The Relation Between Corporate Philanthropy and Territorial Development in Brazil: Mapping the Corporate Social Managers’ Perspectives

Research objective: To characterize and to discuss corporate social investment focused on territorial development in Brazil. Theoretical framework: Corporate philanthropy and corporate community relations. Methodology: Narrative approach based on a two-fold data collection strategy: semi-structured interviews and a focus group. Results: Three main narratives to make sense of the role of corporate social investment in fostering territorial development: (i) institutional capabilities and social participation; (ii) and aligning of corporate social investment to public policies; and (iii) shared value and social license to operate. Originality: A comprehensive understanding of the territorial approach for development projects implemented by corporate social investors in Brazil. Theoretical and practical contributions: Contributions to the literature about corporate philanthropy, corporate community relations and, about the territorial development agenda in Brazil. Practical implications on the roles and responsibilities of businesses and its impacts on territorial development and, on the other hand, of the corporate social investor and its contribution to the development of the localities where a company operates.

Determinants of Financial Capability: A Situational Analysis for Namibia

It is imperative that if the poor in society benefit from the massive developments in the financial sector, then such a sector must be genuinely inclusive. It should meet the needs of all citizens with the potential to use such financial services productively. This paper scopes financial inclusivity as a process ensuring ease of access, availability, and usage of financial services by all members of society. To reduce socio-economic inequality, the poor in developing countries, like everyone else, need access to a wide range of financial services that are convenient, flexible, and reasonably priced. Therefore, financial inclusivity is sought to be significant towards the global development agenda as a tool for increasing the poor’s access to financial services, often cited as a mechanism that can help reduce poverty and lower income inequality. For many years, microfinance has been heralded as a mechanism for enhancing financial inclusion. It provides an avenue through which the marginalized and the poor can access and benefit from the formal financial system. Moreover, financial inclusivity is substantially evident in the rural areas among the poor, who have no collateral or credit history for participating in the legal financial system. As a result, financial inclusion is receiving increased attention as an essential tool for reducing aspects of socio-economic inequality characterized by the isolation of individuals and communities from formal financial services, like affordable and accessible credit.

Participatory Mapping for Strengthening Environmental Governance on Socio-Ecological Impacts of Infrastructure in the Amazon: Lessons to Improve Tools and Strategies

The Amazon region has been viewed as a source of economic growth based on extractive industry and large-scale infrastructure development endeavors, such as roads, dams, oil and gas pipelines and mining. International and national policies advocating for the development of the Amazon often conflict with the environmental sector tasked with conserving its unique ecosystems and peoples through a sustainable development agenda. New practices of environmental governance can help mitigate adverse socio-economic and ecological effects. For example, forming a “community of practice and learning” (CoP-L) is an approach for improving governance via collaboration and knowledge exchange. The Governance and Infrastructure in the Amazon (GIA) project, in which this study is embedded, has proposed that fostering a CoP-L on tools and strategies to improve infrastructure governance can serve as a mechanism to promote learning and action on factors related to governance effectiveness. A particular tool used by the GIA project for generating and sharing knowledge has been participatory mapping (Pmap). This study analyzes Pmap exercises conducted through workshops in four different Amazonian regions. The goal of Pmap was to capture different perspectives from stakeholders based on their experiences and interests to visualize and reflect on (1) areas of value, (2) areas of concern and (3) recommended actions related to reducing impacts of infrastructure development and improvement of governance processes. We used a mixed-methods approach to explore textual analysis, regional multi-iteration discussion with stakeholders, participatory mapping and integration with ancillary geospatial datasets. We believe that by sharing local-knowledge-driven data and strengthening multi-actor dialogue and collaboration, this novel approach can improve day to day practices of CoP-L members and, therefore, the transparency of infrastructure planning and good governance.

