Governance at Grassroots Level

The 2021 Myanmar military coup significantly changed the landscape of digital rights in the country. Social media emerged as both a means of resistance and a means of control. This paper examines the role of social media in Myanmar's struggles for digital rights. The following concepts and theories were used 1(the theory of non violence resistance from Gene Sharp, 2(the different forms of cultural violence using arts and media by John Galtung 3(The propaganda model of Noam Chomsky 4(Arab Spring Revolution and the Occupy Movement by Julia Skinner Research Methods This paper analyzes how activists, journalists, and citizens, especially youth, use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram to mobilize protests, spread information, and document human rights abuses. These platforms are also used by the military to track people, spread propaganda, and control information online.

The GrandMaster’s Community Leadership Handbook is not a conventional manual — it is a battle-tested blueprint designed for emerging and active grassroots leaders. From conflict resolution to resource-constrained community development, this handbook provides clarity, courage, and strategic tools for effective leadership. It draws on real-world experiences and offers practical guidance for navigating public administration, managing community-based organizations (CDAs), and building inclusive governance structures. Adeyemi empowers leaders at the grassroots with tested solutions and a compelling vision for social impact.

Keywords:
Community Leadership; CDA; Grassroot Leadership; Community Governance; Public Administration; Conflict Resolution; CDA Constitution

Publication Date:
2025-05-10

Publisher:
(Self-published)

Language:
English

DOI : https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15380363

License:
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Type:
Book

Subjects:

Community Leadership

Public Administration

Political Science

Community Development

Leadership Studies

Sociology


Contributor(s):
Cover Design: Just-IT Media, Lagos.

Photograph: Provided by the author

An entrepreneurship is an important role in economic activity. Entrepreneur is a person who undertakes a business in his own ability. A successful entrepreneur is always aware of the new developments and changes which he can adopt. Being an entrepreneur to takes risk and challenges to face. An organization comes into existence only because of own effort of an individual's that would be prepared to assume the enterprise with him. But differentiate an entrepreneur from a successful entrepreneur are his achievements in the field of his/her business. Individual must have special quality that is known as entrepreneurship. The aim of this case study is to identify challenges and prospectus to the entrepreneurs. The research was conducted through direct interview with the entrepreneurs. Primary and secondary data are used in this case study method. Out of available entrepreneurs to selected four entrepreneurs, who had their investment option form own sources. The methodology chosen is case study method; their history is studied in depth, the factors as to identify their secret of success what are challenges faced by them. Sampling methods are purposive sampling methods are used because of population selected for inclusion in the sample based on the ease of access. Case studies involve in-depth research and study of individuals. Purposive Sampling technique is adapted in this study and structured questionnaire was used for data collection.

India followed a parliamentary democracy system at the central and state levels, with bureaucratic governance at the lower levels. The 73’rd and 74’th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1993 brought a drastic change in power and position of bureaucracy at lower levels of administration in India. The empowerment of people at grass-roots levels is considered to be one of the most important tenets of the modern democratic administrative system. It provides much scope for the all-round development of society, thereby facilitating effective participation and empowerment of the people. People’s planning in Kerala as a measure of democratic decentralization attempts to introduce effective change in the role of bureaucracy and rural political leadership in the democratic direction.

The paper provides an overview of two gender and development (GAD) workshops conducted at Yangon University of Economics (YUE) in terms of research capacity building. In Myanmar, gender inequality has not been historically recognized as an issue for development. Being under a military regime for decades (1962-2010) research is underdeveloped, with limited or no data/information available across sectors. Universities are not autonomous. The curriculum is controlled by the Ministry of Education, and difficult to change. The GAD course drew from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)’s book “Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development,” and six academic papers for individual reviews and group exercises

Myanmar's mental health and well-being have been profoundly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and political unrest. The prevalence of reported depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation highlights the imperative need to evaluate mental health access and services throughout the nation. Population anxiety and distress have increased as a result of the pandemic containment measures and political unrest. Access to mental health services is hindered, particularly in rural and minority-populated areas, by outmoded mental health legislation and a lack of trained professionals, as well as by language barriers. For the development of focused interventions and support systems, it is essential to understand the present situation of mental health access. For the promotion of mental health services, government, INGOs, and local communities are required to collaborate. Myanmar can foster resilience and well-being by prioritising mental health and employing comprehensive strategies, resulting i...

