Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy

Re-conceptualizing health and learning in terms of community resilience and enterprise : Table of Contents

Wendy L. Kraglund-Gauthier, Sue Folinsbee, B. Allan Quigley, Hélène Grégoire — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – Many Canadians presume their universal health care system provides equitable opportunity and access to health, yet this is not necessarily the case, especially for marginalized populations. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize how marginalized, yet resilient, communities are able to build capacity and contribute to their own learning about health. Design/methodology/approach – Environmental scan, state of the field review and community consultations on a national scale. Findings – For adults living in rural and remote areas that fall below health norms, health knowledge and care is often not enough to build capacity and support resilient communities. More learning needs to be done by all members of community and government. Practical implications – Consultations with selected members of marginalized populations and their service providers reveal a cross-community, cross-sector and cross-government focus on addressing the social determinants of health is needed to increase individual capacity. Originality/value – Consultations with community members and their service providers reveal rich information about the state of health and learning in selected areas across Canada. Using literature on health and learning as a framework, this paper discusses challenges and promising practices in terms of participants' abilities to sustain their own and their communities' health and learning.

Water and development in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia : Table of Contents

John R. Wagner, Kasondra White — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the history of water governance in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia and the challenges now facing the region as a consequence of rapid growth and global warming. The paper seeks to examine the possible benefits that might accrue from applying a distributed, multilevel approach to water governance in this and other settings. Design/methodology/approach – Interviews with over 100 fruit growers and ranchers and with ten water managers in the Okanagan Valley between 2005 and 2009 are conducted. Archival materials documenting the history of agriculture and irrigation in the valley are examined to provide historical depth to the study. An interdisciplinary review of theoretical literature on multilevel governance is conducted and also a comparative review of water governance systems in Canada and elsewhere. Findings – The evidence supports the conclusion that distributed, multilevel governance systems offer an effective means of managing water in diverse settings, and that they are preferable, for a variety of reasons, to top-down approaches that concentrate regulatory authority in state-level institutions. Practical implications – On a global scale, current water governance practices are proving inadequate to meet the challenges of increasing scarcity and competition. This paper describes a governance model that can be applied in many settings and which can help resolve conflict while facilitating sustainable management. Originality/value – This paper integrates empirical and theoretical material from a variety of disciplines and diverse physical settings to construct a model of water governance designed to facilitate the combined goals of ecological sustainability, affordability, and equitable access to water resources.

Enabling volunteer health planning capacity: a rural Canadian case study : Table of Contents

Maureen Coady — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine opportunities, resources, and capacity building supports that enable volunteer capacity to participate in localized health planning processes. Design/methodology/approach – A case study methodology is employed in this study. A range of qualitative research methods including focus groups, individual interviews, observation and document analysis is used to gather detailed data about the experience of the health volunteers. They engage in an in-depth analysis of this experience. A thematic analysis of volunteer accounts informs the explanation of the case and the study findings. Findings – The development of partnerships between health systems and communities is advocated as a means of enhancing overall community capacity to address priority health concerns, and to reduce escalating health care costs and inequities. The process of building health partnerships is complex, requiring extensive assessment of both health system and community readiness. Health volunteers have many capacities well suited to collaborative activity; these are more likely to find expression when barriers are minimized and facilitative conditions are maximized. The study finds that dialogue is a key mechanism for assessing community and system readiness, and for building trust and mutual understanding in such health partnerships. This case study introduces facilitated dialogue as a mechanism for assessing volunteer readiness and timely capacity building resources and supports, in line with the developmental needs of volunteers. Assessing health system readiness involves consideration of health system goals and definitions of participation, and overall commitment to developing and resourcing this kind of system-wide change where the outcomes are longer term in nature. This commitment entails training of health professionals in the relevant health promotion knowledge and skills. This extends to mobilizing, nurturing, and supporting volunteer capacity to work with the health system to make informed decisions about the health needs of their community. Research limitations/implications – A health system perspective on this question should be explored to identify other complex challenges associated with managing this kind of system-wide change. Practical implications – The paper provides detailed insights into the experience of health volunteers in a health planning context. These insights potentially inform concrete strategies for assessing community strengths and readiness, and for minimizing barriers to volunteer participation, particularly in a rural context. Originality/value – The paper provides insights about how health system structure and environmental processes can be adapted to create an environment conducive to community participation.

