Introduction: Why Reflect Collectively on Capacities for Change?

Despite increasing awareness of the importance of wetland ecosystem services and an increase in the number of countries with policies aimed at preventing degradation and destruction of wetlands, effective protection and restoration is often constrained by the limited capacity of governmental and non-governmental organizations responsible for wetland management. This article defines capacity development in terms of the knowledge, skills and attitudes of people, and highlights the levels at which capacity development takes place: Individual, organisational and institutional. Capacity development is presented as a long-term, integrated process of collaborative and experiential learning by all stakeholders. A number of structured steps in the capacity development process is outlined: Assessment, during which gaps in capacity are identified; vision development, which describes the future goal of the capacity development effort; strategy development, which focuses on the specific interventions needed to achieve the vision; action planning and implementation; evaluation of impact, sustainability, relevance and effectiveness; and monitoring of the progress made. The article concludes with some recent examples of wetland capacity development initiatives.

This paper defines concepts of capacity and capacity development for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), and particularly the recent contributions made by a German government funded research programme in this area. Based on the theoretical framework of nested domains of capacity development, the multi-level approach, the paper reviews previous work in this field and then summarises four case studies in Ukraine, Jordan/Palestine, Mongolia and Uzbekistan, which each highlight key aspects of these different domains. These activities took place under completely different settings, allowing some generic lessons for conceptual and practical advancements to be derived. The paper notes the need to align IWRM processes and capacity development processes as much as possible. The multi-level approach was found to be an essential framework for the activities. The paper also recognises the need for continuous and long-term approaches in capacity development, particularly in processes for organisational and institutional change where no single set of guidelines or practices will fit every situation. Specific directions for future work are suggested, including a closer link to work on water governance, as well as monitoring and the evaluation of capacity development.

Social inclusion of ethno-cultural minorities is a global concern which an acknowledged backlash against multiculturalism challenges. In Australia, some politicians and sections of the media have fuelled this backlash against refugee and minority culture young people by portraying them as involved in public violence. This article explores intersectional youth engagement and social change action. A school-based intercultural understanding initiative in a regional Northern NSW government primary school demonstrates how building intersectional connections and engaging in social change action can address ethno-cultural prejudice and discrimination within the school and wider community. The case study highlights a social change initiative where Indigenous Australian and Yazidi primary school students, their families, and school staff go out On Country together to progress intersectional intercultural understanding, networking, reciprocity, and solidarity. This initiative aimed to promote intersectional social inclusiveness while respecting and supporting diversity. The Together For Humanity Foundation, a non-profit provider of holistic schools-based intercultural understanding programmes, provided the resources to support the school’s partnership initiative. Drawing on Lundy and Cuevas-Parra’s intersectional framework, this article analyses the outcomes of the project from the perspectives of students and teachers.

Auto Action Learning: a tool for policy change: Building capacity across the developing regional system to improve health in the North East of England

Social change is understood as a more or less rapid and comprehensive change of societal structures and institutions, including changes to the economic, technological, and cultural frameworks of a society (Calhoun, 1992). A case in point is the breakup or transformation of the former communist countries in Europe in the 1980s. The political transition to representative democracy included a profound change of the economic system to market capitalism, which was soon overlaid by the negative effects of globalization. Today, some 20 years after the event, we have a huge variation of political and economic transformations around the world. These transformations also include countries such as the United Kingdom or China that have undergone economic reforms without changes in the basics of the political system. Given that social change is evident at the macro level, it is also plausible to assume that such changes have an impact on individuals’ behavior and development. Until recently, however, such issues did not rank very high on the research agenda, at least not for psychology. This is the background to this Special Section, which brings together papers that investigate the effect of social change on the lives of individuals.