Stabilizing Reforms As a Factor for the Development of the Republic of Indonesia

As a member of the G20, the Republic of Indonesia has huge economic power. It occupies the first place in the Southeast Asia region and the fifth place in the world in terms of economic growth rate, which reached 10.5% in 2019. From this point of view, Indonesia is an industrial country enjoying steady economic growth. Under the leadership of President Joko Widodo, the Indonesian government has implemented a number of economic reforms, the most important of which is the establishment of 19 programmes as priorities for the development agenda, which includes human resources development, building infrastructure, including new capital, increasing interconnectedness via the Maritime Highway Programme, village development, and enabling ending and sector improvement taxes through the tax amnesty programme. Despite some decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the performance of the Indonesian economy was better in 2020 than that of some other countries in the ASEAN region, and member countries of the G20 experienced a deeper contraction. In that period, Indonesia’s economy achieved a growth rate of 2.07%, and the World Bank boosted Indonesia’s rating within the upper middle-income countries for its success in achieving an overall increase in national income per capita from $3,840 to $4,050.

Co-production of knowledge and transformative learning towards a sustainable Asia

In Asia, sustainable development has yet to find its critical mass. Non-state actors have the opportunity to catalyse change by awakening their collective consciousness through mutual learning and shared experiences. Initiated by Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS) in Yogyakarta, a civic engagement project—involving partners and networks in Southeast Asia and Japan—was created to capture sustainable development initiatives from the ground, with a view towards strategic policy advocacy for a more sustainable Asia. The project aimed to bridge knowledge gaps by bringing together all relevant state and societal stakeholders to learn from one another and share their experiences, stories and narratives about change and self-transformation. Through a series of workshops, focus group discussions (FGDs), NGO fora and mayors’ symposia since 2015, the project resulted in an accumulation of knowledge that has the potential to galvanise the various efforts to push the sustainable development agenda forward on the ground. The collaboration of many partners and relevant stakeholders overall met its intended outcome by generating an ad hoc centre for the co-production of knowledge on sustainability and a “transformative learning” (Mezirow, 1991) platform. This was achieved by acknowledging the existence of various systems of knowledge, disciplines, and occupations while appreciating the tacit knowledge and unique insights coming from all participating partners, including the mayors, regents and local officials, and their civil society counterparts.

Oceanic imaginaries in film and development: lenses of collaboration

<p>Cultural expression and culture have informed the formulation of development outcomes and processes, with varying success. Historically, this has occurred incidentally to mainstream development priorities such as primary education and health, and food security. In recent decades have, however, international institutions have come to recognise the importance of culture to development both as an area of development as well as something which informs development planning and processes. Often, the cultural development agenda, where driven by institutions, has been largely for instrumental purposes. Thus far, there has been an emphasis in research on the relative absence of culture from development definitions and processes. This thesis investigates the ways that film and film-making processes are contributing to a range of social and cultural outcomes in Oceania, and how these processes could be envisaged as contributing to a broader cultural development agenda. Using qualitative methods, this research examines how the regional imaginary is being practiced in different ways by film communities by drawing on several film projects across the region. This is couched in a discussion which examines the role of indigenous film as part of the global decolonisation agenda. It also highlights the importance of film as a means of decolonising identities and social practice. This research reveals the diverse motivations for collaborative kinships in film. These in turn demonstrate how understandings of relationships between individuals and communities can be enable horizontal development. This demonstrates the tension between dominant understandings of development and regionalism. This research also highlights how film kinships, informed by regional connections, are collaborating to grow film-making in Oceania. Using an intersectional framework drawing on scholarship from post-development theory and Pacific Studies, this research seeks to broaden the way that development is framed and practiced. While it is critical of some mainstream development tendencies – in policy formulation and practice – this research seeks to highlight how diverse and numerousapproaches are important. This research draws together an analysis of collaboration in film practice and endeavours to address inequalities in voice and representation of Oceanian peoples in film. It shows the contribution that film can make to expansive understandings of development in Oceania.</p>

