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Lithuanian Local Community Movement as Resistance to Rural Exclusion

Lithuanian Local Community Movement as Resistance to Rural Exclusion. Dr. Arunas Poviliunas Vilnius University. The Rise of Rural Communities’ Movement. The Purpose of Presentation. To discuss the concept of rural exclusion and to substantiate the conceptual approach;

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Lithuanian Local Community Movement as Resistance to Rural Exclusion

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  1. Lithuanian Local Community Movement as Resistance to Rural Exclusion Dr. Arunas Poviliunas Vilnius University A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  2. The Rise of Rural Communities’ Movement A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  3. The Purpose of Presentation • To discuss the concept of rural exclusion and to substantiate the conceptual approach; • To elaborate the relevant toolkit for analysis of rural exclusion, that answers the conceptual choice; • To investigate the different aspects of rural exclusion; • To evaluate the strategies of rural inclusion. A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  4. Plan of Presentation • Official snapshot of Lithuanian economy • Official snapshot of Lithuanian rurality • The profiles of rural exclusion • Social innovations as public policy tools for rural social inclusion (participatory action research, partnership approach, digital communities) A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  5. Official Snapshot Of Lithuanian Economy A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  6. Macroeconomic indicators of Lithuania A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  7. Average monthly social transfers by place of residence, Per capita, LTL A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  8. Official snapshot of Lithuanian rurality A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  9. A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  10. The percentage of farm groups by the area of arable land (in ha) compared to the number of farms A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  11. Changes in gross agriculture production (compared to previous year) A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  12. Relative poverty level by socio-economic group (in per cent) A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  13. Relative poverty level by the place of residence (in per cent) A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  14. The conclusions from the snapshot • The growth of economy is recording comparatively high rates. But this growth is mostly linked with the sectors of economy that are associated first of all with the urban sector of economy. • One third (1.3 million) of Lithuanian population are living in rural areas. The poverty level in rural areas is more than three times higher than in urban areas. One third of farmers are living under relative poverty line. The official discourse verdict is that family farms and small farms that constitute the core of Lithuanian agriculture have no perspective. By the way the family farms the corner stone of Lithuanian agriculture reform. As Illka Alanen has demonstrated Lithuanian government was most successful in implementation of the ‘enforced World Bank project’. • Official rural statistics that is concentrating on the perspectives and problems of agriculture “has forgotten” the rest of rural population that amount up to one million of people. • I want to finish the discussion of this snapshot with the essential assumption of may report that this snapshot and inner logic of data presentation reflects not the rural situation as it is, but the stance and configuration of power that is producing the dominating official discourse of rurality. A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  15. The profiles of rural exclusion A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  16. Persons by categories who receives social assistance at home A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  17. Dynamics of children from ‘the families at risk’ and persons and families at risk (excessive drinking, drug abuse, etc.) who are recipients of social assistance at home in rural and urban areas (%) A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  18. Dynamics of “social families” and their children A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  19. Asocial family Families, that are registered by the municipal agencies of the protection of children's’ right for the excessive drinking, drug or other toxic material abuse, unmoral behaviour, lifestyle that is unacceptable for the society, bad care of their children, neglecting their health and inability to guarantee the harmonious and well-rounded development of their children Department of Statistics A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  20. Indicators of “asocial behaviour” • Excessive drinking • Unmoral behaviour • Unacceptable for the society lifestyle • Bad care of children • Inability to guarantee the harmonious and well-rounded development of the children A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  21. If social exclusion is understood as: (a) exclusion of different social groups to participate in the mainstream of societal development; (b) those social groups which are less integrated and which have less possibilities to participate in political, social, economic and cultural life; (c) shrinking public sphere. A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  22. At least two different concepts of social exclusion are possible: • Structural or positivistic approach delineates the norms and values of the society that are treated as objectively given, focuses on the characteristics of excluded social groups and analyzes conditions that provoke behaviour which does not answer the accepted by the majority norms of the society. This approach is based on psychological or sociological forms of determinism and treats social agency as the function of various so-called objective structures. • Interactive approach focuses on the definitions and actions both of the socially excluded groups themselves and of the groups who label them as socially excluded, and interaction between the two. A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  23. Classification of Discourses by Ruth Levitas • Moral underclass