This paper assesses the impact of an innovative large‐scale action learning intervention on organizational development. It attempts to evaluate the degree of transformational change and resilience through capacity building which resulted following the intervention. It is important to note that the original specification for the intervention work did not delineate nor expect transformational change at an organizational level, but rather development and improved management capacity at an individual level. Our reflection on the research findings carried out as evaluative indicators, indicated that work undertaken as part of the intervention developed managers who thought and acted differently but also developed the organization's capacity to meet future external challenges. The paper addresses the question of how the results of the action learning intervention might generate significant organizational change. It concludes by considering the relationship of management development to organizational development and corporate transformation. Suggestions are offered about what is needed if organizational transformation is a stated aim for interventions specifically using action learning. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

The purpose of this research was to define, the practice domain of community-based child health nursing in light of widespread political, economic and social changes in Western Australia. The project was conducted by a group of nurse researchers with experience in child health nursing from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Curtin University and the Child and Adolescent Community Health Division at the Department of Health, Western Australia. The overall aim of the project was to map the scope of nursing practice in the community child health setting in Western Australia and to identify the decision making framework that underpins this nursing specialty. Given the widespread social, economic and health service management changes, it was important for nurses involved with, or contemplating a career in, community-based child health to have the role accurately defined. In addition, consumer expectations of the service needed to be explored within the current climate.A descriptive qualitative study was used for this project. A purposive sample of 60 participants was drawn from the pool of child health nurses in the South Metropolitan Community Health Service, North Metropolitan Health Service and Western Australian Country Health Service. Following ethical approval data was collected via participants keeping a 2-week work diary. The data was coded and thematic analysis was applied. Several themes emerged from the analysis which were validated by follow up focus group interviews with participants. This clearly demonstrated common, recurring issues. The results identified that the community-based child health nurses are currently undertaking a more complex and expanded child health service role for an increasingly diverse client population, over their traditional practices which are still maintained. Excessive workloads and lack of human and non human resources also presented challenges. There are increasing requirements for child health nurses to engage in community development and capacity building, often through a multidisciplinary partnership, which requires them to have sound brokerage and facilitation skills to enable community inclusion and inter-agency collaboration at the local level.The study has highlighted the importance and multifaceted nature of the role of the community-based child health nurse. To enable them to function optimally, the following suggestions/recommendations are offered. These being:More physical resources be allocated to communitybased child health nursingMore resources allocated to assist community-based child health nurses to support culturally and linguistically diverse familiesMapping of child health nurses’ workloadsThe development of community health client dependency rating criteria reflecting the social determinants of health in order for health service refinement of staffing allocations based on an acuity scaleSpecific staff development opportunities to reflect the increased workload complexityManagerial support for the implementation of formal clinical (reflective) supervisionAdditional clerical assistance with non-nursing duties.

The rise of home-returning women's entrepreneurship in China's rural development: Producing the enterprising self through empowerment, cooperation, and networking

This study investigates the impact of Employee Development and Transformational Leadership on Employee Performance, with Organizational Commitment serving as a mediating variable. The research was conducted among employees in the East Luwu Regency Government, focusing on how these key factors interact to influence performance outcomes. The novelty of this study lies in its comprehensive examination of Organizational Commitment as a pivotal mediator that enhances the effects of leadership and development practices on employee performance. Utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the study revealed that Transformational Leadership significantly boosts Organizational Commitment, which in turn, has a strong positive effect on Employee Performance. However, Employee Development's direct impact on performance was not significant, indicating that its influence is mediated through Organizational Commitment. These findings underscore the importance of fostering a supportive leadership environment and investing in development programs that cultivate commitment to drive higher performance.

Although international volunteerism has been a part of official development assistance for decades, the capacity development (CD) impacts of such programs in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) in the Global South have received scant attention. This article provides insights into the ways international volunteerism contributes to endogenous CD processes by analyzing survey and interview data collected from Australian volunteers and their host organizations in four countries. It shows that volunteers’ contributions can be usefully examined through the lens of Baser and Morgan’s framework of five core capabilities: to carry out tasks, to relate and attract support, to adapt and renew, to balance diversity and coherence, and to commit and engage. Although the voluntary nature of the relationship between host organization and volunteer can make CD impacts less predictable and controllable, it also affords time to explore and negotiate what contributions are most useful to an organization within a specific context.

This paper presents a case study of how technology support moved from being a just in time (JIT) help service to developing capability and capacity building through a process of building digital self-efficacy (DSE). By active membership of the UNSW Online Learning and Innovation Community of Practice (OLI CoP) a process of action learning cycles was undertaken in partnership to focus on pedagogy ahead of technology. By doing so, a scalable change process was initiated that brings the coalition of the willing into being core university influencers. As a result, the academics see technology become embedded into their pedagogical practice rather than a tool alone. This case provides insights from the key learnings which have, in turn, enabled a new model of technology support delivery. This model has also provided career growth opportunities for both academics and the educational technology services (ETS) team, while also supporting student learning.