Oceanic imaginaries in film and development: lenses of collaboration

<p>Cultural expression and culture have informed the formulation of development outcomes and processes, with varying success. Historically, this has occurred incidentally to mainstream development priorities such as primary education and health, and food security. In recent decades have, however, international institutions have come to recognise the importance of culture to development both as an area of development as well as something which informs development planning and processes. Often, the cultural development agenda, where driven by institutions, has been largely for instrumental purposes. Thus far, there has been an emphasis in research on the relative absence of culture from development definitions and processes. This thesis investigates the ways that film and film-making processes are contributing to a range of social and cultural outcomes in Oceania, and how these processes could be envisaged as contributing to a broader cultural development agenda. Using qualitative methods, this research examines how the regional imaginary is being practiced in different ways by film communities by drawing on several film projects across the region. This is couched in a discussion which examines the role of indigenous film as part of the global decolonisation agenda. It also highlights the importance of film as a means of decolonising identities and social practice. This research reveals the diverse motivations for collaborative kinships in film. These in turn demonstrate how understandings of relationships between individuals and communities can be enable horizontal development. This demonstrates the tension between dominant understandings of development and regionalism. This research also highlights how film kinships, informed by regional connections, are collaborating to grow film-making in Oceania. Using an intersectional framework drawing on scholarship from post-development theory and Pacific Studies, this research seeks to broaden the way that development is framed and practiced. While it is critical of some mainstream development tendencies – in policy formulation and practice – this research seeks to highlight how diverse and numerousapproaches are important. This research draws together an analysis of collaboration in film practice and endeavours to address inequalities in voice and representation of Oceanian peoples in film. It shows the contribution that film can make to expansive understandings of development in Oceania.</p>

Social Mobility in Developing Countries

The book distils our multidisciplinary investigation into social mobility, with this concluding chapter weaving together the research strands into coherent policy suggestions. Three sets of motivations guided our research work: identifying knowledge gaps; innovations and improvements in research practice; using the findings to craft social mobility policy advice, particularly in developing country settings. The concluding chapter synthesizes some of the key learnings in relation to these three guiding motivations. Investing in social mobility through policy investments ought to be a very important part of any future development agenda. A belief has prevailed that a country’s GNP must grow first before the problems of the poor can be addressed. We suggest that this logic be turned on its head via countries investing in social mobility for their entire populations, not just those with access to education, healthcare, etc. Growth and social justice can be promoted by well-designed policy tools.

Social representations of the Arab youth: Factors and trends of regional development

The article examines the situation in the Middle East and North Africa region (the so-called Afrasian arc of instability) in the context of the social representations of the local youth. Based on the empirical study conducted with the authors method, the authors assess the youths ideas about the most important factors for the effective social-political development of the region. The research methodology is based on the analysis of 12 trends that determine the regional development in the Arab East. The study allowed to assess the social-political potential of the Arab youth as a specific and influential demographic group ready to contribute to the development agenda for the Arab East. The authors identify the Arab youths social preferences regarding the main development trends in the region; show that in the political struggle, young people do not act alone, their aspirations are closely intertwined with national goals; prove that there is an active search for ways out of the economic crisis, for strengthening national sovereignty and ensuring peace and security. All these problems have become urgent in recent years in the Middle East region for a number of its countries strives to solve difficult problems of overcoming the destructive impact of the Arab Spring. The article presents the youth priority requests such as demands for the quality legal relations, developing national idea, and ensuring national security by strengthening military force and possessing weapons of restraint. One of the basic preferences of the Arab youth is preserving sovereignty, reducing external influences and creating a strong alliance of the Middle Eastern states. Rapprochement with leading world powers and regional associations (named as West, East and Russia) seems to be on the periphery of the Arab youth interests.

Reimagining Play

Sabah Khan’s essay is an intersectional recount, of how football has been instrumental in enabling young Muslim women from a ghettoized suburb of Mumbai to engage with community and society imposed boundaries, illustrating the sports-for-development agenda. This engaging chapter serves as an illustration of the possibilities inherent in sport for enabling women, especially from disadvantaged and vulnerable communities to overcome social restrictions as well as patriarchal, gender-specific norms of dress and behaviour. The author describes her engagement with a group of women in the outskirts of Mumbai in their struggle to play, to stake claim to a public space and to participate in an activity that community and society do not view as being appropriate for women. The chapter serves to point to the many ways the study of sport and its participants may assist in the exploration of how change may occur in increments.