scholarly journals Whose Journey to Self-Reliance? Participation in the Journey to Self-Reliance and the Land-Grant Imaginary

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 7-14
Author(s):  
Lia Kelinsky-Jones ◽  
Kim Niewolny
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Agricultural Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Land Grant ◽  
Land Grant Universities ◽  
Self Reliance

Land-grant university and civil society development actors have long partnered with local and global communities to eliminate food insecurity. Despite the common aim of addressing food insecurity as a wicked problem, their approaches and designs differ in scope and scale. Similarly, levels of local stakeholder participation in agricultural development historically vary reflecting the complexity in relinquishing hierarchal decision-making power. In this pilot study, we investigated how participation is framed within the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) policy, “The Journey to Self-Reliance”. Subsequently, we sought to understand the implications of this framing on land-grant universities’ agricultural development aims in addressing global food security. We drew upon Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis and Pretty’s typology of participation in sustainable agriculture to analyze the inaugural speech launching the policy framework by the former USAID administrator. We also held two focus groups with development actors at two land-grant universities. Findings indicate local participation of governments, citizens, and civil society to be important. However, governmental participation may be contingent on accountability to both USAID and the private sector indicating an increased commitment to neoliberal ideology. The focus group themes identify self- reliance and its journey as prescriptive and at times, neocolonial, raising questions about participatory possibilities. The final theme illustrates land-grant praxis from participants as they advance visions for centering local partner needs through more equitable decision-making and resource sharing. We conclude with considerations for future research to more deeply understand the implications of “The Journey to Self-Reliance” policy through a CDA lens Keywords: Agro-ecology, Extension, Theory and Practice, Qualitative Research, Community Development

Contingency Management Programs in Corrections: Another Panacea?

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Gendreau ◽  
Shelley J. Listwan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Contingency Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Corrections ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Track Record ◽  
Highly Skilled ◽  
Skilled Staff

The mantra of best practices in corrections, while well intended, may lead to iatrogenic consequences. Community corrections and prisons are under increasing pressures to manage their caseloads; moreover, the current accountability and get-tough agenda in corrections demands offenders take on more responsibility for their behaviors. As a consequence, we predict more episodes of “panaceaphilia” or quick fix solutions because corrections jurisdictions in the United States are under tremendous pressure to handle their populations at this point in time. In this article, we focus on contingency management programs as the potential next panacea, not because they do not have a proven track record of success, but because they require highly skilled staff and make great demands upon correctional agencies’ decision-making practices. To help counteract panaceaphilia from happening with contingency management, we describe the theory and practice of contingency management, the demands they place on programmers, the type of research needed to evaluate their effectiveness, and how to prevent these programs from turning into punitive punishment regimes.

Rural Sociology

Sociology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Garcia ◽  
Linda Lobao
Keyword(s):  
Rural Poverty ◽  
Institutional Development ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rural Sociology ◽  
Land Grant ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Sociological Research ◽  
Land Grant Universities ◽  
Colleges Of Agriculture ◽  
Sociology Departments

Rural sociology is a unique area of sociological inquiry. Its institutional development leaves it perhaps the most independent of all sociological subfields. Rural sociology in the United States emerged in the early 20th century when federal funding was earmarked to the land grant universities (public universities) to study and assist the farm population. Separate “rural” sociology departments appeared gradually within colleges of agriculture that paralleled the substantive areas found in general sociology departments. Thus, one finds in rural sociology a replication of many core areas in general sociology but with a rural twist—inequality, demography, work/labor markets, race/ethnicity, gender, community, and so forth. Over time, additional rural-oriented specialty areas emerged, notably the sociology of agriculture and natural resource/environmental sociology. Rural sociology has also expanded globally. As a consequence, the substantive scope of contemporary research is large and varied. What knits the work together is a focus on the geographic periphery, that is, the places, populations, and forms of social activity found in rural areas globally which has provided boundary and meaning to the field. In addition to its broad substantive scope, rural sociology is characterized by a distinct research approach. Research tends to be comparative: rural places and populations are often set in contrast with regard to their urban counterparts to ascertain similarities and differences. In this way, rural sociological research is often said to challenge the urban bias of general sociology. Disciplinary practice is also distinct. While there are few departments with rural sociology in their name today, courses and specializations in the field are found across many land grant universities. There is a long tradition of cross-disciplinary linkages particularly with agricultural economics, the environmental sciences, and more recently geography. Rural sociologists have been highly active in federal, state, and local public policy circles and in public sociology efforts that contribute to community development, sustainable agricultural and food systems, and social and environmental justice. In terms of work in the profession, rural sociologists also work outside of colleges of agriculture, within government agencies, international development agencies, and across governmental and non-governmental institutions. Although rural populations will continue to decline globally, there is reason to think that rural sociology will have broad influence in the future because the research areas it encompasses are of growing interest to social scientists, policymakers, and the public at large. Issues addressed by rural sociologists pertaining to the sustainability of the food system, climate/environmental change, and rural poverty are among the most pressing public concerns today.

