"The purpose of this Learning Brief is to share key lessons to inform future efforts to effect systems-level change in humanitarian response, seeking to create positive transformational change. Given that transformation is an unfolding, open-ended process, we acknowledge that our learning is an ongo
...
ing journey. Our key lessons derive from the systems impact assessment of the Renewable Energy for Refugees (RE4R) project, supported by the IKEA Foundation and implemented in a partnership between Practical Action and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency between April 2017 and February 2022. RE4R sought to reshape global humanitarian response to adopt (and adapt) market-based renewable energy (RE) models demonstrated in three refugee camps and host communities in Rwanda and the city of Irbid in Jordan. In addition to providing sustainable, efficient, affordable, and reliable RE solutions for refugees, host communities, and institutions in humanitarian settings, the market-based RE approaches piloted by RE4R sought to provide long-term economic improvement for target populations." (Introduction)
more
"The book answers two interrelated questions: how media and communication reality changed during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how media and communication were effectively studied during this time. The book presents changes in media and communication in three areas: media production,
...
media content and media usage contexts. It then describes the theoretical and practical, methodological, technical, organizational, and ethical challenges in conducting research in circumstances of sudden change in research conditions, emergency situations and developing crises. Drawing on various theoretical studies and empirical research, the volume illustrates the principles and results of applying diverse research methods to the changing role of media in a pandemic and offers good practices and guidance to address the problems in implementing research projects in a time of sudden difficulties and challenges." (Publisher description)
more
"The aim of this review is to identify and describe the available literature on effective social media–based behavior change interventions within low- and middle-income countries [...] Results: We identified 1832 studies, of which 108 (5.89%) passed title-abstract review and were evaluated by full
...
-text review. In all, 30.6% (33/108) were included in the final analysis. Although 22 studies concluded that the social media intervention was effective, only 13 quantified the level of social media engagement, of which, few used theory (n=8) or a conceptual model (n=5) of behavior change. Conclusions: We identified gaps in the settings of interventions, types and sectors of interventions, length of follow-up, evaluation techniques, use of theoretical and conceptual models, and discussions of the privacy implications of social media use." (Abstract)
more
"Adoption of innovative technologies is central to improving agricultural productivity. Farmers in developing countries rely heavily on social learning in adopting new technologies. Barriers to social learning such as heterogeneity or social fragmentation can therefore limit technology adoption and
...
consequently stunt productivity growth. Can mass communication play a role in spurring technology adoption and productivity growth particularly when there are significant barriers to social learning? To answer this question empirically, I examine how the introduction of regional farm radio broadcasts impacted the adoption of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of rice and wheat during the Green Revolution in India. To identify the causal impact of regional farm radio broadcasts, namely, dissemination agro-climate-specific information about HYVs through radio, on the adoption of the HYVs, I exploit the staggered expansion of the regional radio stations across the country. Using an annual district-level administrative dataset from 1966 to 1978, I find that introduction of regional farm radio broadcasts led to a persistent increase in the adoption of HYVs of rice, a spatially heterogeneous technology not amenable to social learning. The impact on adoption, measured as percent of the gross cropped area under HYVs was 2.4 percentage points, which is approximately 25% of the average increase in adoption over the period and close to 0.3 standard deviations. By contrast, there was at most a transient impact on the adoption of HYVs of wheat, a spatially homogeneous technology with a lot of scope for social learning. Importantly, I find that the regional farm radio broadcasts increased rice yields by 15%, a magnitude potentially large enough to justify the investments in the expansion of the regional radio network. Overall, this paper demonstrates that mass communication can indeed play a key role in diffusing profitable agricultural innovations when there are significant barriers to social learning." (Abstract)
more
"Existing research on factors informing public perceptions of expert trustworthiness was largely conducted during stable periods and in longestablished Western liberal democracies. This article asks whether the same factors apply during a major health crisis and in relatively new democracies. Drawin
...
g on 120 interviews and diaries conducted during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Serbia, we identify two additional factors not acknowledged in existing research, namely personal contact with experts and experts’ independence from political elites. We also examine how different factors interact and show how distrust of experts can lead to exposure to online misinformation." (Abstract)
more
"Existing research on media and the COVID-19 pandemic is largely based on quantitative data, focused on digital media, limited to single-country studies, and often West-centred. As such, it has limited capacity to provide a holistic account of the causes and consequences of audience engagement with
...
