"In the immediate aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the CDAC (Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities) Network undertook its first ever ground initiative. This initiative, which came to be known as CDAC Haiti, was funded largely through the OCHA’s ERRF with some additiona
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l short-term funding in 2011 from the global CDAC Network and the World Health Organisation (WHO). In total, CDAC Haiti received US $615,000. This Learning Review aims to document CDAC Haiti’s activities, assess achievements, and contribute knowledge about what worked, what didn’t, and why. A key component of the Review is the identification of lessons from this ‘new’ area of humanitarian coordination that can be drawn for other emergency operations." (Page iv)
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"Analiza el diseño, los métodos de investigación aplicados y la relevancia práctica de 23 encuestas de audiencia y estudios de evaluación realizados por la ALER entre 1981 y 2008." (commbox)
This book features case studies and reports on the use of web 2.0 and social networking applications and services to increase the impact of research on policy in Latin America. During 2010 and 2011 Fundación Comunica, with funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC, Canada) an
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d assistance from the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), supported a series of small research projects examining the use of online social networking services to link research and policy in the region. For the Impact 2.0 projects, the most successful uses of web 2.0 and online social networking to connect research and policy were those that involved the public in campaigns and consultations. Less successful were those projects that focused on the direct relationships between researchers, policymakers and other stakeholders.
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This report documents some very significant differences in how media companies in different countries have fared over the last decade, examining six affluent democracies (Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States) as well as two emerging economies (Brazil and India).
"This report [is] the first compilation of the global data on how women in developing countries access and use the Internet. I am convinced this report provides key insights for policy makers, the development community and industry. Based on interviews and surveys of 2,200 women in developing countr
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ies, as well as interviews with experts and a review of existing literature, this report found that, on average, 23 percent fewer women than men are online in developing countries. This represents 200 million fewer women than men who are online today. In some regions, the size of the gap exceeds 40 percent. In addition, in many regions, the Internet gender gap reflects and amplifies existing inequalities between the sexes. We know that many women who use the Internet derive profound benefits through it, including economic and educational opportunities, a community of support, and career prospects. As the report indicates, expanding Internet access for women would also provide a significant boost to national income." (Foreword)
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"Whereas most continents see circulation of newspapers drop, Latin America is one of the few areas in the world with rising newspaper circulation. A substantial part of this rise is caused by the introduction of free newspapers in a dozen countries on the continent. We map this development, discuss
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possible reasons for the rapid growth and try to answer whether this introduction has substitution effects on paid newspapers. The growth of this new format is most probably caused by economic growth while we conclude that substitution is low, meaning that free dailies serve a new reading audience in Latin America." (Abstract)
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"De forma resumida se puede expresar que la razón de ser del Observatorio de Medios de la UCA es la de una instancia que investiga y opina sobre el comportamiento de los medios en el país bajo la premisa que estos deben contribuir al desarrollo humano y sostenible de este país centroamericano. Pa
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ra la Universidad Centroamericana la libertad de expresión y el derecho a la información son claves para que Nicaragua pueda construir un modelo de nación que le permita desarrollare. La presente publicación recopila parte de las investigaciones que el Observatorio de Medios de esta Universidad Jesuita ha desarrollado en el año 2010 y 2011. La información que se presenta diagnostíca y caracteriza la labor de los medios de comunicación más tradicionales por fiscalizar y comunicar a la sociedad en aquellos temas cruciales de gobernabilidad, corrupción y transparencia. Desde que se creó el observatorio, la intención más importante de investigación ha girado alrededor de estos tres temas que consideramos necesarios para la Gobernanza del país y la construcción de ciudadanía.
