(2021). Spiraling-up through drought responses: Building community capacity in Colorado’s farming-dependent counties. Community Development. Ahead of Print.

ABSTRACT This article uses Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to assess the motivational mechanisms and claims of asset-based community development (ABCD). The limited academic literature argues ABCD’s focus on existing assets and locally identified priorities motivates communi-ty participation. However, motivation is only superficially understood and remains unquali-fied. SDT is an established theory

ABSTRACT The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a government agency that seeks to integrate conservation goals with farmers' economic goals through voluntary private efforts, particularly through its Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program. Researchers note a lack of theoretical grounding in the associated body of literature. Therefore

ABSTRACT In this article we explore ethical and effective standards of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) as a practice that differentiates itself from conventional research. We emphasize the fundamental and active role of community in participatory processes by legitimizing multiple forms of knowledge through a variety of methods that together provide discovery and dissemination of the

ABSTRACT Community participation is critically important for the effectiveness of a development project. Different factors influence community participation, and these factors are not the same across all communities. This study aimed to identify the socioeconomic and watershed impact-related factors influencing community participation in a watershed development program in southern Ethiopia. Data were

ABSTRACT Evaluation is experiencing increasing popularity with Western-leddiscourse hailing the worth of evidence-based practice, results based management, measurement, and value for money. While this orthodoxy of evaluation has been subjected to substantial critique, dissenting voices and local ways of doing have been over powered by the dominant paradigm, which privileges certain types of evidence

ABSTRACT The uniqueness of communities precludes a homogenous approach to program design, delivery, and evaluation. To account for such uniqueness, such approaches should necessitate that program managers have a thorough understanding of the targeted participants or consumers. This understanding can be achieved by determining residents’ perceived personal ability, or personal agency, to act and function

ABSTRACT This case study explores the participant perspectives of a Community Leadership Program (CLP) in an underserved community. The CLP aimed to improve community conditions by increasing participants’ knowledge, skills, and confidence to participate in local governance forums. Our three research foci were to understand (1) how successful the program was in building individual leadership skills

ABSTRACT Social capital has become a cornerstone to community development. Unfortunately, its scope of research, particularly on policy, creates more smoke than light. This essay builds on an interdisciplinary foundation for a more inclusive approach to social capital research. Though broad evidence supports Putnam’s claims on social capital, our understanding is incomplete, partly due to scholars’

(2021). Social Ties and Collective Efficacy as Predictors of Volunteering. Community Development. Ahead of Print.

ABSTRACT This mixed methods study sought to build knowledge of inclusivity practices among 10 CI initiatives. Analyses across two strands of research revealed two distinct definitions of inclusivity: broad inclusivity, which seeks the participation of everyone; and, representative inclusivity, which seeks individuals affected by the problems being addressed. While several of the initiatives had improved

(2021). Editorial. Community Development: Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 131-132.

ABSTRACT In a connected backyard gardening scheme, the backyards of neighboring houses are connected through mutually accessible gates so that the individual households can benefit from the sharing of resources, and develop social links with neighbors. This study highlights the significance of connected backyard gardening in terms of community building, based on interviews with a group of five households

ABSTRACT This article outlines the development of “Yuwaya Ngarra-li” (YN), a holistic, community-led partnership with a university that aims to realize Aboriginal Elders’ vision for wellbeing in their community. The Dharriwaa Elders Group (DEG), a community-controlled organization in Walgett, a remote town in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, invited the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to partner

ABSTRACT In Africa, a dual political system is what characterizes the political landscape. Chiefs and officials of the central government collaborate to bring about development. Despite the transformation of the powers and functions of chiefs, they have constantly availed themselves to partner developmental agencies. The paper examined projects chiefs and local government authorities have initiated

ABSTRACT Living in an ecovillage requires that people reinvent everyday practices. It involves new forms of production, consumption, social organization, and subjective constitution, aiming toward the normative goal of achieving greater “sustainability.” Based on ethnographic research in Western Switzerland, this paper focuses on uncovering the nexus of power relations, social practices, and empowerment

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes the dynamics at play in community poultry projects in Zimbabwe. We compare the performance levels of “family poultry” under three community-based development schemes: the contract-based scheme and the two community-led poultry development approaches, one supported by an NGO and the other under self-funding. Factors that influence farmers’ choice of the poultry scheme are

(2021). Editorial notes. Community Development: Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 1-3.

