1,721,001 research outputs found
Sustainable Livelihoods in Traditional Fishing Villages on Rote Island, Indonesian: Providing a FRESH Start for the next generation
No full textSustainable Livelihoods in small-scale fishing villages throughout Southeast Asia is the region’s greatest poverty alleviation problem. Small-scale fisheries are frequently characterised as an occupation of last choice, and fisher folk as the poorest of all. Landlessness, few productive assets and a limited skills set for these folk gives little choice other than a marine livelihood strategy, resulting in, at best, little more than a subsistence life style. Additionally, coastal and marine social-ecological systems are fragile and vulnerable to political, social and environmental shocks. Indonesia, with a population of over 250 million people, 81,000 kilometres of coast line and thousands of small-scale fishing communities, faces seemingly unsurmountable poverty alleviation challenges. This research centres on traditional fishers of Rote Island, Indonesia, who have endured challenges to their livelihoods due to changed maritime boundaries in the Timor and Arafura Seas during the late 20th Century, resulting in them being dispossessed of their traditional fishing grounds. They have also been confronted with environmental degradation due to the 2009 Montara oil spill in the Timor Sea, which is reported to have all but wiped out their seagrass farming micro-enterprises. While governments and NGOs have spent many millions of dollars on poverty alleviation projects in the East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia, remote fishing villages have not always benefited from large infrastructure projects or generic community development programs. Real progress is slow; too slow for the current generation of traditional fishermen to have a sustainable income to provide a FRESH Start (Food, Residence, Education, Social status and Health services) for the next generation so that they can have more livelihood choices than their parents, and to prevent them suffering livelihood stagnation or slip-back.
Providing a FRESH Start for the next generation, in essence, is a core generational priority for people in most societies. For the traditional fishers of Rote Island, it is no different; but “How can the current generation of fishers, on Rote Island, lift above a subsistence income to provide a FRESH Start for the next generation?”
Three small fishing villages, Pepela, Tanjung Pasir and Landu Thie, on Rote Island, in the Province of East Nusa Tenggara, were chosen as case study sites to investigate this question. This research project used a true, mixed-methods, bottom-up data collection approach that was guided by the tenets of Sustainable Livelihoods, Social Impact Assessment and Needs Assessment. Initial quantitative demographic and socio-economic data was collected by way of government statistical data and added to with data collected during a random household survey within the three small fishing villages. The household surveys were completed on a “one on one” basis, and not a “drop off - pick up later” basis. Hence, the household surveys also facilitated just as many, dense and data-rich informal interviews. Focus discussion groups added to this rich local knowledge gained about the villagers’ history, culture and their livelihood priorities, strategies and challenges. Formal interviews with government officials, key informants and local stakeholders informed the research of lessons learned from past government projects and the rationale behind current initiatives. The author empowered the voices from the micro-level to enable them to guide the thesis discussion.
Results showed that, although the three fishing villages are located in the same district municipality, only 100 kilometres apart, they are very different in demographics, internal political structure, available resources and hence current livelihood strategies. Notwithstanding these differences, a commonality exposed in the villages was multi-faceted intergroup tensions that can be explained through Intergroup Threat Theory. Modernisation is seen, through a normative / neoliberal lens by many governments and development agencies, as a necessary part of future development strategies to provide the current and future generations with rewarding and sustainable livelihoods. However, the fishers view modernisation with suspicion and fraught with threats, both realistic and symbolic. They view modernisation as either their saviour or their nemesis, depending on the scale and pace of introduction, and who has access to, and control of the modern technology, modern structure of institutions, and modern supply chains and agents for their produce. While the Central and District governments do seem to have the political will and financial commitment to alleviate poverty in traditional fishing villages on Rote Island, purposive realignment of macro-level initiatives with micro-level aspiration should help improve development project efficacy.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)School of Environment and ScScience, Environment, Engineering and TechnologyFull Tex
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
An unorthodox account of failure and success in environmental education
No full textBy offering a positive account of the specific conditions of modern liberal modes of rule, this study undertakes to revise an established view of the empowerment of environmentally active and informed citizens through environmental education. As its distinctive contribution to the debate regarding the effectiveness of environmental education in transforming environmental conduct, this study examines whether the failure proclaimed in environmental education circles is an accurate reflection of the circumstances and outcomes of environmental education. The aim is to examine whether a sense of failure exists because environmental education has indeed failed or whether it exists because the field has set itself over-idealised and utopian goals that are both unnecessarily moral and – in an important sense – designed or pre-destined to entail failure.
In order to examine these issues, this study redescribes two central aspects of contemporary environmental education: first, the orthodoxy that the role of environmental education is to transform society through empowering individuals so that they are able to take action for the environment, that is, be active and informed environmental citizens and, second, the mechanisms, strategies and techniques used in environmental education to bring such personas into being. These aspects are examined – for the first time in a discussion of environmental education – through a lens provided by the notion of “governmentality”. The study concludes by arguing that it is the goal of transformation that leads to a sense of failure in the field of environmental education. Conversely, some successes can be seen when empowerment is understood not as a means to transformation but as a governmental technique through which self-governing “environmental” citizens can be fashioned.
