Local community participation in mining in Finnish Lapland and Northern British Columbia, Canada – Practical applications of CSR and SLO
By: Tuulentie, S., Halseth, G., Kietäväinen, A., Ryser, L., & Similä, J.
This article examines how these SLO and CSR related ideas of social acceptance, trust, and legitimacy have been operationalized in British Columbia, Canada and in Finnish Lapland. How is ‘community’ understood in these different governance practices? What shape has the interaction between mining companies and communities taken and what have been the mechanisms to enhance local community well-being? The article draws on three case studies, one in northern British Columbia (BC), Canada and two in Finnish Lapland. The context of each case is unique with respect to the phase of mining activities, the social issues being raised, and the history of mining. These differences affect the processes of interaction and local participation. Read more>>
Expectations and Realities of Engaged Scholarship: Evaluating a Social Economy Collaborative Research Partnership
By: Heisler, K., Beckie, M., & Markey, S.
This paper examines and evaluates the dynamics of engaged scholarship within a complex community-university research partnership. The British Columbia–Alberta Social Economy Research Alliance (BALTA) brings together academics and practitioners with the goal of advancing understanding of the social economy and contributing to the development of a social economy research network in western Canada. Engagement in BALTA refers to both internal (academic and practitioner research partnerships) and external (research process) project components. Our findings indicate that the structure of the project, dictated in large part by funder requirements and the professional cultures of research participants, greatly influenced the nature and quality of engagement. Read more>>
Tourism workforce development in the Kootenay-Rockies
By: Robinson, D., & MacDonald, T.
Introduction
The tourism industry culture has traditionally focused more on destination marketing and capital projects than workforce development concerns like the recruitment and retention of staff (Vaugeois et al., 2013, World Tourism Organization and International Labour Organization, 2014). Academic research has reflected this focus, with various scholars noting that the academic research on the tourism workforce is limited (Bartlett et al., 2016, Baum, 2015, Ladkin, 2011, Solnet, Baum, et al., 2014). This is particularly problematic given the centrality of the workforce to tourism’s success and the fact that there has been little improvement on most critical tourism workforce issues such as working conditions and remuneration (Baum, 2015). Read more>>
Regulatory intersections and Indigenous rights: Lessons from Forest Stewardship Council certification in Quebec, Canada
Teitelbaum, S., Wyatt, S., Saint-Arnaud, M., & Stamm, C
The goal of this study is to better understand the qualities of regulatory interaction and its effects through the analysis of two case studies involving the Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) requirements for free and informed consent during the period 2012 to 2015 in Quebec. The first case describes events related to the transfer of FSC certificates from the forest industry to the Quebec government, proposed as a result of the introduction of the new forest policy regime in 2013. The second case describes a contested FSC certificate in the Lac-St-Jean region, spearheaded by an Indigenous nation, over the issue of free and informed consent. Both cases are documented through secondary data. Results reveal that forestry certification acted as a catalyst, obliging parties to more clearly define their positions on the application of Indigenous rights, but also creating dissonance within the regulatory system. Pathways of regulatory interaction were characterized by mutual influence, negotiation, and readjustment. Read more>>
Such a Shame! A Study on Self-Perception of Household Food Waste
Falasconi, L., Cicatiello, C., Franco, S., Segrè, A., Setti, M., & Vittuari, M.
Reducing food waste is globally considered as a key challenge in developing sustainable food systems. Although most food waste is generated at the household level, consumers hardly recognize their responsibility, and the factors underpinning their perception of the quantity of food wasted at home are still unclear. This paper aims to fill this gap by analyzing the results of a large-scale survey conducted in Italy. The perceived quantity of household food waste was measured through a Likert scale and analyzed by means of a logistic regression against a set of predictors, including food waste motivations, perception of the effects of food waste, and sociodemographic variables. Read more>>