The research presented in this PhD dissertation provides a socio-educational perspective on the participatory representation of identity in Greek Laographic Museums. Museums are seen as an extension of formal educational spaces through their educational activities and school partnerships or outreach programmes (Hooper-Greenhill, 2007). However, they are also mainly engaging in the process of interpreting the cultures and communities represented in their collection, thus, assigning them an identity, which they then present to the public (McLean, 2005, 2008). The public, in turn, interprets it through the lens of their own identities. A result of this process is the creation and sharing of new knowledge about identity through exhibition design (Jones, Sandweiss, Mouliou, & Orloff, 2012; McLean, 2006; Newman & McLean, 2006; O’Neill, 2006). This study adopts the stance that exhibition design is the primary way museums are fulfilling their educational role. It puts forward the idea that the involvement of community members in the founding of a museum about their local identity can result in a rich, polyphonous narrative and positively affect the bond and sense of ownership the community develops in relation to the museum and their locale. This is in line with literature predicting that in the context of multicultural societies and increased mobility, bringing people together through shared cultural elements of the location they have in common, can aid social cohesion and inclusion (Graham & Howard, 2008; Hague & Jenkins, 2005; Howard, 2003). As a theoretical starting point, this research was guided by the views of Hall (1997a,1992) on changing identities and the links between identity, culture, interpretation and narrative for being potentially more reflective of current museological practice that is starting to operate within a participatory paradigm. Designed as a case study around the founding of a new museum on a small Greek island, Astypalaia, it used participatory methods in a variety of ways to engage local residents in the process of collaboratively designing the exhibition narrative of this new space that would share the story of life on the island. To frame the main case study, this research also mapped the practices of laographic museums across Greece, in order to point out what a typical museum of that type looks like in this context and assess in what ways Astypalaia is in line or deviates from this. The results of this process were compared to the findings of the case study and linked to literature on participation, education, and identity construction in museums and communities. The following discussion argues that, while collaborative projects require structure, effort and skills in their facilitation, they have the potential to make a museum narrative more representative and inclusive and benefit their participants in multiple ways. By having access to the project from its conception until its final stages, this work aims to provide a holistic view of the challenges and possibilities of implementing a participatory approach in the founding of a new museum and to discuss the knowledge such a process generates.

Thesis (MPA.) --University of Limpopo,2011 / Participation of members of the community in policing is critical in ensuring that policing becomes a people oriented process. This will go a long way into a ensuring that a shift in the policing environment, from a police force to a police service underpinned by involvement of community members in policing activities is realised throughout South Africa. That is, since 1993, the South African Police Service (SAPS) adopted a community policing process to meet the safety and security requirements of all people in the country. A major objective of community policing is to establish active partnership between the police and the community, especially at local level through which crime, service delivery and community-police relations can be evaluated and plans to address problems implemented. Throughput South Africa, Community Policing Forums (CPF) has been set up to work with SAPS. This study was conducted with the aim of establishing the extent to which communities around the Nelspruit policing area, in the Mpumalanga Province, participate in the establishment of the existing Community Policing Forums (CPFs), to sought means and ways through which there can be maximal involvement or participation in community policing around the Nelspruit Policing Area.Accordingly, Mpumalanga as a province has also adopted community policing as a strategy towards ensuring better policing. Police stations have been mandated to establish CPFs in consultation with relevant stakeholders and communities. The establishment of community policing forums and boards, which should be broadly representative of the community, is of crucial importance. The main objective of partnership is to determine, through, consultation, community needs and policing priorities, and to promote police accountability, transparency and effectiveness. The research methodology used for the study was a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research design. This enabled the researcher to draw data from the identified sample of study, in order to respond to critical research questions as raised in Chapter 1 of the study. As a result the study was divided into five (5) Chapters ssummarised as follows: Chapter 1 of this study introduces the study by presenting the research problem, aim and objectives of the study, research questions, and division of the study; and Chapter 2 of the study presents literature review. In other words, chapter 2 examines selected empirical research, reported practice and identified innovations relevant to community participation in the community policing forum (CPF). It provided the study with an opportunity to give better insight into the dimensions and complexity of the problem. Chapter 3 of the study presents Research Methodology used in the study. In the main chapter 3 expatiates on the necessary tools employed in the study to elicit the necessary research outcome. This includes research design, data collection method, data analysis, and interpretation. On the other hand, Chapter 4 of the study presents observations drawn from the data as presented, this done in order to describe and explain community participation in CPF within the Nelspruit Policing Area, in Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. Lastly, Chapter 5 in the main presents recommendations and conclusions drawn from the study. The following were findings of the study: lack of public awareness on the CPF and its activities; unclear or undefined roles and responsibilities on members of the community in CPFs; lack of proper resources to carry out the work of CPFs by community members, underrepresentation of previously disadvantaged groups and organized groups in CPFs It is recommended that efforts need to be put in place to increase public awareness on the CPF via print and electronic media; CPFs must be provided with budget, offices, transport, computers, resources aimed at ensuring visibility of CPF members in communities (reflector jackets, and enabling resources - torches , whistles), and communication technology; allocation of roles and responsibilities to members of the community partaking in CPFs shall help to dispel the thinking that community members are only used as tokens or spies for SAPS, and instil a feeling of ownership of policing by community members; and a special focus needs to be put in place to encourage members of the community and CPFs to engage individuals drawn from previously disadvantaged groups and organised groups for increased participation in CPFs by this groups.