The aim of this study is not to identify a truth about the “best” way to produce “good” environmental behaviour. Neither is it to draw out propositions about environmental education that can then be “applied” to similar issues. Nor does this study seek to develop a general theory of “government”, “power”, “governmentality”, “identity”, or “behaviour change”. The aim is instead to pay closer attention to the mundane, the humble, the everyday. It is to open to examination the ways in which certain dispositions or “mental habits” about environmental education have come to hold positions of unquestioned truth and, therefore, power within the field. Through this examination it becomes possible to offer a more positive account of environmental education by describing the governmental mechanisms, strategies and techniques – the “technologies of citizenship” – that environmental educators employ to fashion active and informed environmental citizens. The actual ways in which new personas are fashioned – in which a range of “environmentally friendly” capacities and attributes are successfully acquired – are described. In doing so, this study demonstrates that there are some grounds – albeit definite and limited – for claiming success in environmental education. Such a claim entails, however, a rethinking of the notion of “success”. The contention, then, is that success can be seen for environmental education in the fashioning of self-governing beings who are not necessarily morally transformed but who are nevertheless equipped with concerns, interests and capacities that enable them to live in an environmentally sustainable fashion.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)School Educ & Professional StArts, Education and LawFull Tex
Education and Training For Effective Environmental Advocacy
No full textResearch on environmental advocacy has tended to focus on outcomes and achievements rather than the processes through which these are achieved. In addition, minimal research has attended in detail to the complexity of environmental advocacy, or explored measures to through which to enhance advocates’ prospects of success. The environment movement itself has given scarce attention to promoting the skills, abilities and predispositions that contribute to effective advocacy. Indeed, most environmental non-government organisations (ENGOs) in Australia appear to believe that scientific or expert knowledge will be sufficient to influence environmental decision-makers and consequently provide minimal training or education to enhance advocacy. This thesis is a response to these problems. It seeks to develop an understanding of, and model for, activist education and training in the Australian environment movement. The two main bodies of literature that inform the study are social movement and adult education literature. The former provides the context for the study. Social movement theorists present various explanations of how and why environmental activists work for change. These theorists also discuss the organisational structures and modes of operation typically adopted by activists. The second body of literature is utilised in this thesis to provide a synthesis of relevant educational orientations, traditions and practices. Popular, experiential and adult environmental education offer promising strategies for advocacy organisations that seek to enhance activists’ skills and abilities. The research questions posed in this study lie at the convergence of these two bodies of literature. Two empirical studies were undertaken during this inquiry. The first was conducted with the Queensland Conservation Council, an environmental advocacy organisation where the researcher was employed for five years. The study drew on methods and techniques associated with ethnography and action research to identify, implement and evaluate a range of interventions which aimed to educate and train advocates. Three cycles of inquiry generated useful insights into environmental advocacy and identified useful strategies through which advocacy may be enhanced. The second study, a case study based on interviews and observation, explored the Heart Politics movement. The ethnographic research methods utilised in this case study resulted in a rich description and critical appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of Heart Politics gatherings as activist education. These two studies contributed to the development of a grounded and endogenous theory of education and training for environmental advocacy. This theory is based on a set of observations concerning the provision of activist education: (1) that most activist learning occurs informally and unintentionally through participation in social action such as environmental campaigns; (2) that this learning can be assessed according to a five-category framework and tends to favour specific categories including the development of social action and organisational development skills rather than alternative categories such as political analysis and personal development; (3) that this informal learning can be harnessed and enhanced through strategies which situate learning in the context of action and promote heightened awareness of the learning dimension of social action; and (4) that a key obstacle to education and training in the environment movement is a conspicuous lack of professional development or support for the people involved in facilitating and coordinating activist education activities and programs. These people are often volunteers and infrequently possess qualifications as educators or facilitators but are more likely to be seasoned activists. They tend to work in isolation as activist education activities are sporadic, geographically diffuse and ad hoc. These observations along with other insights acquired through participatory action research and ethnographic inquiry led to a set of conclusions, some of which have already been implemented or initiated during the course of this study. The first conclusion is that strategies to promote the professional development of activist educators may benefit from the development of texts tailored to the tactical orientations and political and other circumstances of Australian environmental advocacy groups. Texts, alone, are considered an inadequate response. The study also concludes that informal networks, formal and informal courses and other strategies to assist collaboration and peer learning among activist educators offer considerable benefits. Other conclusions pertain to the benefits of collaborating with adult educators and tertiary institutions, and professionals, to the relative merits of activist workshops and other forms of delivery, to the opportunities for activist training presented by regular environment movement gatherings and conferences and to the significant merits of promoting and supporting mentorship relationships between novice and experienced activists.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)Australian School of Environmental StudiesFull Tex
Fields of inequality: the waning of national developmentalism and the political economy of agribusiness in Siam: case studies of development and restructuring in Thailand's agri-food sector
No full textThis thesis examines the political and social dynamics of agribusiness in Thailand. Over the last twenty years agribusiness firms grew in scope and activity as Thailand became the major agricultural exporting country of Southeast Asia. The context of this process is explored in terms of national developmentalism, the political economy of agri-food restructuring and history. The thesis analyses two sectors (dairy and shrimp) which demonstrated substantial productive increases and were accompanied with a high level of agribusiness activity. The experiences of these sectors are compared and contrasted to determine the degree to which they characterise historic moments of capitalist restructuring and development.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)School of ScienceFull Tex
Mercury (Hg) Risk Management in Sweden and Australia
No full textMercury and its compunds are applied in numerous industrial processes and products. For instance, mercury is used in chlor-alkali production and in pesticides, as well as in products such as thermometers and batteries. These processes and appliances have become commonplace and taken for granted necessities in many societies. However, the negative environmental and human health risks from mercury release outweigh these uses positive benefits.