scholarly journals Addressing Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture and Natural Resources: Barriers and Priorities for Land-Grant Universities in the Northeastern United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 591-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Tobin ◽  
Rama Radhakrishna ◽  
Allison Chatrchyan ◽  
Shorna B. Allred
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Research Training ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
The United States ◽  
Land Grant ◽  
Land Grant Universities ◽  
Climate Change Research

Abstract Climate change has serious implications for agricultural production, natural resource management, and food security. In the United States, land-grant universities and the U.S. Cooperative Extension System have a critical role to play in conducting basic and applied research related to climate change and translating findings into meaningful programming. However, land-grant universities and Extension have had difficulty maintaining their roles as the preeminent source of trusted information on complex topics like climate change. To help guide research and programming agendas of land-grant universities, the authors explored the barriers and priorities that researchers and Extension personnel at 16 northeastern land-grant universities perceive as they pursue climate change research and programming. Through an online survey, respondents indicated their perceptions of barriers related to information, workplace, and target audiences as well as the priorities they perceived as most important for land-grant universities to pursue. Statistical analysis indicated that lack of funding, lack of time, lack of locally relevant climate information, and challenges with target audiences were among the most critical barriers. In terms of future priorities, respondents indicated securing funding for applied research, training Extension educators, and developing locally relevant decision support tools as the most important activities northeastern land-grant universities can undertake. Based on these findings, this study concludes that land-grant universities will need to strategically pursue research and educational programming on climate change in ways that integrate research and Extension and simultaneously address climate change and other concerns of land managers.

THE LAND-GRANT SYSTEM AND THE MILK SANITATION PROGRAM1

1962 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 211-212
Author(s):  
V. H. Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
International Association ◽  
The United States ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Land Grant ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Land Grant Universities ◽  
Essential Requirement ◽  
College System ◽  
High Standards ◽  
Milk And Dairy Products

The Centennial of the Land-Grant college system is fittingly observed by the International Association of Milk and Food Sanitarians as it will be by many other professional and scientific groups. Much of the initiative to establish systematic and uniform procedures in the examination of milk products and many contributions to the scientific basis for a sound milk sanitation program came from workers in Land-Grant universities. Through their academic and extension teaching, the Land-Grant universities created a force of industry workers, milk sanitarians and dairy farmers who together elaborated and enforced the high standards of milk sanitation which give consumers of milk and dairy products in the United States protection unequalled in the world and which is an essential requirement for the success of our milk industry.

scholarly journals The Rising Tide of Outreach and Engagement in State and Land-Grant Universities in the United States: What are the Implications for University Continuing Education Units in Canada?