In New Zealand the development and promotion of sporting events is becoming increasingly popular, due in part to the role of sport in building the nation's identity, the economic benefits, and a growing awareness of the importance of health and fitness within the community. Given this increased popularity it is important that the impacts of these events upon the local 'host' communities be understood. Social impacts have been given more and more attention in recent years by event researchers, due to the recognition that the long term sustainability of such events can only be achieved with the approval and participation of residents. This research addresses these issues in the context of Taupo, New Zealand using the case of Ironman New Zealand.This thesis adopts a mixed method approach using interviews (n=7), participant observation, and a web-survey (n=111). The findings confirm that it is vital to investigate and understand impacts of events on host communities. The findings are also consistent with theories identified in the literature in terms of the nature of social impacts on host communities. The overall results indicate that residents are aware of both the positive and negative impacts of Ironman New Zealand. Respondents highlight positive impacts such as economic benefits, exposure of Taupo, community togetherness, and the encouragement of sports, yet they also recognize negative impacts such as inconvenience from traffic congestion, and road closures. Accordingly, the community was grouped into three distinct clusters with positive, negative and ambivalent perceptions, and were labelled 'Lovers', 'Pessimists' and 'Realists'. The findings further suggest that the use of web-surveying for community research is still in its infancy and needs further development enabling it to be used as an effective tool. Finally it is proposed that small to medium scale sporting event hosted in regional communities may contribute to a sense of community and to the creation of social capital. Further research is needed to confirm this proposition.

Every attempt by the NSW State Government to site waste treatment and disposal facilities has been met by opposition from local communities. Increasing interest is being shown in community consultation and public participation in the decision-making processes concerning the siting of waste management technologies. This thesis examines the rationale behind, and potential of, community consultation through an examination of two case studies. The thesis concludes that the reasons and remedies for local opposition typically given by experts and regulatory authorities are flawed. The engineering concerns which have dominated approaches to choosing and siting waste management technologies are of little consequence to the way in which communities judge whether the facilities pose an acceptable societal risk. The issues of concern to communities include the legitimacy of the decision-making process, the relative fairness of the decision to site, and whether the institutions responsible for managing and operating the technologies are trustworthy. If waste management technologies rely on local acceptability for their siting, the approach taken to resolve the waste problem must include societal as well as engineering concerns in the design of courses of action to manage the risk. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis reports the results of a comparison of the experiences of community participation between two groups of people - people with intellectual disability and non-disabled people. An interview schedule was developed, based on the social integration literature, government policy and a small empirical study. The common factors from these three bases were represented in the interview schedule which covered the areas of degree of social contact with family, friends and neighbours; involvement in the local community; and degree of satisfaction with the local community. Thirty people with intellectual disability and sixty non-disabled people were interviewed using the schedule. The non-disabled people lived in the same street (if possible) or within very close vicinity of the people with intellectual disability. The findings of community participation for people with intellectual disability reflected other research, indicating that this group had limited social contact, and reported few friendships in the community, but participated to a large extent in community activities and made use of community facilities. This group were also inclined to report satisfaction with living in, and feeling like part of the community. For non disabled people, the findings reflect a group that does not particularly feel like part of the community and makes limited use of community facilities. However, this group reported regular contact with family, friends and neighbours. The above findings are discussed with relevance to policy, theory, research and practice.