COVID-19 news, or to consider the impact of systemic political and media factors. To compensate for that, we examine a large set of qualitative interviews and media diaries collected in four eastern European countries during the first wave of the pandemic. We show that changes in news consumption—including the resurgence of television and decline of print consumption—were not driven solely by audience demand for up-to-date information, but also by practical constrains of home-bound life in lockdown, and the introduction of live briefings. Our findings underscore disruption and uncertainty as key elements of audience experiences and highlight the markedly privatized and depoliticized nature of public debate in the early phase of the pandemic. We argue that the pandemic was an unpredictable, open-ended, and exhausting media event with high potential for divisiveness and polarization, especially in contexts marked by low levels of media freedom, declining democratic standards, and elite-led politicization of the crisis." (Abstract)
more
"Shifting attention from the United Nations’ focus on perpetrators of climate change to climate change victims, this qualitative content analysis uses a constructivist paradigmatic approach to examine the participatory video narratives produced by local media producers in rural India. Based on the
...
levels of analyses for the impact, findings from twenty primary issue videos are thematically presented: individual, family and community, and spatial. The videos depict an intertwined nature of agriculture and environment, and documents agentative social action, transformative collective potential, and present a starting point to catalyse an iterative process of communication that expands our understanding of climate change impact beyond what is portrayed in globally dominant narratives." (Abstract)
more
"Waarneming.nl is the largest nature observation platform in the Netherlands, with over 70,000 users contributing data on biodiversity through their website and mobile applications. Using Waarneming.nl as an example, the theoretical exploration in this article offers a new lens to look at platforms
...
for nature observations. Users of Waarneming.nl read and write digital traces of encounters with other species, creating a ‘hybrid experience’ of nature, where digital and physical information are intertwined. As physical experiences become scarcer in threatening times of species endangerment and extinction, Waarneming.nl should additionally be understood as a place to memorialize lost nature. By conceptualizing Waarneming.nl as a digital 'lieu de mémoire' (‘place of memories’) and a place where hybrid experiences of nature are inspired, this article reflects on the positive and negative consequences of such platforms for humans and their multispecies relationships." (Abstract)
more
"Along the first lockdown of the world because of covid 19 pandemic, the professional media regained their monopoly of reliable information linked to the health crisis of all kinds: political, social and economic thanks to the journalism of quality. Journalists were on the front lines to ensure the
...
necessary and reliable information for their audiences during the unprecedent global pandemic crisis. The public was in need of exact news and this was assured by the quality journalism only in field and online. Professional journalists were in the frontline but this had its cost. This paper deals with the issue of the safety of journalists in the practice of their profession during the 2020 crisis, in several countries. Thematic analysis is applied to examine the challenges, risks and fears of journalists during that time through individual and collective experiences of journalists, testified, published in media articles or expressed on professional forums around the world. In some countries the journalism was considered as "a public good" and so media organizations have taken the necessary measures to ensure a safe functioning during lockdown periods but political power has stigmatized journalists and puts more pressure on them than in normal times. There have been even more restrictions on access to official information and several cases of journalist's imprisonment and harassment are reported. The data analysis show evidence of lack of physical, psychological, financial and digital security protection of journalists in several areas of the world. The pandemic influenced to worsen the basic conditions for a quality journalism to live. The world should figure out how to do the necessary in order to save the journalism, this irreplaceable public good." (Abstract)
more
"The guideline provides a roadmap, flagging at which points in the process of commissioning, implementing and managing evaluations CEH-related considerations could and should be taken into account. As such, it covers the steps involved in preparing for an evaluation; developing the terms of referenc
...
e (ToR) for an evaluation; managing the evaluation; and the post-evaluation development of an improvement plan and communication of the evaluation findings and recommendations. Given the often technical and complex nature of CEH-related issues, the guideline also provides an overview of the key concepts and features of CEH that underlie the rationale and dimensions of the evaluation criterion." (Introduction, page 2)
more
"Declines in the number of foreign correspondents and bureaus have caused media to rely on freelance journalists, particularly on coverage of complex and topical issues such as climate change. This study examines the challenges freelance climate journalists in South Asia face and how they negotiate
...
pay, benefits, and safety. Drawing from in-depth interviews of 15 journalists based in three South Asian countries - India, Pakistan and Bangladesh - the study finds that low wages, inconsistent work and perceived risk/anxiety over security - are the key challenges. The study argues that lack of financial and organizational support from the news media organizations impacts climate change coverage from a vulnerable region like South Asia. Freelance journalists often do not report on issues that can put them at physical and financial risks. Findings show that COVID-19 further impacts their financial security as many media outlets cut their budgets." (Abstract)
more
"The Footprint Evaluation Initiative aims to ensure that all evaluations consider environmental sustainability, regardless of whether this is an explicit objective of the project, policy or program being evaluated. This report describes four ‘thought experiments’ undertaken as part of this proje
...