2013 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott McLean ◽  
Gordon Thompson ◽  
Peter Jonker
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Continuing Education ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
The United States ◽  
Land Grant ◽  
Land Grant Universities ◽  
American Universities ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ernest Boyer ◽  
University Continuing Education

In this paper, we describe the outreach and engagement movement in the United States and explore the implications of this movement for university continuing education units in Canada. Across the United States, major universities have adopted the vocabulary of “outreach and engagement” to foster a shift in the relationships of those universities with communities and organizations beyond the traditional boundaries of the institution. This vocabulary has its roots in the work of Ernest Boyer (1990, 1996) and the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities (1999, 2000). In the past decade, many American universities have adopted new leadership and organizational structures to make an operational commitment to outreach and engagement. In Canada, university continuing education units have traditionally been involved in activities that fit within the concept of outreach and engagement, and leaders of such units should consider the implications of the outreach and engagement movement.

scholarly journals Assessing the 2004 Campaign Websites: The Role of the Internet in Elections and Civil Society

2005 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Kenneth S. Coggeshall ◽  
Alexandra Michael ◽  
Shweta Bhatnagar ◽  
Patricia D. Moynihan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Support ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Campaigns ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Initial Correlation ◽  
The Face

The Internet is changing the face of political campaigns in the United States; not since the introduction of television have the tools used to communicate with the electorate changed so notably. This study uses the 2004 campaign websites created by the Democratic primary candidates and President George W. Bush to evaluate both the ways in which websites can help voters participate in democratic decision-making, and the ways in which websites may help candidates gain public support. We find that, given a list of 41 criteria deemed important to an informative, participatory and easy to use website, the average candidate's site earned just over half the possible points. Still, initial correlation analyses suggest that better websites may mean more votes on Election Day.

Adapting Coercion: How Three Industrialized Nations Manufacture Vaccination Compliance

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 823-854
Author(s):  
Charles Allan McCoy
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Wicked Problem ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Vaccination Policy ◽  
Industrialized Nations ◽  
Comparative Historical Analysis ◽  
Path Dependent

Abstract Context: This research examines the development of vaccination policy in Britain, the United States, and Australia to begin to understand the different forms of coercion that industrialized states utilize to achieve vaccination compliance from the majority of their citizens. Methods: This research applies a comparative-historical analysis of the three countries listed, using a combination of primary and secondary documents. Findings: The different degrees of compulsion in the vaccination policies of Britain, the United States, and Australia is explained through an analysis of the path-dependent ways that each nation adapted coercion in response to civil society resistance. Each nation has moved up and down a continuum of coercion searching for a policy that balances overcoming passive noncompliance without engendering active resistance. Arriving at different balancing points between these two objectives, the three nations have now institutionalized policies with different degrees of coercion. Conclusions: This research shows that vaccination policy is not just created top-down by the state, but through an ongoing interactive process with citizens and civil society. Furthermore, as vaccination is a “wicked problem” that faces ongoing civil society resistance, states will need to perpetually adapt the coerciveness of their policies into the foreseeable future.

scholarly journals FOOD INSECURITY AND PROGRAMS TO ALLEVIATE IT: WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE HAVE YET TO LEARN

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
PATRICIA A. DUFFY ◽  
CLAIRE A. ZIZZA
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Household Decision ◽  
Household Decision Making ◽  
Decision Making Model

AbstractFourteen percent of households in the United States faced some level of food insecurity in 2014. This study provides a review of the state of knowledge on food insecurity in the United States and the programs designed to combat the problem. A household decision-making model is used to frame the discussion. The study also provides suggestions for future research.

The United States and the Iranian Nuclear Programme

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Hurst
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Domestic Politics ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nixon Administration ◽  
Comprehensive Plan ◽  
The Us ◽  
Nuclear Issue ◽  
The Relationship

The United States, Iran and the Bomb provides the first comprehensive analysis of the US-Iranian nuclear relationship from its origins through to the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. Starting with the Nixon administration in the 1970s, it analyses the policies of successive US administrations toward the Iranian nuclear programme. Emphasizing the centrality of domestic politics to decision-making on both sides, it offers both an explanation of the evolution of the relationship and a critique of successive US administrations' efforts to halt the Iranian nuclear programme, with neither coercive measures nor inducements effectively applied. The book further argues that factional politics inside Iran played a crucial role in Iranian nuclear decision-making and that American policy tended to reinforce the position of Iranian hardliners and undermine that of those who were prepared to compromise on the nuclear issue. In the final chapter it demonstrates how President Obama's alterations to American strategy, accompanied by shifts in Iranian domestic politics, finally brought about the signing of the JCPOA in 2015.

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