<p>Abstract</p><p>Community management of the rural water supply and sanitation services is considered as one of the options for achieving sustainability of the water services. International communities and donors are steering this concept. National water policy in Tanzania puts more emphasis on community participation and management of water and sanitation (WATSAN) schemes. This study on the sustainability of the rural water supply and sanitation services focused on community management and participation as one strategy, which could contribute to the sustainability of WATSAN provision. A study was conducted in six water schemes in six villages in Tanzania, four of the villages had water schemes in operation and two schemes were under construction. Data was collected from water users, water management committees and water providers. A structured questionnaire was administered to 92 water users in four water schemes in operation, focus group discussion was conducted to water management committees in six water schemes and three water providers responded to the questionnaire.</p><p>Given changes and increasing diversity in the management of rural WATSAN schemes (village water committees, board of directors and public private partnership), it is apparent that community management of rural water schemes without support is not an ideal solution for achieving sustainability. It was also affirmed that to achieve a real community participation in the project is difficult. Village government leaders and water management committees were mainly involved during the planning phase and local communities during implementation. Interference by the politicians, village government leaders and inability of the water schemes to recover costs were the main problems facing water schemes. The consequence was poor performance and failure of some schemes to deliver the services. Generally, the findings lead to a subjective inference that community management of rural water schemes alone is not an ideal solution for attaining sustainability. Community management of rural WATSAN schemes is a good idea if implemented where there is demand-driven community involvement right from the beginning of the projects. Nevertheless, with the right capacity building and continuous support, community management of the rural WATSAN schemes can deliver reliable and sustainable water and sanitation services.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the level and extent of community participation in the Danga Ecological Sanitation Project carried out in the Zvishavane district of Zimbabwe. The people-centered approach was chosen as a theoretical background. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to gather relevant information. The results indicated that the community was not fully involved in the ecological sanitation project. As a result, the project had a poor performance record. In the course of this study, political interference in community projects carried out in Zimbabwean rural communities, resulting in the failure to reach the intended beneficiaries, was also noted. Full community participation in community projects may ensure that empowerment and ownership take place. Institutional arrangements, which in most cases impede development, need to be readdressed with clear demarcation of decision-making processes.</p>

Abstract Community management of the rural water supply and sanitation services is considered as one of the options for achieving sustainability of the water services. International communities and donors are steering this concept. National water policy in Tanzania puts more emphasis on community participation and management of water and sanitation (WATSAN) schemes. This study on the sustainability of the rural water supply and sanitation services focused on community management and participation as one strategy, which could contribute to the sustainability of WATSAN provision. A study was conducted in six water schemes in six villages in Tanzania, four of the villages had water schemes in operation and two schemes were under construction. Data was collected from water users, water management committees and water providers. A structured questionnaire was administered to 92 water users in four water schemes in operation, focus group discussion was conducted to water management committees in six water schemes and three water providers responded to the questionnaire. Given changes and increasing diversity in the management of rural WATSAN schemes (village water committees, board of directors and public private partnership), it is apparent that community management of rural water schemes without support is not an ideal solution for achieving sustainability. It was also affirmed that to achieve a real community participation in the project is difficult. Village government leaders and water management committees were mainly involved during the planning phase and local communities during implementation. Interference by the politicians, village government leaders and inability of the water schemes to recover costs were the main problems facing water schemes. The consequence was poor performance and failure of some schemes to deliver the services. Generally, the findings lead to a subjective inference that community management of rural water schemes alone is not an ideal solution for attaining sustainability. Community management of rural WATSAN schemes is a good idea if implemented where there is demand-driven community involvement right from the beginning of the projects. Nevertheless, with the right capacity building and continuous support, community management of the rural WATSAN schemes can deliver reliable and sustainable water and sanitation services.

The purpose of this study is to assess how inhabitants of the Lidköping community value or perceive their surrounding in relation to urban planning, specifically the new Hamnstaden urban development. This perception was collected as data mainly through photos, conceived here as visual ethnography, combined with written responses. As the trend of urbanization continues to grow around the world, who or what is determining how cities are built? What elements of our urban environments do we value, and how do we measure these values? Many of the current trends with urban development are inconsistent with sustainable development and new perspectives on the construction of our cities are required to make cities more sustainable. This research uses a qualitative research approach in a case study in an urban development project in Lidköping to attempt to address some of these questions. The results are very diverse, but the highest-valued elements according to the participants were green space, old buildings, pedestrian space, public art, and cafes.

Voter participation among Saskatchewans citizens has decreased in both federal and provincial elections, especially in the past decade or so, and especially among 18-24 year olds. Provincially, turnout has fallen almost 20 percentage points over a four-year period. Saskatchewan voter turnout in federal elections has fallen almost 15 percentage points in a similar time period. The purpose of this thesis is to uncover potential factors that might help to explain why turnout has decreased so markedly. Though a number of factors exist to explain why fewer citizens are participating on election day, this thesis has worked to seek out the explanation in two forms. First, taking into account the civic literacy theory of Henry Milner, this thesis has examined Saskatchewans junior and senior high school curricula in an effort to find changes in the way civics has been taught. Marked changes have iv been found, and differences in the prescribed teaching of civics throughout the years point to the possibility that the way in which civics is taught to students may have an effect on whether they feel a duty or obligation to vote. Second, this thesis has, following the social capital theory of Robert Putnam, concluded through a brief survey of membership numbers in a small number of community and volunteer organizations as well as church attendance and volunteer levels that community involvement may also be a factor in deciding whether to vote. This thesis has concluded that more, duty-oriented civic education is needed in Saskatchewans junior and senior high schools in order to ensure that students leaving the education system feel an obligation to participate on election day and in the community more than they are presently.