After decades of authoritarian military control, in 2011 Myanmar transitioned to a hybrid regime that was "neither clearly democratic nor conventionally authoritarian" (Diamond, 2002: 25 quoted by Bünte, 2021:1), with a democratically elected government co-existing with military institutionalised powers (Plunkett, 2021). This study investigates the tentative engagement of rural communities with Myanmar's Union Government (UG) institutions during the 2011-2021 democratic process. Focusing on the lowest administrative levels of government, the study considers new "democratic openings" wherein citizens as stakeholders sought to become part of decision-making concerning their community needs. The central argument is that governancebuilding in developing nations is usually tentative and incremental and does not meet expectations of the international development community, which tends to simplistically dichotomise between "good" and "bad" governance. The study uses a multi-dimensional analytic approach that more thoroughly and realistically assesses the nature of grassroots governance development in a setting characterised by weak institutions and limited resources. The study demonstrates the usefulness of this approach in case studies in Myanmar's Chin, Kayah, and Kayin states.

The evidence that is presented in this report demonstrates MARG’s commitment to these ideas as its research team engaged with members of the Myanmar immigrant/refugee community in Thailand regarding their
experiences with violence and other forms of oppression and their assessment of the need forlocal governance building and transitional justice.
The research team refers to its approach in the current research as “empowering” and “advocacy” in nature. It should not be assessed in standard terms of social research, field work, or qualitative or quantitative methods. It should be assessed in terms reflected in the label “learning discussions” that were applied in the focus group discussions (FGDs) that
provided most of the evidence considered in this report. The research team discussed with Myanmar immigrants/refugees living in Chiang Mai and
Mae Sot, Thailand for MARG’s governance and justice ideas. Through these discussions, the researchers sought to develop common understandings regarding how the participants’ shared experiences with violence and other forms of oppression can inform the implementation of grassroots governance and justice-seeking ideas and empower the participants to participate in their application across their nation in the future.

Crumpton was a Fulbright Scholar in Thailand in 2021-2022, which built on previous Fulbright Specialist experiences in Brazil and Thailand, and continued his five-decade global journey in responsive and inclusive local governance. The 2021-2022 Scholar Grant involved collaboration with refugee Myanmar scholars to visualize governance in post-military regime Myanmar. Their collaboration produced a vision of governance based on a grassroots perspective and supported by Myanmar and international experience in inclusive community-level planning and deliberative democracy.

Since the modern scientific and technological innovations are systemic, both the category and amount of the stakeholders are much more than before. As a result, the Problem of Many Hands becomes serious increasingly. And then induces responsibility shifting and damage the justice of responsibility. In order to make the attribution and apportion of responsibility reasonably, we should take the methodology of “never-fixed-views”, distinguish the different intensions of responsibility. Simultaneously, improve the framework of organizations and increase the transparency of processes.

A community's essence, which is the combination of its identity, purpose, and culture, is dynamic. It is influenced or shaped in part by what the community is capable of. Extension, through its educational programs, plays a large part in leading the community to progress. The academe making a linkage with organizations builds community engagement which is a powerful vehicle for bringing out environmental and behavioral changes which contribute to the holistic development of a community and its members. These collaboration efforts help mobilize resources and influence systems, change relationships among partners. This study evaluated the grassroots community entrepreneurial livelihood undertakings and its needs. Respondents were randomly selected from the grassroots community of Pili, Camarines Sur, Philippines. Based on the data gathered, 40% of the respondents are store owners, 20% were into buy and sell business, 10% are into direct selling, 10% are pedicab drivers, 10 % are educational plan agent and the remaining 10% are food vendors. But despite a steady income from their entrepreneurial projects they still applied and avail loans from a private lending institution. Moreover, it showed that the community lacks the knowledge about governance education and entrepreneurial development. With these findings, it is opportune to adopt the Expanded Grassroots Project to combat poverty in the country. However, this implicate strengthened partnership and linkage to sustain productive and decent work for all in the community.

