Profile of critical social welfare and economic problems facing Negro people in the Detroit community.

Cover title.

Developmental needs of small cities : a study required by section 113 of the Housing and community development act of 1977 /

Mode of access: Internet.

Social and medical services in housing for the aged /

"Contract no. PLD-8793-77 SH."

A cost-effectiveness methodology for community mental health centers : development and pilot test /

Mode of access: Internet.

Perceived social support in a large community sample - Age and sex differences

Background. The positive health and wellbeing effects of social support have been consistently demonstrated in the literature since the late 1970s. However, a better understanding of the effects of age and sex is required. Method. We examined the factor structure and reliability of Kessler's Perceived Social Support (KPSS) measure in a community-based sample that comprised younger and older adult cohorts from the Australian Twin Registry (ATR), totalling 11,389 males and females aged 18-95, of whom 887 were retested 25 months later. Results. Factor analysis consistently identified seven factors: support from spouse, twin, children, parents, relatives, friends and helping support. Internal reliability for the seven dimensions ranged from 0.87 to 0.71 and test-retest reliability ranged from 0.75 to 0.48. Perceived support was only marginally higher in females. Age dependencies were explored. Across the age range, there was a slight decline (more marked in females) in the perceived support from spouse, parent and friend, a slight increase in perceived relative and helping support for males but none for females, a substantial increase in the perceived support from children for males and females and a negligible decline in total KPSS for females against a negligible increase for males. The perceived support from twin remained constant. Females were more likely to have a confidant, although this declined with age whilst increasing with age for males. Conclusions. Total scores for perceived social support conflate heterogeneous patterns on sub-scales that differ markedly by age and sex. Our paper describes these relationships in detail in a very large Australian sample.

Versenyképesség és civil szerepvállalás a közigazgatás és a közszolgáltatások fejlesztésében (Competitiveness and civil contribution to the development of public administration and public services)

Az utóbbi évtizedek nemzetközi trendjei azt mutatják, hogy a civil szervezetek és a nonprofit szolgáltatók számottevő hatást gyakorolnak a versenyképesség alakulására. Ez a tanulmány azokat a formális és informális mechanizmusokat tekinti át, amelyeken keresztül a civil társadalom befolyásolja a közintézményi döntéseket és azok gyakorlati megvalósítását, hozzájárul a „government”-tôl a „governance” irányába való elmozduláshoz. Szintén képet ad arról az átalakulási folyamatról, amely a közszolgáltatások területén zajlik, s amelyből egyre markánsabban rajzolódik ki a közösségi kezdeményezésen alapuló, társadalmi ellenőrzés alatt működő nonprofit szolgáltatók és az állami szereplők közötti partneri viszony kialakulásának tendenciája. ____________ The international trends of the last decades have revealed that civil society organisations and nonprofit service providers have a significant impact on competitiveness. This paper gives an overview of the formal and informal mechanisms operated by civil society in order to keep public administration accountable, to influence public decisions and their implementation, thus moving from “government” towards “governance”. It also analyses the transition of public services, the more and more noticeable signs of an emerging partnership between the grassroots, community controlled service providing nonprofit organisations and the government actors.

Local festivals, social capital and sustainable destination development: experiences in East London

This paper explores the nature of social capital arising from engagement in local festivals and the implications of this for the social sustainability of an emerging destination. Two case studies are developed from a longitudinal research project which investigates local festivals staged in the Hackney Wick and Fish Island area adjacent to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London, UK between 2008 and 2014. This area has been directly affected by extensive development and regeneration efforts associated with the staging of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The two festivals considered here respond to the challenges and opportunities arising for local people as the area changes. One festival aims to foster a sense of community by creating shared experiences and improving communication across diverse groups. The other draws together the cultural community, links them to the opportunities arising as the area emerges as a destination, and attracts visitors. These festivals increase social capital in the area, but its distribution is very uneven. The accrual of social capital exacerbates existing inequalities within the host community, favouring the “haves” at the expense of the “have nots”. There are tensions between the development of social capital and social sustainability in this emerging destination.

