Context Matters: The Importance of Local Culture in Community Participation

Authors

Linda Stalker Prokopy, Purdue UniversityFollow
Daniel Aldrich, Purdue UniversityFollow
Janet Ayres, Purdue UniversityFollow
Shannon M. Amberg, St. Mary’s University of MinnesotaFollow
Alicia MolloyFollow
Amber Saylor Mase, Purdue UniversityFollow
Aaron Thompson, University of WisconsinFollow

Volume

50

Issue

2

DOI

10.34068/joe.50.02.58

Abstract

Encouraging members of the public to get engaged in local decision-making is a key role of Extension educators. The study reported here explores whether local context influences which individuals choose to attend public meetings about the community and the environment. The study surveyed meeting attendees and non-meeting attendees in three contextually different counties in Northern Indiana. Findings are that determinants of participation are different in all three of these counties, suggesting that context is much more important in explaining participation than was earlier thought. Therefore, it is critically important that Extension personnel be able to understand the local context.

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Recommended Citation

Prokopy, L. S., Aldrich, D., Ayres, J., Amberg, S. M., Molloy, A., Mase, A. S., & Thompson, A. (2012). Context Matters: The Importance of Local Culture in Community Participation. The Journal of Extension, 50(2), Article 58. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.50.02.58