Leveraging the Power of Peer Groups for Refugee Integration

Refugee integration, one long-term solution to the large number of people fleeing their home countries, constitutes a challenge for both refugees and host societies. ICT and especially online peer groups seem promising to support this process. Building on literature demonstrating the societal benefits of peer groups, this paper proposes a novel peer-group-based approach to address refugee integration and introduces both an online and offline realization. A randomized field experiment in cooperation with public (refugee) services and a non-governmental organization makes it possible to expand existing research by quantitatively demonstrating societal benefits of online peer groups and ICT for refugee integration. Further, this paper is the first to assess the effectiveness of online and offline peer groups in one experimental setup comparatively. Results show that peer groups provide substantial value with respect to the integration domains social bridges, social bonds, rights and citizenship as well as safety and stability. While the outcome of the various integration domains differs for online and offline peer groups, participants’ adoption rates were higher for online peer groups

Forschungsprojekte mit der Praxis entwickeln: Ergebnisse des Projektentwicklungsprozesses der Innovationsgruppe ginkoo

Organic farming actors need to handle more complex innovation processes to develop locally adapted and globally relevant solutions for challenges such as agricultural-biodiversity and relationship between farmers and producers. For a coordinating management of such innovation processes, management tools that exceed classical innovation management techniques, are required if sustainable solutions are to be achieved. Developing relevant knowledge requires a transdisciplinary approach to bridge the gap between science and practice. This paper presents our process and the resulting concept of the transdisciplinary innovation group ginkoo for one of two case studies. It aims at developing a research concept that integrates the practical context such that ground for using the research findings after the end of funding has been laid

Thanks for Your Help! – The Value of Q&A Websites for Refugee Integration

The huge number of people fleeing their home countries poses a challenge to refugees and host societies. Q&A websites are highly promising in supporting refugee integration, one long-term solution to displacement. In our study, we aim to identify how refugee Q&A websites are used and, as a result, what value they provide to their users with respect to refugee integration. Based on data of the successful Q&A website ‘Wefugees’, we apply a mixed-methods approach consisting of descriptive statistics, social network analysis, and content analysis. Our results indicate that Q&A websites serve for the provision of information on a broad range of integrational topics and, surprisingly, constitute a one-way support service instead of leading to community building. We are the first to examine Q&A websites in this context and expand literature studying the role of digital services for refugee integration. Our results further provide design implications for refugee Q&A websites

#JOBLESS #OLDER #DIGITAL – DIGITAL MEDIA USER TYPES OF THE OLDER UNEMPLOYED

The double burden of age and unemployment suggests that older unemployed individuals are particularly affected by digital divide. To investigate the characteristics and user types of older unemployed individuals with respect to digital media, we conduct a survey on this target group in cooperation with the German Federal Employment Agency. We apply cluster analysis to give more nuanced insights into people’s usage of digital media services for job search, their attitude with respect to those services, currently perceived barriers and product preferences. Results suggest that older unemployed individuals are a nuanced group with a great range of different usage behaviours and attitudes towards digital media. Specifically, we identify the user types Digital Sceptics, Digital Classics, Digital Interactives and Digital Contributors. We show that a large group of older unemployed individuals is accessible for digital media in the context of job search and identify pathways of how our findings can be used to leverage digital media use for job search in this target group. Our study contributes to literature on digital media user typologies and has important policy implications for addressing the digital divide

Bibliographie

Sources primaires Abramovici Jean-Christophe, Obscénité et classicisme, Paris, PUF, 2003. Addison Joseph et alii, The Guardian, [mars 1713 octobre 1713], Stephens John Calhoun (ed.), Lexington, University Press of Kentucky, 1982. Addison Joseph, Richard Steele et alii, The Spectator [1711-1714], Bond Donald (ed.), 5 vols., Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1965. Addison Joseph, Steele Richard et alii, The Tatler [1709-1711], Bond Donald (ed.), Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1987. Argens Jean-Baptiste de Boy..