ABSTRACT While often pursued as a desirable state for a society or community, group cohesion can be a double-edged sword. When it comes to Community-Driven Development (CDD), in which community members are expected to collaborate to ensure their co-prosperity, group cohesion would be a matter of not only “WHETHER or not it is needed” but also “WHEN/WHERE/HOW MUCH it is needed”. This study examines

ABSTRACT Increasing health inequalities and entrenched social problems demands systemic change that challenges the status quo of current programs and policies and enhances intersectorial collaboration between government, service providers, and communities. Collective Impact (CI) is one approach aimed to support local communities solve complex and systemic problems. A case study design is used to describe

ABSTRACT This study explored to examine the potential impacts of population change and processes associated with urban development and land use changes on damage levels due to Hurricane Harvey in the greater Houston area. Results from linear mixed effects modeling suggested that certain social and demographic aspects of urbanization such as population growth, increase in the number of housing units

ABSTRACT Volunteers add public value to the communities where they live and work leading to changes in community conditions. This study assessed volunteers’ beliefs about perceived public value in the Extension 4-H Youth Development Program (YDP). Research results document Extension 4-H volunteers take active leadership roles, which leads to public value in communities. There is a direct application

ABSTRACT This paper presents the development of a Community Development Participation Scale (CDPS) to be yieldingly administered and useful to community development researchers in measuring the level of participation of people in community development activities. This instrument was administered as a development and validation study to a sample of women from rural communities in Ghana (N= 210). After

ABSTRACT The field of community development has grown substantially over the past few decades. This is characterized by an increased demand for professionals who can engage in community development efforts and assist in establishing impactful solutions to community issues. This increased demand has created a need for robust Community Development Education programs in higher education to educate community

ABSTRACT Religious and social participation and neighborhood factors have been associated with health outcomes. Because depression and physical health problems are common among mothers, we sought to understand whether participation would be associated with more favorable health outcomes when accounting for neighborhood factors: disorder, social cohesion, and informal social control. Using Fragile Families

(2020). Editorial notes. Community Development: Vol. 51, No. 5, pp. 437-438.

ABSTRACT The United States is poised to experience one of the largest transfers of leadership in its history, markedly impacting rural community sustainability efforts. The purpose of this exploratory sequential mixed methods study was to identify themes related to rural leadership transfer using grounded theory and to test the facilitation of effective leadership transfer using structural equation

ABSTRACT This paper explores continuing education and employment generation in Ghana. It places emphasis on entrepreneurship, and how continuing education could help students’ create jobs. It used Bachelor of Administration final year students at Accra Learning Center as a unit of analysis. It is a qualitative study which sought to understand, determine the range of responses, and secure deeper insights

ABSTRACT In recent decades, cities have experienced dwindling state resources and growing socioeconomic inequalities—many scholars have identified this change as neoliberalism. Although these changes have generated much debate, not a lot of scholarship has tried to present alternatives. This article uses the Westside Leadership Institute (WLI) in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a case study to understand

ABSTRACT Most of the literature and other publications on CBOs assume that they speak the voices and pursue the interests of the communities they claim to represent. While acknowledging the transformative work of some of them, recent studies have portrayed CBOs as forces of social control and poverty management. This paper reports the findings of a study examining the trajectory of CBOs in Pilsen,

