A Layman’s Guide to Social Capital and the Relevance for Economic Development

The previous paper (Menz, this issue) explored the nexus between agricultural extension and social capital. This chapter spells out the nature of social capital in a more extensive way. Although social capital is a relatively new concept, one of its attractions is that it can accommodate both economic and social science philosophies. An illuminating elucidation of social capital was given by Alejandro Portes: “Whereas economic capital is in people’s bank accounts and human capital is inside their heads, social capital is (inherent) in the structure of their relationships. To possess social capital, a person must be related to others, and it is these others . . . who are the actual source of his or her advantage.” Building social capital can help economic development by reducing the cost of conducting day-to-day business, it facilitates the spread of knowledge and innovation and it promotes cooperation and market-based interaction. From the review of the literature on social capital and economic development, it can be concluded that social capital is strongly linked to economic development. This empirical result supports the positive theoretical and operational linkages between social capital and agricultural extension as outlined previously. Those linkages could reasonably be expected to be particularly important in conflict areas

Aquilegia Volume 42 No. 3 - Annual Conference Issue: Knowledge, Advocacy, and Change

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Aquilegia Volume 41 No. 5 Fall 2017

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The LIFE Model: Livelihood Improvement through Facilitated Extension

The previous papers (Menz; Puerto et al.; Johnson et al.; Johnson et al., this issue) provided a background context for the development of an extension model thought to be applicable in conflict-vulnerable areas of Mindanao. This was done by developing and using an extension model that is effective and resource efficient, as well as sufficiently flexible to be adapted to local community needs. First in this chapter, learnings from previous extension work are listed. From those learnings, a set of sixteen extension principles are derived. These extension principles are categorized under the umbrella of three overarching and concurrent extension strategies: (1) improving access to technical innovations, (2) building community social capital, and (3) collaborating closely with local institutional partners. Finally a set of practical activities that defines the model is specified, while recognizing the need for flexibility in responding to prevailing circumstances

Preliminary Assessment of the Application of the LIFE Model in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan

This paper contains some initial positive results of farmer surveys assessing lifestyle, economic, and social effects from the application of the model in one case study site—Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao. These are interim results rather than final as the project is ongoing within an action research framework. The paper merely aims to describe changes that are occurring in the spirit of making a preliminary judgement about the impact of applying the LIFE extension model that was described in Vock et al. (this issue). If the impact would be found to be negligible or negative, a total rethink of the model would be required. It is not a “final” assessment of the whole project, or even a final assessment of impacts at that particular site. The assessment involved primary data collection through personal farmer interviews. This paper combines economic and sociological parameters. This continues a theme of the project which is to maintain a joint socioeconomic perspective whenever possible. Economic impacts from applying the extension model were found to be positive and these translated strongly into lifestyle changes with respect to matters such as health, education, food, and shelter

Aquilegia Volume 42 No. 2 Spring 2018

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Aquilegia Volume 42 No. 1 Winter 2018

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Feasibility, Safety, and Compliance in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Physical Therapy for Parkinson's Disease

Both efficacy and clinical feasibility deserve consideration in translation of research outcomes. This study evaluated the feasibility of rehabilitation programs within the context of a large randomized controlled trial of physical therapy. Ambulant participants with Parkinson's disease (PD) (n = 210) were randomized into three groups: (1) progressive strength training (PST); (2) movement strategy training (MST); or (3) control (“life skills”). PST and MST included fall prevention education. Feasibility was evaluated in terms of safety, retention, adherence, and compliance measures. Time to first fall during the intervention phase did not differ across groups, and adverse effects were minimal. Retention was high; only eight participants withdrew during or after the intervention phase. Strong adherence (attendance >80%) did not differ between groups (P = .435). Compliance in the therapy groups was high. All three programs proved feasible, suggesting they may be safely implemented for people with PD in community-based clinical practice

Clinical measures of static foot posture do not agree

© 2016 The Author(s). Background: The aim of this study was to determine the level of agreement between common clinical foot classification measures. Methods: Static foot assessment was undertaken using the Foot Posture Index (FPI-6), rearfoot angle (RFA), medial longitudinal arch angle (MLAA) and navicular drop (ND) in 30 participants (29 ± 6 years, 1.72 ± 0.08 m, 75 ± 18 kg). The right foot was measured on two occasions by one rater within the same test environment. Agreement between the test sessions was initially determined for each measure using the Weighted Kappa. Agreement between the measures was determined using Fleiss Kappa. Results: Foot classification across the two test occasions was almost perfect for MLAA (Kw = .92) and FPI-6 (Kw = .92), moderate for RFA (Kw = .60) and fair for ND (Kw = .40) for comparison within the measures. Overall agreement between the measures for foot classification was moderate (Kf = .58). Conclusion: The findings reported in this study highlight discrepancies between the chosen foot classification measures. The FPI-6 was a reliable multi-planar measure whereas navicular drop emerged as an unreliable measure with only fair agreement across test sessions. The use of this measure for foot assessment is discouraged. The lack of strong consensus between measures for foot classification underpins the need for a consensus on appropriate clinical measures of foot structure

Health-related quality of life and strain in caregivers of Australians with Parkinson’s disease : An observational study

Background: The relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers is little understood and any effects on caregiver strain remain unclear. This paper examines these relationships in an Australian sample. Methods: Using the generic EuroQol (EQ-5D) and disease-specific Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 Item (PDQ- 39), HRQoL was evaluated in a sample of 97 people with PD and their caregivers. Caregiver strain was assessed using the Modified Caregiver Strain Index. Associations were evaluated between: (i) caregiver and care-recipient HRQoL; (ii) caregiver HRQoL and caregiver strain, and; (iii) between caregiver strain and care-recipient HRQoL. Results: No statistically significant relationships were found between caregiver and care-recipient HRQoL, or between caregiver HRQoL and caregiver strain. Although this Australian sample of caregivers experienced relatively good HRQoL and moderately low strain, a significant correlation was found between HRQoL of people with PD and caregiver strain (rho 0.43, p<.001). Conclusion: Poor HRQoL in people with PD is associated with higher strain in caregivers. Therapy interventions may target problems reported as most troublesome by people with PD, with potential to reduce strain on the caregive