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Empowerment

About: Empowerment is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 42112 publications have been published within this topic receiving 752953 citations.


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The concept of community participation plays a central role in policies and interventions seeking to reduce health inequalities as discussed by the authors, and it is suggested that social identities, social representations and power are crucial elements for constructing a social psychology of participation.
Abstract: The concept of ‘community participation’ plays a central role in policies and interventions seeking to reduce health inequalities. This paper seeks to contribute to debates about the role of participation in health by suggesting how social psychological concepts can add to the theorisation of participation. It criticises traditional concepts of development and introduces some of the challenged that are present for development and community theorists in conditions of rapid globalisation. The paper proceeds to demarcate the space which a social psychology of participation occupies within the terrain of existing research into the health-society interface. The concepts of empowerment and social capital are identified as important starting points to address the relative lack of social psychological attention to community-level determinants of health. It is suggested that social identities, social representations and power are crucial elements for constructing a social psychology of participation. The paper concludes by highlighting the vital link that should exist between the development of theory and practical interventions. Paulo Freire's notion of conscientisation is a guiding notion throughout the paper. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

426 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a four-dimensional model which shows the multifaceted way in which power works and then use this power model as a lens with which to examine empowerment practices in business.
Abstract: The 1990s have been called the “empowerment era,” yet growing evidence suggests that empowerment programs often fail to meet the expectations of both managers and employees. To provide a better understanding as to why empowerment programs often fail and to suggest how such failures may be averted, we examine the power behind empowerment. Ironically, although power and empowerment are inextricably linked, much of the work on empowerment in the business literature has been devoid of any discussion of power. We present a four-dimensional model which shows the multifaceted way in which power works. In it, we observe the similarities and differences in the ways that different theorists have approached the study of power, notably those ascribing to mainstream, critical, and Foucauldian perspectives. We then use this power model as a lens with which to examine empowerment practices in business. This analysis suggests a number of possible reasons for the failure of business empowerment programs and provides direc...

425 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The contribution of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to development is easy to detect as discussed by the authors, but the focus has only recently shifted along the ICT-for-development value chain from these indicators of ICT readiness and availability, to the question of development impact.
Abstract: This editorial introduces the three papers in this Policy Arena on the contribution of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to development Contribution in terms of technology diffusion and use – especially of mobile phones – is easy to detect But focus has only recently shifted along the ‘ICT-for-development value chain’ from these indicators of ICT readiness and availability, to the question of development impact In part, the absence or poor quality of ICT impact assessment to date derives from its lack of conceptual foundations This editorial maps out the intellectual roots of the emerging sub-discipline of ‘development informatics’ to show where such foundations may come from It also summarises the conceptualised contributions made by each of the Policy Arena papers The papers draw on models of enterprise value chains, empowerment and Sen's capability theory to demonstrate ICTs' contribution to conceptions of development as economic growth, as sustainable livelihoods, and as freedom Of course, not all ICT initiatives succeed, and the editorial provides a good practice summary drawn from experiences of success and failure It moves beyond the perennial call for practitioners and policy makers to incorporate impact assessment as part of this good practice First, by identifying the need to address motivational and structural issues around impact assessment Second, by calling on policy makers to be more aware of the transformational potential of ICTs in development; so-called ‘Development 20’ Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

422 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a model for community leadership capacity building is presented for individual and organizational development, theoretically and practically, with the intention of discovering lessons to inform management education in relation to leadership and change.
Abstract: This paper presents a model for community leadership capacity building. This model for individual and organizational development is being used with the Resource and Development Foundation (RDF) in Stellenbosch, South Africa. RDF is a non-governmental organization with the aim of providing resource-based training and capacity-building services to the socially excluded and disadvantaged youth, women and rural people of the Western Cape. Here we examine the process of capacity building, theoretically and practically, with the intention of discovering lessons to inform management education in relation to leadership and change. The paper explores the issues related to developing empowerment: the capacity of a system to engage in enterprising dialogue where power is unequally distributed. It proposes a community leadership development framework that comprises three components: leading change through dialogue, collective empowerment and connective leadership.

421 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, both types of constraints on lifestyle changes in a sustainable direction are discussed as well as policies for reducing constraints, and possible motivational effects of the proposed policies are also outlined.
Abstract: Consumer policy can empower consumers for changing lifestyles by reducing personal constraints and limitations, but it should also attempt to loosen some of the external constraints that make changes towards a more sustainable lifestyle difficult. In terms of reducing consumers’ subjectively felt restrictions on their ability to change lifestyle, the two approaches are equivalent. Policies that increase a feeling of empowerment may also have a positive effect on consumers’ motivation to make an effort, thus amplifying its effects. In this paper both types of constraints on lifestyle changes in a sustainable direction are discussed as well as policies for reducing constraints. Possible motivational effects of the proposed policies are also outlined.

420 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
20241
20233,100
20226,409
20212,123
20202,550
20192,576