El segundo capítulo recoge sendas investigaciones que nos aproximan a las realidades mediáticas vividas en la Costa Caribe del país. Con estos trabajos el Observatorio quiere acercarse a conocer esa parte de los medios del país cuyas prioridades se focalizan dentro de un contexto intercultural muy propio de esa región nicaragüense. El trabajo relacionado a la sociedad civil y los medios nos muestra las expectativas de las organizaciones de la sociedad nicaragüense frente a los medios de comunicación. La investigación da pistas de cómo se podrían facilitar procesos en los cuales los actores de sociedad civil sean constructores de agenda informativa y se apueste por hacer periodismo cívico. El último capítulo brinda una lectura de la labor de los medios de comunicación en contexto electoral. Se aborda la agenda informativa durante las elecciones del año 2011 que resultaron ser muy criticadas por diferentes actores nacionales e internacionales. Este capítulo quiere insistir en la necesidad del debate mediático durante períodos electorales como espacio de diálogo entre los políticos en contienda y la ciudadanía." (Introducción)
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"Although many countries are aggressively implementing the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program, there is a lack of empirical evidence on its effects. This paper presents the impact of the first large-scale randomized evaluation of the OLPC program, using data collected after 15 months of implementat
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ion in 319 primary schools in rural Peru. The results indicate that the program increased the ratio of computers per student from 0.12 to 1.18 in treatment schools. This expansion in access translated into substantial increases in use both at school and at home. No evidence is found of effects on enrollment and test scores in Math and Language. Some positive effects are found, however, in general cognitive skills as measured by Raven’s Progressive Matrices, a verbal fluency test and a Coding test." (Abstract)
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"A propósito das disputas entre a Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus e a Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus no primeiro semestre de 2012, o artigo estuda a dimensão do espetáculo e do mercado cultural religioso nas mídias. Por meio de uma pesquisa exploratória dos principais escândalos e embates e
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nvolvendo igrejas e líderes religiosos nas mídias nas últimas décadas, o estudo busca (1) localizar o fenômeno da espetacularização da fé como uma estratégia de marketing, como resposta à concorrência, que inclui a visibilidade também por meio de conflitos; (2) indicar caminhos que instigam a novas investigações." (Resumo)
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"Este trabajo busca discutir las relaciones que se han establecido en la sociedad paraguaya entre el Estado, la sociedad civil y los medios de comunicación como expresión de diversos intereses sociales, políticos y económicos. Al mismo tiempo, también se propone hurgar y desvendar por un lado,
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y por el otro, desarrollar una exégesis, sobre los distintos elementos y momentos históricos, a partir de los cuales se fue conformando, mínimamente, un pensamiento en el campo comunicacional paraguayo. La propuesta atraviesa diversas etapas históricas y se nutre en varios aspectos del desarrollo e impulso de las ciencias sociales paraguayas. Al mismo tiempo, se intenta establecer relaciones entre un pensamiento local, y otro desarrollado fuera del país –o a la inversa–, y que de alguna manera constituyen una propuesta de “rango medio” de lo que puede denominarse el despliegue de unas teorías de la comunicación. Analizando documentos producidos desde el poder durante la Primera República paraguaya (1811-1870), asimismo estudiando cuatro textos sobre el periodismo paraguayo publicados entre los años 1890-1911 (Parodi, Rodríguez Alcalá, Pane y E. Solano López), el presente libro intenta reconstruir y presentar el camino histórico recorrido por aquello que podría ser denominado un “borrador” del pensamiento comunicacional paraguayo." (Contratapa)
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"For many years now, the sphere of the main Pentecostal denominations has gone way beyond their physical churches and members. To some extent, they operate like businesses, and they use the media to exert a strong influence on society. Some of them own national TV stations and publish high-circulati
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on newspapers. Their direct influence on politics has also increased steadily. Many members of the state parliaments and the National Congress also hold positions in the Pentecostal churches. The churches have not yet succeeded in getting one of their members directly elected to the highest political positions, but they have been able to use their close ties with certain politicians to exercise significant indirect political influence for the benefit of their own clientele. The Pentecostals are particularly powerful in the favelas, which receive little assistance from the Brazilian welfare state. In many areas that are ruled by the drug gangs, the only safe way of getting out of the drug trade is to join one of the Pentecostal churches, as this is deemed acceptable by the gangs. In contrast, other churches or religions are being squeezed out – sometimes violently. The image of the Pentecostal Church is therefore something of a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it is often stressed that it provides its members with a sense of stability and direction. The strict ban on alcohol and drugs, the feeling of belonging to a strong community, and the inclusion of certain rituals from the Afro-Brazilian animist religions that can turn spiritual experiences into a state of religious ecstasy – all these elements can help the Church’s followers to feel they have the power to break out of the vicious circle of poverty and despair. On the other hand, however, Church members have to pay a high monetary price for this; money that is not only reinvested in social projects but which also goes to line the pockets of the Church’s leaders, who are often not whiter-than-white, despite expecting this of their congregations. The most extreme example of this must surely be that of the founder of the Universal, Edir Macedo." (Conclusion)
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"This publication provides readers with fresh insights into the practice of participatory educational communication. The first section explores the educational potential of community media, reaching from participatory radio campaigns in Sub-Saharan Africa to school radios in Brazil. The second secti
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on, "stories of learning", shows the power of experience-based stories through interviews with community stakeholders or through drama and other cultural forms. The third section, "Praxis in Latin America", emphasises the centrality of popular and engaging formats, the importance of blended approaches, and the role of mobile and social media in reinforcing and complementing community-based broadcasting. The fourth section, "Praxis in the Commonwealth", examines strategies for enabling participation, experiences of collaboration at the local level, and the importance of assessing programme outcomes. The final section looks at how broadcasters and other community-based groups can make use of the voice and text functions of mobile telephones across different aspects of educational programming, including content provision, programme logistics and learner support." (CAMECO Update 2-2012)
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"Am weiten Horizont der Charismatischen Erneuerung in der katholischen Kirche (CE) zeichnet sich mit dem Medienkatholizismus und den Neuen Gemeinschaften eine neue Art der Evangelisierung ab. Aufgrund ihrer gesellschaftlichen Sichtbarkeit und der Vorliebe der Gesellschaft für das Pentekostale wird
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sie im brasilianischen Katholizismus eine Vormachtstellung einnehmen. Aus der Gospelkultur entstanden wird sie zu einer neuen religiösen Gattung, die den Evangelisierungsstil der katholischen Kirche mehr und mehr prägen wird." (Seite 52)
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