services have ‘usability gaps’: the information provided, or the way it is visualized, may be unsuitable for end users to inform decision-making processes in relation to adaptation against climate change impacts or for the development of policies to this end. The aim of this article is to contribute to more informed and efficient decision-making processes in climate adaptation by developing a typology of usability gaps for climate services. To do so, we first present and demonstrate a so-called ‘climate information design’ (CID) template with which to study and potentially improve the visual communicative qualities of climate services. Then, two climates services are selected for a further, qualitative explorative case study of two cases in the north and south of the Netherlands. A combination of focus group sessions and semi-structured interviews are used to collect data from Dutch governmental stakeholders as well as private stakeholders and NGOs. This data is then coded to discover what usability gaps are present. We then present twelve different types of usability gaps that were encountered as a typology. This typology could be used to improve and redesign climate services.

scholarly journals Beyond the Rhetoric of Participation: A Case Study of Participatory Practices and Power in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Cynthia Ecclestone
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Filial Piety ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Participatory Development ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Local Ngo

<p>This study looks critically at the practices of participatory development by a local NGO in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. In doing so, the Life Skills Training programme is chosen as a case study of potentially participatory development. By exploring people’s experiences, perceptions, and feelings about their participation, the study examines the power dynamics in the programme. To gather data, the study used semi-structured interviews and observations. Interviews were conducted with 14 research participants, who were purposively selected from different backgrounds.   The study finds that the approaches of the programme point to lower-level forms of participation, with local people having both minimal involvement and little role in decision-making. Despite the use of the rhetoric of participation, doubts about the quality of participation are raised particularly in relation to gender, age, and religious differences. By scrutinising the ways in which issues of power manifest in the programme, the study demonstrates that issues of power and power relations in participatory development are quite complex. Using the frameworks of power analysis, I argue that issues related to inequalities of power are manifested in the NGO’s domination of decision-making processes, and that these issues were also contributed to by a patriarchal culture and filial piety. More importantly, I argue that people’s participation in the programme is less likely lead to meaningful outcomes if the issues of power imbalances are not addressed.  The study provides useful insights into ways to improve the practices of participatory development. An increased understanding of various forms of power and their implications will be useful for development practitioners to exercise their power to make a difference. Moreover, efforts to reduce power imbalances in participatory development will be inadequate without critically examining and attending to power and its dynamics. Without a deeper understanding of power, development programmes that make claims about participation may be less effective in achieving transformative goals for the intended beneficiaries.</p>

scholarly journals Beyond the Rhetoric of Participation: A Case Study of Participatory Practices and Power in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Cynthia Ecclestone
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Filial Piety ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Participatory Development ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Local Ngo

<p>This study looks critically at the practices of participatory development by a local NGO in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. In doing so, the Life Skills Training programme is chosen as a case study of potentially participatory development. By exploring people’s experiences, perceptions, and feelings about their participation, the study examines the power dynamics in the programme. To gather data, the study used semi-structured interviews and observations. Interviews were conducted with 14 research participants, who were purposively selected from different backgrounds.   The study finds that the approaches of the programme point to lower-level forms of participation, with local people having both minimal involvement and little role in decision-making. Despite the use of the rhetoric of participation, doubts about the quality of participation are raised particularly in relation to gender, age, and religious differences. By scrutinising the ways in which issues of power manifest in the programme, the study demonstrates that issues of power and power relations in participatory development are quite complex. Using the frameworks of power analysis, I argue that issues related to inequalities of power are manifested in the NGO’s domination of decision-making processes, and that these issues were also contributed to by a patriarchal culture and filial piety. More importantly, I argue that people’s participation in the programme is less likely lead to meaningful outcomes if the issues of power imbalances are not addressed.  The study provides useful insights into ways to improve the practices of participatory development. An increased understanding of various forms of power and their implications will be useful for development practitioners to exercise their power to make a difference. Moreover, efforts to reduce power imbalances in participatory development will be inadequate without critically examining and attending to power and its dynamics. Without a deeper understanding of power, development programmes that make claims about participation may be less effective in achieving transformative goals for the intended beneficiaries.</p>

scholarly journals Assessing the value of climate services for the wine sector

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehri Khosravi ◽  
Marta Bruno Soares ◽  
António Graça ◽  
Natacha Fontes ◽  
Marta Teixeira
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Information Provision ◽  
End Users ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Climate Information ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Wine Sector ◽  
Climate Service