Mercury is toxic and when it is released it bioaccumulates and bioconcentrates in the food chain. Mercury persists in the environment and is capable of being transported aerially far from its original source. Due to long-range transport, emissions in any country can contribute to deposition and risks in others. Hence, even areas with minimal natural or anthropogenic mercury release may be adversely affected by mercury risks. It is therefore significant to examine if nations address mercury risks sufficiently, to avoid them becoming global problems.
This thesis will identify the risks associated with using mercury in industrial products and processes. To do this, it is informed by Ulrich Beck’s ‘risk society’ theory. The aim of the thesis is to explore how mercury-associated risks are managed in two countries, Sweden and Australia, in order to limit negative consequences and to offer recommendations for better mercury risk management. The thesis examined Sweden and Australia’s ability to be organised in response to risks associated with mercury use, such as the extent to which Sweden and Australia have introduced alternatives to mercury products, or applied cleaner technologies to processes that utilise mercury. Further, the researcher explored if the two nations had set any specific national goals or legislation to minimise mercury release. The research methods for this research was a case study approach which involved document searching and primary data collection via in-depth interviews with key stakeholders from non-governmental organisations, governmental agencies, academic and research institutions and corporations.
Ulrich Beck outlines certain criteria that a society could encompass in order to be efficiently organised towards modern risks, this evaluation criteria was utilised to compare Sweden and Australia’s mercury risk management.
The results of the study identified several cultural, economic and social risks engendered in mercury applications. Further, the findings of this research show that both countries need to strive for more complete risk organisation to not affect others by their mercury use. Sweden and Australia are, to an extent, handling their mercury related risks. However, both countries need to improve in areas such as policy and information and education outreach in regard to mercury risks. This comparative study demonstrated Sweden has implemented more efforts to mitigate mercury-related risks than Australia. The thesis concludes with a series of recommendations to further improve mercury management in Sweden and Australia. For instance, both countries would benefit from greater legal restrictions. Sweden’s remaining uses of mercury in products and processes needs to be covered by a general ban. While in Australia, regulations are required, especially for mercury products such as thermometers and blood pressure gauges.
Sweden and Australia both continue to contribute mercury emissions to the global pool. As such, wildlife, people and the natural environment remain at risk from the mercury used in products and processes in both nations. The findings presented in this thesis point to the ways both countries could engage in a more effective organisation towards modern risks, such as mercury risks. The research makes a substantial contribution by providing insight into ways of managing other modern risks, such as other toxic chemicals. The study findings also contribute to the understanding of how other similar industrialised developed countries can manage their mercury use and risks.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)Griffith School of EnvironmentScience, Environment, Engineering and TechnologyFull Tex
Gender and Forest Management: Local Knowledge and Practice in Ampreng Village, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
No full textForests have important roles in mitigating the sources and the effects of climate change. Given the current concerns for increasing global warming, sustainable forest management has become more important than ever. Indonesia has one of the largest tropical forests in the world, but also experiences one of the highest rates of deforestation globally. Therefore, there is an urgent need to implement sustainable
forest management in Indonesia.
At the global level, gender equality in forest management is a crucial factor in achieving sustainable forest management goals which is to improve forest condition. However, women are often excluded from decision-making processes in forest management. Therefore increasing women‘s participation in forest governance is important, but gender equality in participating and applying local knowledge in forest
management is facing many obstacles in many countries, particularly in developing countries such as Indonesia.
Although since 2000 the Indonesian government has issued regulations on gender mainstreaming in all programs and stages of development but the actual implementation in terms of allowing equal access and control throughout program development and management is still weak. This is particularly the case in forestry development, but there has been little research conducted to examine women‘s participation in forest management in the country. To fill this gap, this study investigates gender differences that affect women‘s and men‘s local knowledge and rights in terms of access and control over forest management and its impact on forest condition in Indonesia.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)Griffith School of EnvironmentScience, Environment, Engineering and TechnologyFull Tex
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