Evaluation of a Brief Intervention to Assist Health Visitors and Community Practitioners to Engage with Fathers as Part of the Healthy Child Initiative

Aims: To improve engagement of Health Visitors and Community Practitioners delivering the Healthy Child Programme with fathers. To evaluate a one-day, father-focused workshop with a supporting handbook for Practitioners. To identify institutional and organisational barriers to engagement with fathers. Background: The UK government policy encourages health professionals to engage with fathers. This derives from robust evidence that fathers’ early involvement with their children impacts positively on emotional, behavioural and educational development. Yet, there is little evidence that the importance of engaging fathers is reflected in Health Visitor training or that primary-care services are wholly embracing father-inclusive practice. The Fatherhood Institute (FI), a UK charity, has developed a workshop for Practitioners delivering the Healthy Child Programme. Method: A ‘before and after’ evaluation study, comprising a survey followed by telephone interviews, evaluated the impact of the FI workshop on Health Visitors’ and Community Practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in practice. A total of 134 Health Visitors and Community Practitioners from eight NHS Trusts in England attended the workshop from November 2011 to January 2014 at 12 sites. A specially constructed survey, incorporating a validated questionnaire, was administered before the workshop, immediately afterwards and three months later. Telephone interviews further explored participants’ responses. Findings: Analysis of the questionnaire data showed that the workshop and handbook improved participants’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviour in practice. This was sustained over a three-month period. In telephone interviews, most participants said that the workshop had raised their awareness of engaging fathers and offered them helpful strategies. However, they also spoke of barriers to engagement with fathers. NHS Trusts need to review the training and education of Health Visitors and Community Practitioners and take a more strategic approach towards father-inclusive practice and extend services to meet the needs of fathers.

Territorial innovation, social ventures and local development: An exploratory case study

Social innovation is recognized as an important driver of growth and social value creation. Social innovative strategies are often pursued at the local level, by (social) organizations which have a more comprehensive knowledge of the complex social problems that a specific community is facing. The objective of the present study is to analyse the extent to which innovative social ventures are able to contribute to local development. By means of a qualitative approach, based on the case study method, we attempt to illustrate the innovative strategies conceived on the ground by a social venture specifically created to foster the local development of its inhabitants. The results shows that social innovation is a viable strategy to revitalize the economic growth of a region, through the creation of local employment on the basis of village’s traditional activities that are redefined in a new and competitive way. However, to be successful the strategy demands the deep knowledge of existing social problems as well as the availability of endogenous local resources and capabilities that could be used by social entrepreneurs. Therefore, social innovation ensures that local development and social cohesion are achieved in a sustainable way, at the same time that cultural and environmental heritage are also preserved.

Social-cognitive and perceived environment influences associated with physical activity in older Australians

Background, Regular physical activity in older adults can facilitate healthy aging, improve functional capacity, and prevent disease. However, factors associated with physical inactivity in older populations are poorly understood. This study attempts to identify social-cognitive and perceived environmental influences associated with physical activity participation in older populations. Methods. In a randomly selected sample of 449 Australian adults age 60 and older, we assessed self-reported physical activity and a range of social-cognitive and perceived environmental factors. Respondents were classified as sufficiently active and inactive based on energy expenditure estimates (kcal/week) derived from self-reported physical activity. Two logistic regression models, with and without self-efficacy included, were conducted to identify modifiable independent predictors of physical activity. Results. Significantly more males than females were physically active. Physical activity participation was related to age with a greater proportion of those age 65-69 being active than those age 60-64 or 70 or older. High self-efficacy, regular participation of friends and family, finding footpaths safe for walking, and access to local facilities were significantly associated with being active. Conclusion. Identifying predictors of physical activity in older populations, particularly social support, facility access, and neighbourhood safety, can inform the development of policy and intervention strategies to promote the health of older people. (C) 2000 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.

Social Movements and the Dynamics of Rural Territorial Development in Latin America

This special section brings together 4 of the 12 studies conducted within a research program analyzing the relationships among social mobilization, governance. and rural development in contemporary Latin America. The introduction Lives an overview of the contemporary significance of social movements For rural development dynamics in the region, and of the principal insights of the section papers and the broader research program of which they were a part. This significance varies Lis an effect of two distinct and uneven geographics: the geography of social movements themselves and the geography of the rural political economy. The effects that movements have oil the political economy of rural development also depend significantly oil internal characteristics of these movements. The paper identifies several such characteristics. The general pattern is that movements have had far more effect oil widening the political inclusiveness of rural development than they have oil improving its economic inclusiveness and dynamism. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.