discourse (MUD) • Social integrationist discourse (SID) • Redistributionist discourse (RED) “RED, SID and MUD differ in what the excluded are seen as lacking. In RED they have no money, in SID they have no work, and in MUD they have no morals.” Ruth Levitas A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  24. “Political exclusion” of rural communities • Agriculture development policy do not treat the rural development policy as separate issue • The strategic priorities are linked with the development of agriculture • Rural communities are not considered as social and political agents able to participate in the rural development • Decline in investment in the rural social infrastructure (schools, medical service, cultural institutions, etc.) • Permanent increase of the subsidies of social transfers. A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  25. Changes in average rural household incomes A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  26. Changes in average urban household incomes A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  27. Comparison of Agricultural and Rural Development Policies A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  28. Social Innovations as Public Policy Tools for Rural Social Inclusion A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  29. Selection of cases of social innovations A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  30. Participatory Research: Case of Balninkai Community A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  31. Participatory action research “a participatory, democratic process concerned with developing practical knowing in the pursuit of worthwhile human purposes, grounded in a participatory worldview which we believe is emerging at this historical moment. It seeks to bring together action and reflection, theory and practice, in participation with others, in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of pressing concern to people, and more generally the flourishing of individual persons and their communities.” Peter Reason and Hilary Bradbury A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  32. Participatory action research • Method of research • Democratization of the knowledge generation procedures • Technology of social innovation A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  33. Some principles of the Freirerian pedagogy • Conscientização or conscientization • Banking education and culture of silence • Critical consciousness and dialogue • “Generative words and themes” A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  34. “Generative themes” • “Asocial family” • Social exclusion • Rural exclusion • Rural development policy A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  35. Usual type and the desirable leisure of time of the Balninkai community members (%) (“generative theme”) A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  36. Types of Rural Community Organizations and Dimensions of Analysis (A. Juska, A. Poviliunas, R. Pozzuto, 2004) A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  37. Key Success Factors of Balninkai Community Centre • Effective leadership and management of the Community Centre • Support of the Church and participation of the Priest in the activities of Balninkai Community Centre (BBC) • Recognition of the BBC by the Balninkai community • Recognition by the members of BBC of the Importance of Strategic Planning • Success in the early stages of the process • Effective and intensive public relation campaign lead by BBC inside the Balninkai Community • Effective public relation campaign on regional, national and even international levels. Effective use of ICT for accessing and disseminating relevant information • Support of Municipality and Mayor. • Commitment to ongoing training and capacity building • Ability to initiate the appropriate structures and to involve new members at various stages of community development A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  38. Social Partnership Approach: Case of Moletai County A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  39. Model of Social Partnership A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  40. Moletai County Rural Policy Network A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  41. Nework of Communities’ Policy A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  42. Digital Communities: Case of Initiative “Toward digital communities” A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  43. Goals of the project “Toward Digital Communities” • foster a more active use of the opportunities of information technologies in rural communities for the purposes of strengthening and modernizing their own activities. • to create and propagate incentive models and examples of good practice for modernization of communities by the use of IT opportunities. • to evaluate rural areas inhabitants’ potential to modernize by the use of IT possibilities. A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  44. Rural Areas Having Internet Connection –2003 LITNET Aljansas LA A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  45. Rural Areas Having Internet Connection –2005 LITNET Aljansas LA PHARE A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  46. 1. Strengthening specific communities organizations A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  47. Main principles of strengthening local communities • based on the active involvement of community members in the drafting of IT application project and making them the agents of a continuous (not a temporary) change of the community; • active dialogue with local inhabitants and stimulation of discussions inside of organization; • aimed at upholding the idea of ownership of ideas. Consultants are mere encouragers and facilitators and not generators of ideas nor decision makers. • we start off not by technologies but rather by identifying a problem, then informational, communicational needs and only then technologies • development of hybrid skills. A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  48. Regional Consultants A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  49. Communities that Drafted IT Application Projects A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

  50. 2. Strengthening of the national community communication network A. Poviliunas, Vilnius University

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