Social representations of governance for change towards sustainability: perspectives of sustainability advocates

There is a substantial body of literature on public understandings of large-scale ‘environmental’ phenomena such as climate change and resource degradation. At the same time, political science and economics analyse the governance arrangements to deal with such issues. These realms of research rarely meet: there has been little research into people’s understandings of the governance of environmental change. This study adds a psychological perspective to governance research by investigating social representations of governance that promotes societal change towards sustainability, and related practices. It examines data from qualitative interviews with sustainability-interested people in seven European countries (n = 105). The analysis identified building blocks of representations suitable as an analytical framework for future research on governance representations. The diversity of their content reflected a range of pathways to societal change. Representations often seemed to have a creative function as a guiding vision for individuals’ own practices, but their wider transformative potential was constrained.     

Identifying and mapping community vulnerability

Disaster vulnerability is socially constructed, i.e., it arises out of the social and economic circumstances of everyday living. Most often discussed from the perspective of developing nations, this article extends the argument using American demographic trends. Examples from recent disasters, Hurricane Andrew in particular, illustrate how certain categories of people, such as the poor, the elderly, women-headed households and recent residents, are at greater risk throughout the disaster response process. Knowledge of where these groups are concentrated within communities and the general nature of their circumstances is an important step towards effective emergency management. Emergency planners, policy-makers and responding organisations are encouraged to identify and locate high-risk sectors on Community Vulnerability Maps, integrating this information into GIS systems where feasible. Effective disaster management calls for aggressively involving these neighbourhoods and groups at all levels of planning and response, as well as mitigation efforts that address the root causes of vulnerability.     

基于复合治理理论的基层应急管理模式优化*

为弥补传统基层应急管理模式的短板，解决信息壁垒、协调困难、公众参与不足等问题。从复合性视角出发，阐述复合治理理论内涵，探讨复合治理与应急管理在主体、思维、过程、空间、目标上的契合性，并进一步分析基层应急管理的现实背景和困境，进而构建基于复合治理理论的基层应急管理模式，阐明模式基本结构和工作流程，最终提出理念树立、平台搭建、机制保障、队伍建设、制度安排、文化营造、技术支撑方面的优化路径。结果表明:复合治理理论的应用可以加强基层应急管理能力，促进多元主体协同共治。     

提高基层班组JSA质量的管理实践

工作安全分析(简称JSA)作为有效的危害识别和风险控制工具被广泛使用,但基层班组员工所做JSA的质量一直不高,具体表现为员工虽然清楚JSA的各个环节,却不能高质量的完成.尽管这在一定程度上与基层员工文化素质低,文字表达能力差有关,但也是管理者缺乏具体和优秀的指导所致.针对实施JSA的各个环节,分析制约质量提升的具体原因,以标准规范为基础提出具体可行的改进措施,实施效果良好.     

The role of learning in sustainable communities of practice

This paper adds to the literature on skills for sustainable communities by examining the role and processes of learning in “communities of practice” that exist within a “grassroots association”. Interviews were conducted with participants in the communities of practice of a student group called Green Action, which engages with environmental issues in practical ways. The findings demonstrate how learning occurred in the communities of practice, how participants gained skills and knowledge for sustainable consumption, and how learning in the communities of practice appeared to help Green Action to sustain itself in the long-term. This paper could serve as a useful demonstration to others as to how to apply the theories and concepts from the literature on communities of practice when researching skills and knowledge for sustainable communities. It also has some value for grassroots associations themselves in understanding their own activities.     

Overcoming socio-ecological vulnerability through community-based social learning: the case of Lomba do Pinheiro in Porto Alegre,Brazil

ABSTRACT

Community-based initiatives and collective learning practices are key themes in sustainability transition processes. This paper presents the results of a participatory study that investigated a local initiative in the community of Lomba do Pinheiro in south Brazil to examine social learning processes in the context of socio-ecological vulnerability. In this community, a group composed of local residents and members representing the public sector and local educational institutions has promoted several learning-oriented actions aimed at restoring a degraded local watershed and improving residents’ livelihoods. This study used social learning as a lens through which the initiative enacted by this group may be understood, and analysed how local conditions, determined by a context of vulnerability, have influenced local processes. We applied a multi-dimensional analytical framework that included individual, collective, and territorial dimensions. The analysis focused on the leading group, the individuals who comprise it, and their actions in the territory, while considering local constraints. Our findings highlight the importance of (1) shared values, mutual trust, and affective bonds for group cohesion as well as concerted action, equalisation of diverse languages within the group, knowledge integration, and initiative persistence; (2) a practical-reflexive approach based on a sequence of actions that catalyses group learning and facilitates advancement within the wider community; and (3) the role of inter-sectoral articulations and the establishment of partnerships to support actions. This paper raises questions about the limits of an exclusively bottom-up approach to solve complex problems in the context of extremely precarious conditions.     

基层应急体系现状调查分析

通过发放调查问卷和实地走访的形式,对基层应急体系存在的问题做出详细的分析,发现其应急预案体系、人员队伍及公众的培训教育、应急物资储备及应急管理社会参与程度都存在很多的不足,并提出完善预案体系、组织管理体系和推进应急队伍建设、应急物资建设、公众的教育培训和强化防灾应急演练及防灾减灾活动等相应的具体措施,从而全方位稳步推进基层应急体系的建设。     

新体制下我国基层防震减灾工作研究——以天津市为例

为了深入分析和研究新体制下我国基层防震减灾工作的具体思路,采用文献检索、实地调研、对比分析等方法，对以天津市为代表的基层防震减灾工作机构的改革现状、工作特点和存在问题等进行分析研究，并结合工作实际，提出新体制下基层防震减灾工作管理体系框架，并有针对性地提出具体工作建议，研究成果对进一步加强应急管理新体制下的地震基层工作具有一定的实践指导意义。     

环境监测站质量管理工作存在问题

环境监测是环境保护的支撑,文章分析了基层环境监测单位质量管理工作存在的问题,探讨其改进方法。     

Improving Access to Water Resources through Rainwater Harvesting as A Mitigation Measure: The Case of the Brazilian Semi-Arid Region

This paper focuses on the importance of rainwater harvesting to mitigate the scarcity of water in the semi-arid region of Brazil. It is a case study about the Million Cisterns Project, an initiative developed by NGOs with the support of Brazilian Federal Government Institutions and international funding organizations. The project is innovative in a series of ways when compared to mitigation measures previously implemented by the government. Instead of focussing on short-term, top-down, palliative measures based on the construction of dams and wells, it focuses on low cost, bottom-up, long-term measures and, most importantly, it involves an educational component. Thus, the provision of water is closely related to the empowerment of the most destitute population and this leads to the sustainability of the actions. The case study serves to illustrate the relevance of the partnership between grassroots organizations and governmental institutions in the context of mitigation.