&lt;p&gt;Climate services involve the production, translation and use of climate information to support users&amp;#8217; decisions towards adapting to climate variability and change. However, the value of climate services to end-users is only truly realised when the information provided by such services is used to support and inform users&amp;#8217; decision-making processes (Bruno Soares et al. 2018). Capturing and assessing the value and benefits of climate services constitutes a critical area of research in the field of climate services and can be informed by a range of epistemological and methodological approaches.&amp;#160;&lt;br&gt;In this paper, we present the assessment of the socio-economic value and benefits of a climate service developed specifically for the wine sector and implemented under the auspices of the H2020 MED-GOLD project. The assessment was conducted with the end-users during a two-month period where they actively interacted with the climate service and the information it provides. Participatory mixed-methods consisting of a workshop, continuous feedback through survey, and interviews were applied to pursue this assessment.&lt;br&gt;Our paper describes the process and methods through which the climate service was assessed with the end-users. It then highlights key findings from the study such as typologies of value and benefits yielded by the end-users; usability of information provided by the service across operational and strategic decision-making processes; and key factors influencing use of climate information and the realisation of value.&amp;#160;&lt;br&gt;In doing so, our paper contributes to current knowledge on what constitutes value to end-users in the wine sector and helps unpack some of the complexity between climate information provision, use and the realisation of its value to end-users. It also contributes to wider ongoing discussions on how to effectively assess the value and benefits of climate services to end-users and how to facilitate the realisation of such value, as well as its assessment, in future climate services initiatives.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals The Modernization of Policy-Making Processes in National Sport Organizations: A Case Study of Athletics Canada

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew Dowling ◽  
James Denison ◽  
Marvin Washington
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Sport Organizations ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Amateur Sport ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Sport Organization ◽  
Policies And Programs

<p>This article explores the consequences of modernization on the policy-making processes of a singular National Sport Organization: Athletics Canada. In drawing upon the works of Green and Houlihan (2005) as a baseline comparison we examine how the organizations’ policy-making processes have changed over a 10-year period (2002-2012). Specifically, our analysis focuses on the nature and extent of these intra-organizational policy-related changes and how they have influenced the organizations’ decision-making capabilities. The descriptive analysis is informed by empirical data collected from eight in-depth semi-structured interviews with senior Athletics Canada personnel and concentrates on three inter-related themes (i) the development and prioritization of OTP-funded policies and programs; and (ii) the development and prioritization of evidence-based policies and programs, which, in turn, has resulted in (iii) increased inter-organizational relationship strain between Athletics Canada and its key delivery partners. More broadly, our investigation contributes to recent amateur sport scholarship that has sought to better understand how these broader socio-political shifts have influenced the specific decision-making processes of sport organizations.</p>

The transformative power of European technology in resource exploitation: reflections on the oil presses and railways of colonial Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 555-582
Author(s):  
Nkemjika Chimee
Keyword(s):  
Technological Innovations ◽  
Resource Exploitation ◽  
Transformative Power ◽  
The North ◽  
Indigenous Production ◽  
Impact Of Technology ◽  
Transformative Impact ◽  
North And South ◽  
European Technology

Technological innovations, which in the nineteenth century were principally developed by European nations, were a crucial factor in transforming economies – not only those of the countries in which they originated, but also those of their colonies. This case study of Nigeria explores the way the British controlled the colony and subjugated the local people as a result of their superior technology. Upon taking over the territory, to aid the country's economic development, they began to construct railway lines to link major resource zones of the north and south. This facilitated the more efficient shipment of natural resources from these zones to the coastal ports for onward shipment to Britain. Indigenous production and the rendering of palm oil were transformed by the introduction of oil presses. The article examines the transformative impact of technology in resource exploitation, focusing specifically on railways and oil presses and their impact on Nigerian society.