The continuous rapid growth of microfinance institutions in Kenya seems not to offer enough solution to the micro and small enterprises survival challenges with more than a one-third of MSEs start-ups collapsing within the first three years. It is the high rate of collapse and low rate of survival of MSEs that motivated this research to fill the existing gap on the missing linkage between MFIs and MSEs survival. This study looked at the role of the social intermediation services offered by MFIs on survival of MSEs in Thika Town which is both an industrial town and a business hub. A descriptive study design was adopted. Stratified and purposive sampling methods were used to select a sample 272 MSEs. Findings indicated that; regular microfinance participation help reduce loan application and payment bureaucracy while keeping entrepreneur updated on available opportunities. Training equips MSEs owners with necessary managerial skills on financial management, book keeping, and business operations. Group liability eliminates the need for collateral security when accessing loan while it increases the amount of loan accessed. Networking increases business link widening goods and services markets and allows for formation of business clubs. Finally, it was found that training was the most sought service followed by group liability, microfinance participation, and networking. From the study findings, the researcher recommends that MSEs continue seeking for social intermediation services and especially networking to improve their competitiveness and create a competitive advantage over their competitors boosting their survival.

Since the modern scientific and technological innovations are systemic, both the category and amount of the stakeholders are much more than before. As a result, the problem of many hands becomes serious increasingly. And then induces responsibility shifting and damage the justice of responsibility. In order to make the attribution and apportion of responsibility reasonably, we should take the methodology of “never-fixed-views”, distinguish the different intensions of responsibility. Simultaneously, improve the framework of organizations and increase the transparency of processes.

中国已经进入群体性事件多发期，以城市业主为主体的中产抗争日渐增多，与传统的农民群体抗争事件形成鲜明对比。本文通过田野调查和深度访谈，分析了两个相互关联的案例，阐释了中产阶级、农民群体、媒体和政府之间的博弈过程。研究发现，与农民相比，中产抗争的武器更加多元化，具有去政治化的表演性和创新性，有能力塑造多元的话语结构和维持媒体的关注，最终导致了农民抗争的失败和中产抗争的成功。这种差异根源于，在抗争性政治的实际过程中，中产阶级与国家的边界具有模糊性。一方面，中产阶级虽然在资源上强于农民，但在权威国家中，多种话语和符号通常并存于一个社会运动之中，而处于同情者位置的广大受众决定了哪种话语能成为主导。因此，中产得通过媒体，借用农民抗争的道义资源，在民间合理化自已的抗争诉求。另一方面，中产虽然相对于国家是弱者，但执行国家控制措施的很多单独个体也是中产的一部分。因此中产在牵涉到其自身利益的议题上有意愿将抗争议题去政治化，避免抗争越界，通过协商抗争，在国家管制结构里合理化自己的诉求。这两个过程结合在一起，促使了中产和农民在抗争方式、组织、资源和话语上的差异，从而导致这两类运动结果的迥异。

在中国城市商业中心大规模崛起的背景下，本文试图探讨都市中的消费、 时尚与异质性在这类商业空间中的整体建构逻辑，进而探求这一特定空间 对于社会结构再生产的意义 。因此， 本文从空间视角切入，以著名的武汉光谷步行街为例，细致分析了步行街的整体布局，重点突出对其中的消 费与时尚空间 （包括各类空间要素）以及异质性空间（包括其中的特殊群体）的考察。本文发现这种商业中心作为总体性社会空间，不仅是城市 内部的精英控制与大众反抗的核心竞争场域， 而且是城市社会的群体同 与社会结构生产的中心地带。最终，它成为展示中国城市现代性生产的一个重要窗口 。

基层政府的“ 双重代理人” 身份一方面代表国家（ 基层政权） 向居民（ 社会） 传递国家意志， 另一方面代表居民（ 社会） 向国家（基层政权） 表达意见。何艳玲教授在《都市街区中的国家与社会： 乐街调查》
一书中发现在后单位制时期， 居委会呈现出一种“内卷化’ ’(involution) 的特征，作者透过街区中国家和社会关系视角来分析我国社区建设运动所呈现出来的困境。针对当前城市管理体制存在的问题，如组织结构分化滞后于功能分化与整合、功能分化缺乏制度化约束， 或者制度文本形同
虚设等等， 都需要通过厘清政府的职责、重整城市管理体制和促进街区自治来改善。本书的价值在于提出将当前“ 两级政府、三级管理” 的体系改为扩大街道管理权限的“ 市一区” 两级政府架构的建议， 可以有助于彻底解决目前区与街道办事处的矛盾，同时适当调整政府的管理幅度，减少管理层次是提高管理效率的关键。