ABSTRACT Community-based coalitions seek to distribute leadership and decision-making broadly among participants to build capacity for improving local conditions. This is often difficult to achieve, however, due to a variety of structural and contextual factors. This study examines variance in decision-making influence among participants in 40 county-level substance abuse prevention coalitions. Participants’

ABSTRACT The idea of the capacity to aspire (CtA) has recently been used in attempts to incorporate cultural and psychological factors into political and economic theories of community development. When integrated with capabilities and capital assets approaches, CtA can be used to explain psychological and cultural development traps, but may be incomplete in its formulation. Through a theoretical discussion

ABSTRACT Wide eyes, a face of surprise, hesitantly asking: “why here?” This is a typical reaction to new international students who come to study in the central agricultural region of the U.S. Stereotypical images have made the central U.S. to be perceived as merely “flyover states” to many people, and surprising destinations when chosen for study, relocation, or even travel. For many who are from

ABSTRACT One in five children suffers from mental illness, yet estimates suggest that for various reasons, 50%-70% of these children are not receiving sufficient care. This study examines how mental illness stigma and parents’ help-seeking for their children interact with community social capital and demographic factors. Parents (N = 104) of children ages three to eight in the Northeastern USA completed

ABSTRACT There is growing recognition of the relevance of political mobilization in educational, social and community work, particularly when working with people in situations of vulnerability. However, there is also a scarcity of research that describes and explains professionals’ political involvement and mobilization and allows them to share their activist experiences, to inspire others and legitimate

ABSTRACT In Nigeria, non-farm livelihood activities are becoming rampant in agrarian communities, thereby reducing land capacity to support agriculture. This study examines effect of non-farm livelihoods on agricultural land. A multi-sampling technique was used to sample160 rural households. Soil samples, Geographic Information System (GIS) coordinates and Landsat images were obtained. Data were subjected

ABSTRACT Many public-sector programs are focused on economic development in rural areas, but few are formally evaluated. One often-overlooked component of effective rural development is the generation of local sales tax revenue, which helps fund city amenities and services. This paper evaluates whether the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Business and Industry (B&I) Loan Guarantee program

ABSTRACT The Indonesian agricultural sector provides a high proportion of employment for the rural community. However, the farmers’ livelihood is relatively low. Sending the farmers to non-formal education will enhance the livelihood of the community. In this study, we analyze the impact of farmer field school on Indonesia’s rural community livelihoods. Data were collected using a participatory approach

ABSTRACT Despite their substantial contribution to economies, little is known about how entrepreneurs of color in rural areas leverage resources to start ventures. This study examined the experiences of these entrepreneurs in securing information and financial capital at startup. Using the Community Capital Framework as an analytical tool, we take a systems approach to highlight the influence of contextual

The changing structure of agriculture strains the historically close relationship between commodity agriculture and rural development. Meanwhile, growth in consumer interest for differentiated, value-added products has the potential to create community economic development opportunities. However, the evidence regarding the benefit of value-added programs for broader community wealth is mixed. We argue

ABSTRACT Social participation is considered as an aspect of social capital that creates opportunities of gathering with people in the neighborhood influencing health and wellbeing positively. However, few studies emphasize that it can operate in multiple dimensions within a community and that it can impact on health and wellbeing variably. Applying the theory of complexity, this study highlights that

ABSTRACT The paper draws on the Community Capitals Framework to frame and analyze the process of rural women’s empowerment through agricultural interventions in two districts of Ethiopia. A blend of qualitative data collection methods comprising group discussions, life histories, and key informant interviews was used. Our study shows that investing in social, human, financial, cultural, natural, physical

ABSTRACT In a time when funding for small communities is limited, an analysis of investment strategy is critical. Façade improvement grant programs are thought to spur spillover of both direct and indirect investment in downtown districts by leveraging built capital and harnessing a sense of place. Through case study, with interviews and observational analysis, we empirically analyze this phenomenon

