Community development and images of influence structures: Some conceptual and methodological considerations

Abstract

A theoretical framework is presented which links structural and subjective aspects of community development. It is argued that while past analyses of local decision making processes have been valuable, the methods used may not have been appropriate to obtain valid data relative to the subjective worlds of community actors. A methodological strategy using a cognitive mapping procedure is suggested and demonstrated to be potentially useful for community development research. INTRODUCTIONAcademicians and practitioners are well acquainted with the conceptual ambiguities and methodological problems associated with community development. Assembling the seemingly disparate ideas and suggestions under a "conceptual umbrella," although an admirable goal, remains an illusive ideal. However, those theoretical perspectives and research areas which promise to illuminate important aspects of community development processes should be actively pursued. The purpose of this paper is to propose a research strategy which merges theory and methods in regard to a particular focus of community research: community power and decision making. It will be argued that while conceptualizations of local

The Link between Internet Activity and Community Experience in Rural Utah☆

“…Indeed, Ladewig and McCann (1980) found that amenities and services in the community were the largest determinants of community satisfaction. Community satisfaction is more sensitive to the influence of economic behavior and attitudes than community attachment (Brown 1993), providing insights into social change (Deseran 1978) and how residents handle the community's distance from goods, services, employment, education, and social problems (Quarnberg 2011). Accordingly, Brown (1993) argues that increased participation in the consumer economy should result in increased community satisfaction.…”

Police perceptions of social capital and sense of responsibility

“…Perceptual images provide police with a cognitive map or conceptual context from which particular events or behaviors can be made understandable, including their own Police perceptions behavior (Deseran, 1980). According to Deseran (1980, p. 25), community structures and the people that dwell within those structures are: Mental abstractions of observed interactions and relationships among community actors.…”