ct. The thought experiments explored whether it is relevant, feasible and useful to consider environmental sustainability in evaluation, how this might be done, what challenges and issues it raises, and what is needed to address these. This report aims to document and share what we learned during this process, provide concrete examples of how environmental sustainability might be considered in an evaluation, and share details of our thought experiment process that others might find helpful." (Summary)
more
"This book explores Gandhi's engagement with print news media. It examines how Gandhi, the man and his message, negotiated with the sociopolitical circumstances of his milieu and the methods of communication that he adopted towards this end. It analyses the role that he played in building up alterna
...
tive modes of communication in South Africa and India. This volume elucidates his interactions with the colonial communication order and his contestations of the same through various methods that included setting up new journals and newspapers and taking on the role of writer, journalist, editor, and publisher. It unveils Gandhi's engagement with mass media and print journalism, particularly concerning issues of conflict and conflict resolution, as well as social transformation right from his days in London to the last days of his life." (Publisher description)
more
"There is an opportunity for Australia’s vibrant community radio sector to play a leading role in building community resilience around the effects of climate change. The importance of the sector in climate change communication is well-known: from emergency broadcasting during bushfires, to disaste
...
r preparedness and recovery work in cyclone season, as well as the activist role some stations take on local environmental issues. While important work is taking place, many stations lack the resources and the confidence to discuss how climate change is affecting their communities. This article details the findings of 'Warming Up', a pilot research project that aims to support community radio stations by amplifying local stories of climate change and building confidence and capacity to engage in meaningful community conversations." (Abstract)
more
"Wie denken gewöhnliche Russ:innen wirklich über die Entscheidung von Präsident Putin, in die Ukraine einzumarschieren? Obwohl einiges dafürspricht, dass frühere Umfragen, die Zustimmungswerte um 60 % für den Krieg zeigen, als genuine Signale der russischen öffentlichen Meinung gewertet werde
...
n können, untersucht dieser Beitrag eine Reihe von Gründen, warum diese Umfrageergebnisse mit großer Vorsicht behandelt oder gar ignoriert werden sollten. Gründe dafür sind u. a. die staatliche Zensur, die Selbstzensur der Bevölkerung und eine verzerrte Beantwortung der Fragen, das Vorhandensein von Protesten sogar in einem autoritären Umfeld in Russland, als auch die Tatsache, dass einige der früheren Umfragen nach einem hypothetischen Einmarsch fragten, über den viele Russ:innen wohl nicht ausreichend nachgedacht haben könnten. Allerdings führt der Beitrag an, dass die plausibelste Erklärung für den offensichtlichen anfänglichen Rückhalt für den Krieg in der Manipulation der öffentlichen Meinung durch staatliche Kontrolle der Kommunikationskanäle und der weitverbreitete Einsatz von Zensur, Propaganda und Desinformation im eigenen Land als auch im Ausland liegt." (Seite 6)
more
"Im Jahr 2022 richten 13 Organisationen aus Umweltschutz, Digitalpolitik, Entwicklungspolitik und Wissenschaft gemeinsam mit einer engagierten Community die zweite Konferenz für Digitalisierung und Nachhaltigkeit »Bits & Bäume« aus. Denn wir sind überzeugt: Es braucht politische Veränderungen,
...
damit die Digitalisierung besser zum drängenden sozialen und ökologischen Wandel beiträgt. Uns vereint ein integratives Verständnis von Nachhaltigkeit sowie der Wille, eine Zukunft zu gestalten, in der der digitale Wandel eine positive Rolle einnimmt und Mensch, Lebensgrundlagen und Umwelt unterstützt und schützt. Gemeinsam fordern wir die Bundesregierung, die Europäische Union und politische Akteure weltweit dazu auf, unsere Forderungen zügig umzusetzen. Uns ist bewusst, dass die Forderungen nicht alle politischen Veränderungen abdecken, die erforderlich sind, um eine transformative, nachhaltige Digitalisierung zu gestalten, daher müssen gemeinsam mit der Expertise der Zivilgesellschaft weitere Maßnahmen entwickelt werden." (Präambel)
more