：城市社区业主在发起针对开发商和物业公司的“初级抗争”之后会开展对抗业委会
的“次级抗争”。“次级抗争”的出现，使得我国城市社区面临物业公司、开发商侵权和内部成员
分裂的双重困境。本文采用“过程追踪”的研究方法，通过对中国Ｂ市的典型新居民区—“ＣＣ
花园”内业主增选、罢免业委会的社区冲突过程的研究，发现物业管理制度的缺陷、业主和业委
会之间委托代理的关系以及业主精英群体的权力异化，会导致业主从“初级抗争”向“次级抗
争”转变，且两种抗争之间存在着一定的演化逻辑。未来中国的城市社区治理需要培养业主组
织的可持续能力，制定共同遵守的规则，强化问责机制，以实现“业主—业委会”的权力平衡，打
破现有的社区治理困境。

Panchayati Raj Institutions have always been considered as a means to good governance and 73rd Constitutional Amendment was effected in the hope that it would lead to better governance and provide political space to the disadvantage section of the society like schedule caste, schedule tribes and women. The present study was an effort to know the extent of participation of SC women elected representative in Panchayat, their status and the problems faced by them. Sample consisted of 100 women elected representatives from two Districts of Patna and Gaya. Random sampling technique was adopted for selecting the sample from different blocks. The tool used for obtaining information was an Interview Schedule. The findings of the study revealed that neither the reservation for women or their actual presence in the Panchayat have become any more sensitive to the problems related to the village women. The women who are elected are not always treated with due respect. Many elected women complained that their suggestions were not considered seriously nor were they consulted while decisions were being made. Some felt that their views were  ignored only because they are women. At times they were pressurized by their husbands to approve their decisions made by the male dominated Panchayat.

The concept of customer is a concept strictly belongs to the private field, which is widely accepted is the public field nevertheless. The concept of customer is preconditioned by exchange relations, which traditionally did not exist in public field, and was introduced into public field through the voucher system reform, making the relation between government and society similar to the relation between businesses and customers. However, the voucher system is still based upon the non-exchangeability of public field, neither did it change the nature of public field, nor did it change the inapplicability of the concept of customer in public field. The widespread of the concept of customer reflects the deficient of alterity in public field, and urges a transformation of public administration from customer orientation toward alterity.

The emergence and nature of political leadership at grassroots level have been caused by some extra-politico-legal factors in recent years. It seems unique but it is real. There are three kinds of such factors -voluntary action, social capital and latent role of political parties' organizations at the grassroots level. Though the social capital among the common masses, particularly the weaker sections is a result of voluntary action, yet it has gained ground in rural Bihar. The concept of social capital involves mutual trust, net-working and community action for shared objectives among the weaker sections. This makes an urgent imperative to notice and underlined the ground realities of these factors in order to understand the emergence and nature of grassroots level political leadership in rural Bihar. These factors have been visible during the recent elections of Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) in rural Bihar held in 2006 and 2011. Under the influence of this assumption, the researcher intends to underline these factors as effective instruments in rural Bihar in present section of this research report. Voluntarism As an Effective Factor A new trend of voluntary action has emerged in rural India, particularly in rural Bihar that intends to empower the poor and deprived sections of electorate for political participation. As such the role of NGOs in giving life to the grassroots democracy in form of creating social capital among the nondominants and the neo-dominants generally drawn from socio-economically deprived sections of our society. A number of literatures pertaining to role of voluntary action in political field have come up during the last decade. 1 There

The present chapter examines the emergence of grassroots political leadership in rural Bihar in its historical perspectives. It is intended to provide the socio-economic environment in which the grassroots level political leaders emerged and formed a particular nature during the periods before India became a sovereign democracy (till independence in 1947).