Changing paradigms?: Rural communities, agriculture, and corporate and civic models of development in Atlantic Canada : Table of Contents

Deborah Stiles, Greg Cameron — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine a model of corporate and civic communities as it relates to change in rural Atlantic Canada. The aim is to frame questions relevant to what appears to be a situation of changing paradigms. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is largely conceptual. An exploration of Lyson's model of corporate and civic communities, review of selected Atlantic Canada historiography, and preliminary findings of a research consultation offer understanding of the historical and changing paradigmatic terrain of rural communities and agriculture in Atlantic Canada. Selected issues, emerging from the literature as well as from a series of consultations held with farmers, rural non-profits, policy makers, businesses, agricultural groups and others, are examined in the context of the region's past and the corporate and civic models outlined by Lyson. Atlantic historiography is discussed in view of contemporary challenges, and questions relevant to change in the region are raised and framed. Findings – Increasingly vulnerable to a number of provincially, regionally, nationally and globally formulated challenges, Atlantic Canada's rural communities have been and are being reshaped, as is the agriculture being practiced within them. In the midst of these upheavals, a practice-policy “dis-connect” is making it unclear how alternative agricultural and rural community developmental paradigms might be actualized in the region. But some of these challenges are not new. Research limitations/implications – The research consultation is at the beginning stages, and thus results reported are speculative. Practical implications – Lessons from the Atlantic past, and Lyson's civic model, may provide guideposts toward a more ecologically-sound and economically-viable way for the future of rural communities and agriculture in the region. Originality/value – This paper raises key questions that take into account the region's rural past and changing paradigms pertaining to agriculture and rural communities.

Regime or coalition? Power relations and the urban agenda in Saint John, 1950-2000 : Table of Contents

Greg Marquis — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the forces and actors that shaped urban development in a mid-sized Canadian city over a half century. Design/methodology/approach – This case study adopts a qualitative research approach based on government documents, planning studies, the media and non-governmental organization sources to examine the applicability of regime theory versus growth coalition theory in the Canadian context. Findings – The paper concludes that the broader urban agenda in Saint John, with its focus on economic competitiveness, has been shaped by shifting growth coalitions supported by both the private and public sectors. Research limitations/implications – One limitation is that analysis is based mainly on documentary evidence and the public statements of elected officials and business interests. Future research would attempt to conduct oral interviews with representative informants. Practical implications – One practical implication for urban researchers is the need to look beyond electoral politics and partisanship in order to understand how urban development is shaped in the medium and long term. The research findings suggest also the need for informed citizens to adopt a more critical stance to business and political leaders, and to the local media, in their own communities. Originality/value – This paper is one of the few to address the politics of urban development in Saint John, New Brunswick's largest city. It also contributes to the literature on regionalism and mid-sized cities.

Self-employed craft production is embedded work : Table of Contents

L. Lynda Harling Stalker — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how self-employed craft producers are embedded in social relationships. Design/methodology/approach – To explore this question, narrative analysis and case study methodology is employed. Findings – It is found that despite doing work that speaks to local values, self-employed craft producers in Newfoundland narrate tensions that exist between themselves and locals. Originality/value – This paper takes on the notion of a “global village” where the local is no longer seen as important to work and labour. It contributes to the understanding of work as embedded within a place.

Harnessing cultural and human capital for economic sustainability: a New Brunswick model : Table of Contents

Tony Tremblay — Sat Oct 10 08:00:17 BST 2009

Abstract:
Purpose – What is the role of culture in economic development? Is there any hope for the local in the larger frame of the global? The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that culture plays in economic development and sustainability. To do that, the author examines the values underlying responsible government in Atlantic Canada in the early days of settlement, broadening to a consideration of how those values might apply today. Design/methodology/approach – Beginning with a brief history of neo-liberalism that roots globalization in sixteenth century mercantilism, this paper illustrates how economic development in Atlantic Canada and New Brunswick is sustained by attention to cultural and civic enterprise. Findings – This paper uses Benedict Anderson's theory of social narrative – that culture and other imaginative labours play a direct and important role in identity-formation – to suggest that a robust local identity is the raw material for economic vitality in enterprising communities. Research limitations/implications – This paper calls for a larger treatment. Because the topic is so large, the author can only skim the surface. Practical implications – This paper will be of interest to all politicians and policy makers faced with the challenge of retooling their economies in a time of globalization and market shift. Originality/value – This discussion of the role of culture in economic development and sustainability in Atlantic Canada, particularly New Brunswick, is timely and crucially given the recent collapse of the region's largely resource-based economy. The relationship between culture and economic sustainability will resonate for readers in various sectors and territories.