ABSTRACT The recent establishment of community government as a distinct, but coordinating level of government in Nigeria came with the high expectation that it would facilitate adequate transfer of statutory powers, responsibilities, and finances to various communities for community-driven development. However, the underdevelopment situation of most of the communities seemingly appears to have dashed

ABSTRACT Social bonds have been a focus in understanding community attachment. Community context is also critical to fostering community attachment. While community context assessed by objective measures such as population size and density has been linked to community attachment, the effects of both objective context and subjective context measured by individuals’ perceptions of community context on

ABSTRACT Economic re-localization is widely viewed as a principal mechanism for bringing greater autonomy, democracy, justice, prosperity, and general wellness to communities. Entrepreneurial initiatives that are bounded to the localized scale are a fundamental element of the underlying localism movement. The current study uses a set of theoretical constructs pulled from everyday sociology (reflexivity

ABSTRACT This paper examines the research and conceptual literature about the role of faith-based organizations in community development. For the most part, there are relatively few community development studies about faith-based community development groups. This qualitative study explores two research explorations: First, how do Christian faith-based community development organizations in Kentucky

ABSTRACT The destructive Queensland fruit fly (QFF), known to attack export varieties of New Zealand grown primary horticultural produce was discovered in February 2015 in the suburb of Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand, resulting in a biosecurity crisis. Invasion ecology theory was used to understand measures put in place by the authorities in the community to control its spread. Community members

ABSTRACT Women’s participation in community development projects is now essential as it helps to promote inclusive development and decentralized development planning. This paper assesses the perceived benefits and barriers to women’s participation in ecotourism development and their implications for community planning at the Kakum Conservation Area (KCA). Using questionnaires, a total of 169 women

ABSTRACT Young people (ages 15-25) are globally the largest and fastest growing segment of the population. While youth increase in number, the challenge and opportunity facing communities around the world is to create meaningful avenues for youth participation in civic, economic and academic life. This article presents a research narrative describing a youth participatory action research program implemented

ABSTRACT Evaluation metrics that assess the impacts of Cooperative Extensionprogramming focus on quantifiable indicators that may overlookbroader community-level changes. This study addresses this by usingthe “spiraling up” theory of change and Ripple Effect Mapping to assesshow volunteers build Cooperative Extension’s communitydevelopment capacity. Focusing on Family and Consumer Scienceagents and

ABSTRACT This study is a first step in analyzing, on a national scale in Mexico, the assets, income and vulnerability context of households in rural communities. A multinomial logit model was used to show the impact of family labor, education, indigenous status, climate change, and access to markets on the probability of belonging to the different categories of households with diverse sustainable livelihoods

This paper introduces the concept of digital parity – similar levels of connectivity, devices, and skills between groups – that can lead to more digital inclusive communities. Utilizing a household...

Changes in rural service provision have been shaped by a shift from state to private and nonprofit service delivery, driven by a neo-liberal policy orientation. As senior governments continue to of...

ABSTRACT Collective efficacy theory is a widely used theoretical framework for explaining how social cohesion is activated as collective actions. Because collective efficacy was developed as a criminological theory, the majority of collective efficacy research focuses on the relationship between social cohesion and informal social control. Conceptually, social cohesion can be activated as civic participation

Sustainable Local Economic Development has been an emerging approach to economic development for more than a decade, with the goal of enhancing economic, social, and environmental sustainability. A...

This study examines the link between political capital and climate change adaptation, and tests the relationship among political capital, social capital, and human capital. Political capital is stu...

Article proposes a typology of underdeveloped communities in Croatia based on types ofsocial change and dimensions of the community. The research isdesigned as a cross-case analysis with seven muni...

Childcare is a critical issue for working families in the United States; however childcare needs in the agriculture sector have been absent from both childcare and agricultural policy discussions. ...

The desire to grow a tax base often compels local governments to compete and cooperate simultaneously with nearby jurisdictions. Managing interjurisdictional relations is an important role of admin...