A general practice provider federation in a mixed health economy in England: a case study investigation

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp18X696929
Author(s):  
Jill Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
Shared Vision ◽  
Health Economy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The North ◽  
Common Strategy ◽  
Common Purpose ◽  
Collaborative Working ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundThere is an emerging debate that general practice in its current format is out-dated and there is a requirement to move to a federated model of provision where groups of Practices come together. The emergence of federations has developed over the past 5 years but the factors that influence how federations develop and the impact of this new model is an under researched area.AimThe study explored the rationale around why a group of independent GP practices opted to pursue an alternative business venture and the benefits that this strategy offered.MethodA single organisational case study of a federation in the North of England was conducted between 2011–2016. Mixed methods data collection included individual and group semi-structured interviews and quantitative surveys.ResultsFederations promote collaborative working, relying on strategic coherence of multiple individual GP practices through a shared vision and common purpose. Findings revealed many complexities in implementing a common strategy across multiple independent businesses. The ability of the federation to gain legitimacy was two dimensional – externally and internally. The venture had mixed successes, but their approach to quality improvement proved innovative and demonstrated outcomes on a population basis. The study identified significant pressures that practices were experiencing and the need to seek alternative ways of working but there was no shared vision or inclination to relinquish individual practice autonomy.ConclusionOrganisational development support is critical to reform General Practice. Whether central funding through the GP Five Year Forward View will achieve the scale of change required is yet to be evidenced.

scholarly journals Questioning Facilities Management in Higher Education in Egyptian Context for Better Decision-Making Process of Funding Allocation

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Mona Mohamed Abd Elghany ◽  
Reem Aly Elharakany
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Facilities Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Strategic Relationships

The quality of education is influenced by the managerialization of the universities, which refers to the introduction of substantial changes in the decision-making processes of the academic institutions, and the application of renewed information systems along with new managerial methodologies to restructure the organisational strategic relationships with stakeholders. This paper proposes a questionnaire to assess the importance of facilities in universities according to their financial budget consumed value. Semi Structured Interviews were conducted with the heads of logistic and financial departments in Egyptian universities, twenty public universities and twenty-three private universities, in order to identify criteria for the most significant university's facilities and appealing infrastructure that contributes to the quality of education.

The Heterogeneous Nature of Urban Poor Families

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Salcedo ◽  
Alejandra Rasse
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Poor Families ◽  
Heterogeneous Nature ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Different Cultures

This paper addresses the scholarly debate on cultural homogeneity or heterogeneity of urban poor families. While authors such as Lewis (1959) or Wacquant (2000 ; 2001) claim that structural disadvantages are linked to a particular type of identity or culture, others such as Hannerz (1969) , Anderson (1999 ; 2002) , or Portes ( Portes and Manning, 1986 ; Portes and Jensen, 1989 ) believe that it is possible to find different behaviors, expectations, decision–making processes, and outcomes among people living in seemingly identical structural conditions ( Small et al., 2010 ). Using Santiago, Chile, as a case study, we differentiate five different cultures or identities among the poor. Those identities seem to be the product of different historical and political circumstances, as well as of different types of public policies. The paper ends with a discussion of the need for poverty reduction policies to consider these differences among the poor.

scholarly journals Wind farms and rural tourism: A Portuguese case study of residents’ and visitors’ perceptions and attitudes

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 248-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luís Silva ◽  
Ana Delicado
Keyword(s):  
Positive Impact ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Medieval Architecture ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Local Actors ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Clear Majority

Abstract Residents’ and visitors’ perceptions of and attitudes towards existing wind farms, as well as the perceived impact of wind farms on tourism, are examined in this article with reference to a built heritage site in the Portuguese countryside. Based on a set of semi-structured interviews, the paper sheds light on the positive impact that the community’s or local actors’ involvement in the constitution, management and decision-making processes has on the residents’ perceptions and attitudes regarding wind farms, and also on the trade-off with the perceived effect of wind farms on local tourism. Moreover, it shows that although most visitors criticised the proximity of wind turbines to medieval architecture, a clear majority of them accepted their presence and virtually all of them stated that these facilities had no impact on their choice of destination.

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