New approaches to flood risk management will require new behaviours from a wide set of stakeholders and practitioners. Wide scale participation in planning and decision making can help achieve these new behaviours. There is a lack of practitioners with the skills to facilitate such participatory and integrated planning. An understanding of capacity building in relationship to urban flood management is developed in this chapter. Little empirical research has been conducted on the effectiveness of capacity building in the skills required to deliver the meaningful participation and integrated planning called for in recent shifts in policy, as in the European Union Water Framework Directive. This chapter develops a conceptual framework for new methods in capacity building using systems thinking principles. These were tested in action research in England. The research highlighted several key themes for effective capacity building: ??? Create an action learning approach??? Actively encourage reflective practice??? Develop peer networks and mentoring opportunities??? Create supportive conditions for learning??? Develop learning from participants??? own understandings??? Incorporate a diversity of approaches and perspectives??? Encourage a holistic view and working across scales??? Incorporate learning about systems thinking and sustainabilityThere is a clear need to develop new approaches to capacity building if integrated solutions for flood risk management are to be realised and implemented. Further challenges for capacity building are elaborated, including: developing effective mechanisms for sharing experience and pooling knowledge amongst practitioners and finding ways to encourage an open, yet critically reflective, approach to learning.

Despite their strong transnational links and support in the second half of the 1990s, Turkish NGOs have not yet had a “tremendous” impact on domestic political and social change. But new points of contact have been established in the public sphere between governmental agencies and the IHV and IHD, with both sides engaged in an argumentative process, which may, in the long run, lead to the subscriptive phase of “human rights talk” and deed. The general tenor of this essay may lend itself to suggesting two prerequisites for establishing such a sustainable human rights regime in this geography: the first is “capacity building”, the other is grounding this regime in an accurate perception of the structures of power, domestic and international, so as to “integrate” the human rights bundle into all aspects of life, at all levels, within all traditions and institutions by empowering the community into the language of human rights. Most of all, integration of human rights into a liberal democratic order requires coming to terms with the past. Capacity building can be defined in different terms: in the words of Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, it is “facing-up to the bullies.” It is a cliche that the legalistic entrenchment of human rights is sufficient guarantee against their violation. It is almost unrealistic to expect a system to volunteer to set up a human rights regime that will limit and cripple the power it wields. So, what to do? Mary Robinson suggests a “national plan,” as, opposed to fragmented political notions, building a sustainable model with strong bricks and mortar. As Robinson notes, “even where there are plans, plans without effective strategies for implementation are empty vessels.” We could add more: in contexts like Turkey where “special circumstances” provide the pretext for legitimating an anti-human rights discourse, Mary Robinson's national plan's chances of success depend on building a strong survival capacity for any civilian government that works to bring, itself, the urban middle classes, civil society and the military into the realities embedded in human rights.

Children and adolescents in low and middle income countries (LAMIC) constitute 35-50% of the population. Although the population in many such countries is predominantly rural, rapid urbanisation and social change is under way, with an increase in urban poverty and unemployment, which are risk factors for poor child and adolescent mental health (CAMH). There is a vast gap between CAMH needs (as measured through burden of disease estimates) and the availability of CAMH resources. The role of CAMH promotion and prevention can thus not be overestimated. However, the evidence base for affordable and effective interventions for promotion and prevention in LAMIC is limited. In this review, we briefly review the public health importance of CAM disorders in LAMIC and the specific issues related to risk and protective factors for these disorders. We describe a number of potential strategies for CAMH promotion which focus on building capacity in children and adolescents, in parents and families, in the school and health systems, and in the wider community, including structural interventions. Building capacity in CAMH must also focus on the detection and treatment of disorders for which the evidence base is somewhat stronger, and on wider public health strategies for prevention and promotion. In particular, capacity needs to be built across the health system, with particular foci on low-cost, universally available and accessible resources, and on empowerment of families and children. We also consider the role of formal teaching and training programmes, and the role for specialists in CAMH promotion.